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Formal Paper: Impact of Aging and Pneumonia on the Pulmonary System

Cameron Spieles

School of Nursing, James Madison University

NSG 325: Concepts in Aging

Dr. Powell

November 6, 2023
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Abstract

This research paper investigates the impact aging has on the pulmonary system and how

pneumonia impacts the pulmonary system in older adults. Research articles used in this paper

dive into the cellular level changes that occur as humans age and how this impacts the pulmonary

system at baseline, let alone when pneumonia is present. Lastly, exploration of pneumonia’s

interaction in patients with pre-existing comorbidities and changes in function status is

investigated and supported with research.

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Formal Paper: Impact of Aging and Pneumonia on the Pulmonary System

Aging impacts the human’s body in many ways and each body system is affected one

way or another. As nurses, we see and treat many older adult patients for a various number of

diseases. During this paper, the impact of aging on the pulmonary system will be investigated,

along with how pneumonia impacts the pulmonary system, how aging makes the older

population more prone to pneumonia, and the treatments/best practices for pneumonia in older

adults.

Impact of Aging on the Pulmonary System

To start, it is important to understand a general overview of how the pulmonary system

changes as humans age. Research done by Barnes (2019) showed that as humans age, peripheral

airways narrow, lung elasticity decreases, gas transfer functionality is reduced, and the aged lung

is more susceptible to environmental stressors and infection. Additional research done by Cho

and Stout-Delgado (2020) looked at changes in the pulmonary system that occur at the cellular

level as humans age and it was found that lung function starts to decline around 35 years of age,

in large part due to a decrease in forced expiratory volume and forced vital capacity. Forced

expiratory volume measures how much air an individual can exhale during a forced breath

(David & Edwards, 2022). On the other hand, forced vital capacity measures the maximum

amount of air inhaled following a breath (David & Sharma, 2023).

Impact of Pneumonia on the Pulmonary System in Older Adults

Having a better understanding of how lung function decreases as humans age can help us

also understand why pneumonia is such a serious disease for older adults. Research done by

Hespanhol and Bárbara (2020) found that pneumonia is one of the main reasons for mortality in

older adults, specifically in patients that are older than 75 years of age and have other
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comorbidities such as diabetes, renal failure, heart disease, and/or mobility impairment.

Additional research conducted by Park et al (2022) investigated functional status of patients

diagnosed with pneumonia for up to six months after discharge and found that frail patients

suffered the most serious damage to their functional status after their battle with pneumonia.

Treatment of Pneumonia in Older Adults

Treatment for pneumonia is dependent on the type of pneumonia present. There is

bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, and fungal pneumonia. Bacterial is treated with

antibiotics, viral is treated with antivirals, and fungal is treated with antifungals (U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services, 2022). Besides these medicines, other treatments

that have been seen in patients with pneumonia from this writer’s point of view includes steroids,

oxygen therapy, chest physiotherapy, and incentive spirometry.

Conclusion

As humans age, each body system is impacted in one way or another. As nurses, it is

drilled into our heads to protect the airway and manage the airway in all patients. This is what

inspired this research paper on how the pulmonary system changes as humans age along with

how pneumonia effects older adults. Pneumonia is a very serious disease process for older adults

due to the changes that occur in the pulmonary system from aging. With modern medicine, we

are well equipped to treat pneumonia and help patients be discharged back to the functional

status they had prior to coming to the hospital.

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References

Barnes P. J. (2019). Pulmonary diseases and ageing. Sub-Cellular Biochemistry, 91, 45–74.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3681-2_3

Cho, S. J., & Stout-Delgado, H. W. (2020). Aging and lung disease. Annual Review of

Physiology, 82, 433–459. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-physiol-021119-034610

David, S., & Edwards, C. (2022). Forced expiratory volume. National Library of Medicine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK540970/

David, S., & Sharma, S. (2023). Vital capacity. National Library of Medicine.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541099/

Hespanhol, V., & Bárbara, C. (2020). Pneumonia mortality, comorbidities

matter?. Pulmonology, 26(3), 123–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pulmoe.2019.10.003

Park, C. M., Dhawan, R., Lie, J. J., Sison, S. M., Kim, W., Lee, E. S., Kim, J. H., & Kim, D. H.

(2022). Functional status recovery trajectories in hospitalised older adults with

pneumonia. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 9(1), e001233.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2022-001233

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2022). Pneumonia - Treatment. National

Heart Lung and Blood Institute. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/pneumonia/treatment