What infection has journalist Jordi González suffered from?

Recently, journalist and presenter Jordi González shared his experience with a serious infection in Semana magazine. The illness kept him out of the public eye for five months.

The Catalan presenter was on holiday in Colombia when he came down with what seemed like a simple cold, accompanied by fever and general discomfort. However, it developed into a severe bilateral bronchopneumonia, caused by a bacterial infection that led to three weeks in an induced coma and nearly two months in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

What is bilateral bronchopneumonia?

Bronchopneumonia is an infection that affects the lungs and can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. When it is bilateral, it means that both lungs are affected, which can severely impair breathing and pose a serious risk to the patient’s life. In Jordi González’s case, the infection was further complicated by kidney failure, which worsened his condition.

What are the main symptoms?

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, depending on the patient’s age, overall health, and the cause of the infection. The most common symptoms include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Chills
• Fatigue
• General discomfort
• Chest pain

It’s important to note that not all symptoms appear at once. Diagnosis is based on clinical evaluation and may require additional tests such as blood, urine, and sputum analysis, chest X-rays or ultrasounds, and blood oxygen measurements to assess the severity of the illness.

What treatment did Jordi González receive?

Treatment depends on the cause of the infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal), its severity, and the patient’s overall condition. It may include antibiotics (if bacterial), antivirals (if viral), corticosteroids to reduce lung inflammation, rest and hydration to support recovery.

Research: the best tool to fight infections

Fortunately, Jordi González has recovered, although, as he mentioned in the interview, he is still undergoing physical, functional, and emotional rehabilitation.

In this regard, the Severe Bacterial Infections Unit of the Foundation is working to better understand how these infections develop, how to diagnose them more quickly, and how to treat them effectively.

This is crucial, as respiratory infections are among the most common illnesses in the population, and therefore also one of the leading causes of workplace absenteeism.

The Foundation uses this case to highlight the importance of prevention, research, and awareness regarding serious bacterial infections, which can affect us when we least expect it.