Pneumonia is the third leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of death in countries with low per capita income. It is responsible for a large number of hospitalizations and a significant expenditure of health care resources. In Brazil, which is classified as an upper-middle-income country (US$ 3,976 to US$ 12,275), pneumonia is the fourth leading cause of death. In 2009, life expectancy at birth for Brazilians increased to 73.2 years (70 and 77 years for men and women, respectively).

Of the 190 million Brazilians, 7.6% are 65 years of age or older, and this segment of the population has a larger number of comorbidities, is more susceptible to pneumonia and its complications, and is subject to higher mortality rates. Of the 722,000 hospitalizations for pneumonia reported in Brazil in 2011, 194,000 (27%) were in individuals over 65 years of age. Of the 47,000 deaths from pneumonia, 33,000 (70.2%) occurred in individuals in that age group.

Approximately 600 million Brazilian reals (R$) were allocated to the management of pneumonia, compared with R$ 240 million spent on the management of acute myocardial infarction and R$ 126 million spent on the management of stroke. ...