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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is The Prognosis Of An Alcoholic Patient Being Admitted In Hospital For Bacterial Pneumonia?

Hello. My dad is 80yrs old and has been a functioning alcoholic most of his life. His alcoholism was quite bad (2 bottles of wine a day) until the last 3 weeks where he changed to 2 glasses of stout a day. He also suffers from chrones disease. He was also a smoker (nice medical history) Yesterday he was admitted to hospital with bacterial pneumonia for IV antibiotics. My step mother says that the doctors say he is fine. Given his frail condition and better medical knowledge I am unsure as to whether I should book a trip to visit? How quickly can this condition deteriorate? Would he be better outside hospital and have an at home service to prevent further disease spread? ?Is septicemia a likely outcome for his condition? Jane
Fri, 27 Dec 2013
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hearing about this. Pneumonia if well treated and on time should not constitute great danger to your father. It is true that too much alcohol would have at least made him more vulnerable to disease and a poorer
outcome than otherwise. However, it is doesn't guarantee a poor prognosis.
Every day spent out of the hospital is a better day if possible. Please, discuss the idea of home care with his doctors and see whether it is something that they would be considering.

I hope you find this helpful. I wish you the best of health. Thank you so much for using our services and doo feel free to request for more information if need be.
Dr. Ditah, MD.
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What Is The Prognosis Of An Alcoholic Patient Being Admitted In Hospital For Bacterial Pneumonia?

Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hearing about this. Pneumonia if well treated and on time should not constitute great danger to your father. It is true that too much alcohol would have at least made him more vulnerable to disease and a poorer outcome than otherwise. However, it is doesn t guarantee a poor prognosis. Every day spent out of the hospital is a better day if possible. Please, discuss the idea of home care with his doctors and see whether it is something that they would be considering. I hope you find this helpful. I wish you the best of health. Thank you so much for using our services and doo feel free to request for more information if need be. Dr. Ditah, MD.