Subtle warning signs of deadly pneumonia everyone MUST know: Yet another celebrity is killed by suffocating disease that can go unnoticed for months – and people of all ages are at risk

Jurassic Park star Sam Neill’s ‘sudden and unexpected’ death has been attributed to pneumonia, the lung disease that kills around 25,000 people in Britain each year.

It may come as a bit of a surprise for his fans, given that the 78-year-old actor announced in April that he was free of blood cancer and was ‘cancer-free’ at the time of his death, according to his manager.

But Neill is not the first notable figure to fall victim to pneumonia in the last few years.

His name appeared on the death certificate of Val Kilmer and Diane Keaton, who died last year at the ages of 65 and 79, respectively.

And in December, Ibiza-based lothario Wayne Lineker, 63, brother of football pundit Gary, revealed he too had become a victim of the near-crippling respiratory condition. He told fans that he was hospitalized after contracting a virus in Dubai that left him fighting for his life in hospital and that it could take months for him to recover.

Now experts have told the Daily Mail that the condition is not just an ailment of the elderly; He was once called ‘the old man’s friend’ in reference to the peaceful and painless death he offered.

In fact, many patients may have very few symptoms, meaning the disease may go undetected and untreated, potentially causing long-term lung damage.

Here, doctors reveal the warning signs of the condition you should be aware of and whether you might be vulnerable.

Diane Keaton, whose acting career lasted more than fifty years, died of bacterial pneumonia at the age of 79 last October.

According to Professor Paul Hunter, a virus expert at the University of East Anglia, pneumonia is an infection ‘in the deep part of the lungs, where oxygen and carbon dioxide are transferred between your blood and the atmosphere’.

There are two main types: viral pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia.

Viral pneumonia caused by viruses such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Covid is usually milder, although it can sometimes be severe.

Meanwhile, bacterial pneumonia (bacteria entering the lungs and infecting them) is often more serious and may require treatment.

Professor Hunter said untreated bacterial infections such as pneumococcal pneumonia ‘can have quite a high mortality rate’.

In rarer cases, pneumonia may develop after food, drink or vomit enters the lungs instead of air. This is known as aspiration pneumonia.

More people die from pneumonia in England than anywhere else in Europe, according to lung charity Asthma and Lung UK.

Meanwhile, there are approximately 42,000 deaths a year in the United States.

Professor Hunter says people with weakened immune systems, such as patients undergoing cancer treatment, the elderly or babies, are more vulnerable to pneumonia.

Not only are they more likely to get an infection that triggers this condition, their bodies may have a hard time preventing the disease from progressing and reaching the lungs.

But pneumonia can affect anyone and be life-threatening at any age.

It is the leading cause of death among children under five, causing the deaths of more than 700,000 children annually.

‘People can get pneumonia throughout their lives. “It is more lethal in the very young and the very old, and in older ages,” he said.

‘Globally, deaths from chest infections, mostly pneumonia, are the most common causes of death in children, and most of these are in low-income countries.

‘But you can get pneumonia in your lifetime and actually die from it in your lifetime.’

Perhaps the most difficult form of the disease to detect is silent pneumonia, which is sometimes called ‘walking’ pneumonia because of its low impact on patients’ daily lives.

In other words, those with this condition can go to work, exercise, and go about their daily lives, often feeling little more than a mild cough.

But experts say it’s important to seek medical help if cough or cold symptoms persist for more than three weeks.

Although most healthy people will eventually clear silent pneumonia without treatment, those with respiratory conditions such as asthma may struggle, and the longer the lung inflammation persists, the higher the risk of long-term damage.

Many ‘walking’ pneumonia patients may still be harboring a contagious infection that can be easily passed on to vulnerable friends and family.

If a GP suspects pneumonia, they may recommend antibiotics or refer patients for a lung scan to confirm the diagnosis and assess possible damage.

In more severe cases, symptoms include mucus-producing cough, shortness of breath, high fever, chest pain and body aches.

Fatigue, loss of appetite, and wheezing are also common.

Experts say that babies suffering from this condition will make grunting sounds when breathing. Meanwhile, older people may also be confused.

Val Kilmer died of pneumonia last April at the age of 65, having previously suffered from throat cancer

Professor Hunter said the main symptoms to look out for were ‘cough and shortness of breath’.

He adds that it is possible to check whether you are likely to get the disease by testing the oxygen level in your blood; This shows how efficiently oxygen moves from your lungs to your bloodstream.

This is done using a tool called a pulse oximeter; When attached to the tip of the finger, this device shines light onto the skin to measure oxygen in the blood.

Professor Hunter advises that these can be purchased from many high street pharmacies and have been popularized during Covid lockdowns, with thousands of people investing in them for peace of mind.

He cautioned that readings of around 92 percent or lower should prompt people to seek medical attention.

Fortunately, most people who develop pneumonia will not become seriously ill. And about 15 percent of those hospitalized die within a month of admission.

If the patient is admitted to intensive care, this figure increases to around 30 percent.

People treated in hospital are usually given antibiotics, fluids, and sometimes steroids to help fight infection, as well as oxygen if they have trouble breathing.

Professor Hunter says there are highly effective ways to protect yourself from pneumonia; for example, keeping pneumococcal, influenza, RSV and Covid vaccines up to date.

Quitting smoking can also significantly reduce the risk.

While only 25 per cent of adults in the US have received the pneumococcal vaccine, almost three-quarters of Britons over 65 have received the jab.