Beloved Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton has died of pneumonia, according to a statement from her family Shared with People magazine.
It was not clear whether she had any underlying health conditions that contributed to her death on Saturday at the age of 79.
Here’s everything you need to know about the lung infection, its causes and how it led to Keaton’s death.
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation of the sacs in one or both lungs. According to the Mayo Clinic.
These air sacs fill with fluid or pus, causing a cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty breathing, according to the clinic. The severity of the disease can range from mild to life-threatening, and can cause death in severe cases.
It is more dangerous for infants and those over 65 years of age. People with underlying health conditions or weakened immune systems are also more likely to develop severe pneumonia, the Mayo Clinic said.
What causes pneumonia?
Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of pathogens, such as bacteria or viruses.
The immune system usually prevents these germs from causing infections in the lungs, but some can still escape the body’s defenses, even if a person is healthy, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Some types of pneumonia are caused by bacteria, but most often they are caused by a respiratory virus, such as a cold, flu or COVID, said Dr. Ben Singer, a pulmonologist at Northwestern Medicine.
“Walking pneumonia” is caused by bacteria and is a milder form of the disease, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Patients can develop pneumonia while in the hospital for other reasons, according to the Mayo Clinic. Hospital-acquired pneumonia can be more serious because the bacteria may be resistant to antibiotics and because patients may already have a weakened immune system.
People who use respirators are more likely to develop pneumonia in the hospital, which is why many people who have been infected are on respirators Early Covid variants died of pneumonia“Singer said.
It’s also possible to develop aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when someone inhales food, drink, vomit or saliva, and is more likely in people whose reflexes are working abnormally, such as if they have a brain injury or trouble swallowing or if they are using drugs or alcohol, according to the Mayo Clinic.
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
Symptoms can range from mild to severe.
In some cases, symptoms can be similar to cold and flu symptoms but last longer and include:
- Chest pain while breathing or coughing.
- Confusion or changes in mental awareness (in older patients).
- Cough that may produce phlegm.
- exhaustion.
- Fever, sweating, chills.
- Body temperature lower than normal (in older patients and those with a weak immune system).
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
- shortness of breath.
Patients with pneumonia may face complications, including sepsis or bacteria in the bloodstream, difficulty breathing, fluid around the lungs and abscesses in the lungs.
Dr. Humberto Choi, a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, also noted that other complications can arise, such as pulmonary embolism, arrhythmia, or even encephalopathy, which can affect the brain.
Those who have difficulty breathing, chest pain, a fever of up to 102 degrees Fahrenheit or a persistent cough should seek medical care, according to the Mayo Clinic.
How does pneumonia cause death?
“It’s true that pneumonia tends to be more severe in people who are very young — that is, in infants — or in older people, and it seems to be those age demographics that tend to have more severe disease, but it certainly can affect anyone,” Singer said.
In Keaton’s case, even if she doesn’t have an underlying condition, “that doesn’t mean that perfectly healthy people can’t get very, very sick with pneumonia,” Singer said.
Pneumonia is also a very common cause of sepsis, which is when “a severe infection creates an overwhelming reaction in the body to try to treat the infection,” Singer said. “The body tries to kill the infection, but as a result, the body harms itself.”
And both can happen quickly, too. When the lungs fail, it causes a syndrome called acute respiratory distress syndrome, or ARDS, which affects the body very quickly, as does sepsis, which can develop within hours to become life-threatening.
Choi noted that low oxygen levels can develop from minutes to hours, and other complications, such as arrhythmia associated with pneumonia, can occur “very suddenly and out of nowhere.”
How is pneumonia prevented and treated?
Doing things like maintaining good hygiene and maintaining a healthy immune system can help protect against pneumonia.
The Mayo Clinic says vaccines to prevent certain types of pneumonia exist and are recommended for children ages 2 to 5 years. In 2024, an independent group of advisors to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 14-1 to lower the age for routine pneumococcal vaccinations to 50 years.
Doctors warn that vaccines only protect patients from certain types of pneumonia, not all of them.
On the one hand, there are vaccines that prevent viruses that cause pneumonia, such as influenza, COVID and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, Singer said.
There is also a vaccine that targets specific bacteria that cause most cases of bacterial pneumonia, but it’s generally recommended for older adults and people with underlying conditions, Singer said. He added that this vaccine is not given annually, but the doctor can advise whether the individual needs a booster dose after receiving the initial dose.