Earlier, the Vatican had said the 88-year-old had a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract” and pneumonia in both lungs, with tests indicating a “complex clinical picture.” ...

(Pneumonia can also sometimes arise when food or drinks are inhaled into the lungs, causing "aspiration pneumonia.") Bacterial pneumonia is more common and usually more severe than viral pneumonia ...

Older individuals are more likely to inhale food or liquid into their lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia. Fourth, the immune system weakens with age, which means that older individuals would have ...