RISK CONDITIONS AND
PNEUMOCOCCAL
PNEUMONIA
If you are living with certain medical conditions, you may be at higher risk for this potentially serious, bacterial lung disease.
Understand your risk.1
Previous episode of invasive pneumococcal disease
Functional or anatomical asplenia
- sickle cell disease or other haemoglobinopathies
- congenital or acquired asplenia (for example, splenectomy) or hyposplenia
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Immunocompromising conditions
- congenital or acquired immune deficiency, including symptomatic IgG subclass or isolated IgA deficiency
- haematological malignancies
- solid organ transplant
- haematopoietic stem cell transplant
- HIV infection
- immunosuppressive therapy, where sufficient immune reconstitution for vaccine response is expected; this includes those with underlying conditions requiring but not yet receiving immunosuppressive therapy
- non-haematological malignancies receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy (currently or anticipated)
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Proven or presumptive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak
- cochlear implants
- intracranial shunts
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Chronic respiratory disease
- suppurative lung disease, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis
- chronic lung disease in preterm infants
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic emphysema
- severe asthma (defined as requiring frequent hospital visits or the use of multiple medications)
- interstitial and fibrotic lung disease
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Chronic renal disease
- relapsing or persistent nephrotic syndrome
- chronic renal impairment – eGFR <30 mL/min (stage 4 disease)
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Cardiac disease
- congenital heart disease
- coronary artery disease
- heart failure
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Children born less than 28 weeks gestation
Trisomy 21
Chronic liver disease
- chronic hepatitis
- cirrhosis
- biliary atresia
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Diabetes
Smoking
- Current or in the immediate past
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Harmful use of alcohol
- Consuming on average ≥60 g of alcohol (6 Australian standard drinks) per day for males
- Consuming on average ≥40 g of alcohol (4 Australian standard drinks) per day for females)
Living with this/these risk condition/s puts you at higher risk of pneumococcal pneumonia. If you’re living with multiple risk conditions, your risk increases further.
Take the risk assessment.
Just answer a few questions to get personalised risk results you can share with your doctor.
What is your age?
Age can be a risk factor, even if you're healthy.
- I am under 50
- I am 50-64
- I am 65-70
- I am 70 or older
Next: Your health conditions
Do you have any chronic health conditions?
Certain conditions may put you at higher risk for pneumococcal pneumonia, even if they're under control. The medicines you take may also affect your risk. Select all that apply.
- Asthma
- Chronic lung disease
- Heart disease
- Diabetes
- Chronic renal failure
- Certain Cancers
- Non-functioning spleen (asplenia)
- HIV
- I do not have any of these conditions
Do you take a medicine that suppresses your immune system? This includes some medicines that treat psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis. Crohn's disease, or ulcerative colitis, among other conditions.
- Yes I am taking a medicine that suppresses my immune system.
- No I am not taking a medicine that suppresses my immune system.
Back Next: Your risk assessment results
Your risk assessment results for pneumococcal pneumonia
Talk to your Doctor, Nurse or Pharmacist about how you could protect yourself against pneumococcal pneumonia. Bring a copy of this assesment with you to help get the conversation started.
References
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Australian Immunisation Handbook: Lis. Risk conditions for pneumococcal disease, September 2023. Accessed May 2024.