Why does it seem alot of people die from pneumonia when they go to the hospital?

Question

I heard that this morning Bernie Mac died from pneumonia complications. It seems like about 60 percent of people that

end up in the hospital for whatever this is always at least

part of the symptom - WHY?

Answer 1

It is very easy to get an infection in a hospital and when you have pneumonia your body is already weak. If you are talking about Bernie Mac, I read that he had an illness that might have gotten worse with the pneumonia.

Answer 2

Pneumonia is common in the hospital because people who are in the hospital have immune systems that are compromised. Also laying around and not moving can let things settle in the lungs. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death among elderly people.  

Answer 3

Because the mucous build up in their lungs is probably very extreme to the point that they have to be hospitalized.  

Answer 4

Misee-

The majority of people who die with a diagnosis of pneumonia have an underlying condition which really caused their death but the final happening which tips their weakened condition to death is pneumonia.  Bernie Mac's basic cause of death was Sarcoidosis, which for years created nodules in the lung and destroyed his lungs with their breathing capacity with his immediate cause of death being pneumonia brought on by the sarcoidosis.  Many families and doctors prefer to settle for the fairly neutral diagnosis of "pneumonia" so as to not have to reveal a more frightening underlying diagnosis like cancer or AIDS or anything else which upsets some people.  Otherwise healthy people rarely get pneumonia and die from it - they die with pneumonia on top of another more serious disease.