Pneumococcal vaccination is the most important and effective preventive measure. Furthermore, to prevent pneumococcal infection, attention must be paid to reducing risk factors.
Behavioral risk factors
- Consumption of stimulants
- Tobacco (smoking)
- Psycho-social situation
- Stress (due toweakening of the immune system).
- Fatigue
Disease-related risk factors
- Allergies
- Alcoholism
- Anemia (anemia)
- Other respiratory – affecting the respiratory tract – infections, mainly caused by viruses.
- Asplenia – genetic absence of the spleen.
- Bronchial asthma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Diabetes mellitus (diabetes)
- HIV infection
- Hypogammaglobulinemia – lack of antibodies.
- Coronary artery disease (CAD)
- Cirrhosis of the liver – connective tissue remodeling of the liver leading to functional impairment.
- Leukemia (blood cancer)
- CSF fistula – abnormal duct originating from the cerebrospinal fluid (nervous fluid) system.
- Lymphoma – malignant tumor originating from the lymphatic system.
- Malnutrition
- Renal insufficiency (kidney weakness)
- Plasmocytoma (multiple myeloma) – systemic disease caused by abnormal proliferation of plasma cells.
- Sickle cell anemia (med.: drepanocytosis; also sickle cell anemia, sickle cell anemia) – genetic disease of erythrocytes (red blood cells); it belongs to the group of hemoglobinopathies (disorders of hemoglobin; formation of an irregular hemoglobin, the so-called sickle cell hemoglobin, HbS).
- Condition after splenectomy (splenectomy).
Medication
- Therapy with glucocorticoids such as cortisone.
Environmental pollution – intoxications (poisonings).
- Air pollution
