title: Community-Acquired Pneumonia in the Asia-Pacific Region.
abstract: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Aging population, dense urbanization, and poor access to health care make the Asia-Pacific region vulnerable to CAP. The high incidence of CAP poses a significant health and economic burden in this region. Common etiologic agents in other global regions includingStreptococcus pneumoniae,Mycoplasma pneumoniae,Haemophilus influenzae,Chlamydophila pneumoniae,Staphylococcus aureus, and respiratory viruses are also the most prevalent pathogens in the Asia-Pacific region. But the higher incidence ofKlebsiella pneumoniaeand the presence ofBurkholderia pseudomalleiare unique to the region. The high prevalence of antimicrobial resistance inS. pneumoniaeandM. pneumoniaehas been raising the need for more prudent use of antibiotics. Emergence and spread of community-acquired methicillin-resistantS. aureusdeserve attention, while the risk has not reached significant level yet in cases of CAP. Given a clinical and socioeconomic importance of CAP, further effort to better understand the epidemiology and impact of CAP is warranted in the Asia-Pacific region.
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyungmin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huh
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Doo Ryeon
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents