This story was originally published on February 21, 2025. It has been updated with the news of Pope Francis’s death on April 21.
Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, died on Monday, April 21, at the age of 88, a day after offering Easter blessings in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
The Vatican said the cause of death was a stroke, followed by a coma and irreversible cardiocirculatory collapse.
Francis, the first pontiff to hail from Latin America, had chronic lung disease for many years and had most of one lung removed when he was young.
He had made few public appearances since he fell ill two months ago with a series of respiratory diseases.
Francis was hospitalized on February 14 at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital after developing bronchitis, a condition marked by inflammation of the bronchial tubes in the lungs.
He was diagnosed with two other conditions: bilateral (double) pneumonia, an infection in both lungs; and polymicrobial respiratory tract infection, involving multiple types of bacteria, viruses, or other organisms in the lungs. He spent 38 days in the hospital.
Studies have shown that pneumonia can significantly raise the risk of cardiovascular complications, including stroke. This heightened risk can persist for a year or longer, and in some cases, cardiac events like stroke account for more than 30 percent of deaths for people with pneumonia.
What Is Double Pneumonia?
Pneumonia develops when a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection causes inflammation and fluid accumulation in the lungs. It can affect one or both lungs, which is called double or bilateral pneumonia.
Common causes of pneumonia include seasonal flu, COVID-19, and pneumococcal disease. Symptoms can include difficulty breathing, fever, and a cough with yellow, green, or bloody mucus. Older adults may also experience symptoms like a sudden change in mental state, appetite loss, and fatigue.
“Pneumonia is a serious infection that can be life-threatening,” says Meredith McCormack, MD, an associate professor and the director of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
“Older age is a risk factor,” Dr. McCormack says. “We often think of over 65 years as a high-risk group, but each year of age adds additional risk of more serious infection.”
What Is a Polymicrobial Respiratory Infection?
A polymicrobial respiratory infection could mean the patient has more than one type of bacteria in the respiratory tract, or that the patient has a respiratory virus in addition to at least one type of bacteria in the lungs, says Peter Chin-Hong, MD, a professor and an infectious disease specialist at the University of California in San Francisco.
“Having more than one organism diagnosed is not dangerous per se, as long as the patient is being adequately treated with the right antibiotics or antivirals, started in a timely fashion,” Dr. Chin-Hong says.
“One notorious polymicrobial combination is influenza followed by a bacterial infection like Streptococcus pneumoniae — the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia — or Staph aureus,” Chin-Hong says.
The Vatican did not disclose the exact mix of organisms involved in the pope’s polymicrobial respiratory infection.
How Is Double Pneumonia Treated?
“Antibiotics or antiviral medications are the mainstay of treatment,” McCormack says. “Sometimes we use inhalers or steroids, especially in patients who have a history of asthma or chronic lung disease.”
Most people with pneumonia can manage their symptoms at home by drinking lots of fluids, getting plenty of rest, and taking over-the-counter medicines for a fever or cough, according to the American Lung Association. Symptoms like fatigue can linger, however, and a full recovery can sometimes take several weeks or more.
When pneumonia is so severe that people need to be hospitalized, they may receive intravenous fluids or antibiotics, oxygen therapy, or other breathing treatments, according to the American Lung Association.
“Supportive therapy is important and can include giving supplemental oxygen or even life support when people get very sick,” McCormack says.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
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Resources
Winfield N. Pope Francis, First Latin American Pontiff Who Ministered With a Charming, Humble Style, Dies at 88. AP. April 21, 2025.
Pope's Death Due to Stroke and Irreversible Cardiocirculatory Collapse. Vatican News. April 21, 2025.
Pope Has Double Pneumonia; Condition Remains 'Complex'. Vatican News. February 18, 2025.
Wang JE et al. Bacterial Pneumonia and Stroke Risk: A Nationwide Longitudinal Followup Study. Current Neurovascular Research. January 26, 2024.
Desai A et al. Cardiovascular Complications in Community-Acquired Pneumonia. Microorganisms. November 2, 2022.
Rob Williams is a longtime copy editor whose clients over the years have included Time Inc., Condé Nast, Rodale, and Wenner Media, as well as various small and midsize companies in different fields. He also worked briefly as an editor for an English-language magazine in China, back in his globe-trotting days, before he settled down with his (now) wife and had kids.
He currently lives in a 19th-century farmhouse in rural Michigan with his family, which includes two boys, two cats, and six chickens. He has been freelancing for Everyday Health since 2021.
Lisa Rapaport is a journalist with more than 20 years of experience on the health beat as a writer and editor. She holds a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism and spent a year as a Knight-Wallace journalism fellow at the University of Michigan. Her work has appeared in dozens of local and national media outlets, including Reuters, Bloomberg, WNYC, The Washington Post,Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune, Huffington Post, Yahoo! News, The Sacramento Bee, and The Buffalo News.
