What to know about the condition that's hospitalized the pope
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Pope Francis arrives for the weekly general audience at Paul-VI hall in the Vatican on Feb. 5. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP via Getty Images
Pope Francis is being treated in the hospital for a "polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract," the Vatican said Monday.
The big picture: The 88-year-old pontiff was admitted to Rome's Agostino Gemelli Hospital Friday "for an ongoing bout of bronchitis" and tests revealed "a complex clinical picture" that "has led to a further change in therapy," per Vatican statements.
What is a polymicrobial infection?
Polymicrobial diseases are "caused by combinations of viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites," per the National Institutes of Health. These can be acute or chronic.
- The Vatican's disclosure that the infection is in his respiratory tract means the bacteria is in his lungs.
How can this infection be treated?
The Vatican didn't immediately say whether the pope's infection was bacterial or viral or what treatment he's receiving, but said he's "stable."
- Such infections are usually treated with antibiotics, according to the NIH. But while antibiotics can treat bacterial infections, they can't treat viral ones, per the CDC.
What are the threats for people with vulnerable health systems?
Older people with weaker immune systems or complex health problems can be vulnerable to polymicrobial infections.
- Asthma + Lung UK medical director Nick Hopkinson told AP while healthy people tend to recover quickly from bronchitis, "bacteria can come and colonize the airways" of those with damaged lungs and "you start to see infections which makes it more difficult to treat."
- However, Hopkinson added: "If they've identified particular things to treat, they can treat those and he'll start to recover."
What are the health concerns for the pope?
The pope has a history of respiratory health issues, which includes having part of his lung removed in his native Argentina in 1957.
- Francis was hospitalized with a respiratory tract infection in 2023 and treated with antibiotics for bronchitis.
- The pope is often seen in a wheelchair and addressed his health concerns in an autobiography out last month. "I am well," he reportedly said. "The reality is, quite simply, that I am old."
- A Vatican official on Monday described the pope as being in "good spirits."
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