Obesity and Risk of Subsequent Hospitalization with Pneumonia

Obesity may be associated with increased risk of pneumonia, but available data are sparse and inconsistent. We followed a prospective cohort of 22,578 men and 25,973 women from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study, aged 50-64 and free from major chronic diseases at baseline (19931997), for first-time hospitalization with pneumonia (median follow-up 12 years). Compared with men of normal weight, adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of pneumonia were 1.4 (95% CI 1.2-1.7) for men with moderate obesity (BMI 30.0-34.9), and 2.0 (1.4-2.8) for men with severe obesity (BMI ≥ 35.0), controlling for lifestyle and educational variables. Among women the associations were weaker with adjusted HRs of 0.8 (0.6-1.0) for moderate obesity, and 1.2 (0.8-1.6) for severe obesity. Adjustment for major chronic diseases diagnosed during follow-up eliminated the associations between obesity and pneumonia risk. Obesity is associated with higher risk of hospitalization with pneumonia among men but not among women, apparently explained by occurrence of other chronic diseases.