Community-acquired pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Patients with COPD are at increased risk for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). COPD has been reported as a comorbidity in at least one third of the hospitalized patients with CAP. There is a controversy that the presence of concomitant COPD and CAP is associated with a greater risk of death when compared to either condition alone. Risk factors, clinical and immunological characteristics, microbiological etiology, as well as prognosis and treatment of COPD patients with CAP are reviewed in this article.