Hormone treatment ‘can help minimise pneumonia treatment risks’

Scientists at the Georgia Health Sciences University have discovered a new hormone-based therapy that could minimise fatalities resulting from pneumonia.

Research has found that growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) can play a key role in combating a secondary wave of toxins released by pneumococcus bacteria as they are killed by antibiotic treatment.

Typically, this pneumolysin toxin can trigger the formation of holes in the walls of the air sacs and blood vessels in the lungs, causing fluid and blood to infiltrate areas intended for oxygen exchange.

Dr Rudolf Lucas, vascular biologist at Georgia Health Sciences University, said: "This is an acute problem; dangerous lung fluid accumulation occurs within days in patients."

However, adding an agonist that mimics the action of GHRH can help to prevent this process from occurring, with new studies now being planned to test its potential benefits further.

NHS figures show that pneumonia affects up to 11 in every 1,000 adults each year, posing a greater threat during the colder seasons.