Pneumonia is a lung infection that can range from mild to serious conditions whereby one can even get hospitalized. It occurs when an infection causes air sacs in your lungs and tubes in your airways that connect to them (bronchioles) to fill with fluid or pus. That can make it hard for you to breathe in even at normal oxygen levels.
Pneumonia comes in different forms and is caused primarily by bacteria or viruses, which are contagious. It’s less commonly caused by fungi or parasites. Pneumonia doesn’t respond to over the counter cold and sinus medicines.
The type of germ contributes to how serious the illness can become and how it’s treated. The severity of an infection depends on many factors, including age and overall health as well as the conditions under which the illness is acquired.
Pneumonia can impact either or both lungs. Pneumonia in both lungs is sometimes called bilateral pneumonia or double pneumonia. One can also develop pneumonia and not know it. This is sometimes called walking pneumonia.
Type of pneumonia
- Hospital acquired pneumonia (HAP): This type of bacterial pneumonia is acquired during a hospital stay. It can be more serious than other types as the bacteria involved may be more resistant to antibiotics.
- Ventilator associated pneumonia (CAP): When patient using a ventilator gets pneumonia it’s called VAP.
- Community acquired pneumonia (CAP): This refers to pneumonia that is acquired outside a medical or institutional setting.
- Aspiration pneumonia: Inhaling bacteria into your lungs from food, drink or saliva can cause aspiration pneumonia. It’s more likely to occur if you have a swallowing problem or if you’re too sedated from the use of medication, alcohol or other drugs.
Causes of pneumonia
- Viruses that can lead to viral pneumonia include :
- Cold viruses
- Influenza viruses
- Measles virus
- Adenovirus
- Varicella zoster
- The whooping cough virus
- RSV (the top cause of pneumonia in babies ag 1 or younger)
- Causes of bacterial pneumonia include:
- Mycoplasma
- Bacterial pneumonia
- The pneumococcus bacteria the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia
- Certain types of chlamydia bacteria
- Fungal pneumonia such as
- Cryptococcus species
- Pneumocystis jirovecii
- Coccidioides species
- Histoplasmosis species
- Aspiration pneumonia: You can get aspiration pneumonia when you breathe in a foreign substance like vomit, saliva or food.
- Hospital acquired pneumonia: If you get pneumonia while you’re in a hospital that’s called hospital acquired pneumonia.
- Ventilator associated pneumonia
- Community acquired pneumonia
Risk factors
- Have a condition that affects your lungs like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Have another serious health condition like heart disease or diabetes
- Weak immune power
- Spend time in a health care facility such as a hospital or long term care home
- Smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke
- Misuse alcohol or drugs
- Spend time in an environment in which you breathein irritants like dust, fumes or chemicals
- Heart disease or diabetes
- People age 65 or older
Symptoms
- Fever
- Coughing that may produce( mucus)
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating or chills
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea or vomiting
- Headache
- Chest pain
- Feeling or tiredness or fatigue
- A fast pulse
- Fast breathing or trouble breathing
The symptoms of viral pneumonia tend to come on slowly and they are often mild at first. They may include:
- A headache
- coughing
- A fever and chills
- Shortness of breath
Symptoms of pneumonia in babies
- Cough
- Fever
- Vomiting
- Trouble breathing
Diagnosis
- Blood tests to look for signs of a bacterial infection
- Chest X- ray
- Oxygen level check
- Sputum test
- CT scan
- Arterial blood gas
- A Pleural fluid culture
- A bronchoscopy
Treatment
- Increasing fluid intake
- Pain management
- Eating well
- Nebulizer
- Fever control
- Cough relief medicine
- Antibiotics: For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotics are the primary treatment
- Antifungal medicine
- Antiviral medicine
- Oxygen therapy
- Ventilator
- Hospitalization: Hospitalization is usually only recommended for severe cases.
Prevention
- Maintain a healthy lifestyle
- Maintain hygiene
- Vaccination
- Quite smoke
- Get enough rest
- Eat a balanced diet
- Regular exercise
- Limiting exposure to air pollution for children
Complication
- weakened immune systems
- Lung abscess
- Bacteremia
- Worsened chronic condition
- Impaired breathing
- Congestive heart failure
- Heart attack
- Pleural effusion
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome
- Kidney, heart and liver damage
- Death
