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| Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an infection. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Pneumonia can range from mild to severe, even fatal. The severity depends on the type of organism causing pneumonia. |
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Chest X-ray picture of Community acquired pneumonia.
Source : Division of Infectious Diseases Korea University Medical Center. |
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| Streptococcus pneumoniae |
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| At any given time, the noses and throats of up to 70% of healthy people contain Pneumococcus. Children, generally, harbor more of the bacteria than adults. Pneumococcus is spread through breathing the bacteria into the lungs, bypassing normal immune system defenses. |
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The main symptoms of pneumonia are:
- Cough with greenish or yellow mucus; bloody sputum happens on occasion.
- Fever with shaking chills.
- Sharp or stabbing chest pain worsened by deep breathing or coughing.
- Rapid, shallow breathing.
- Shortness of breath.
Additional symptoms include:
- Headach, excessive sweating and clammy skin, loss of appetite, excessive fatigue, and confusion in older people.
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(1) Chest x-ray.
(2) Gram's stain and culture of your sputum to look for the organism.
(4) Complete blood count (CBC) to check white blood cell count.
(5) Arterial blood gases.
(6) Thoracic CT.
(7) Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan.
(8) Pleural fluid culture if there is fluid in the space surrounding the lungs. |
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If the cause is bacterial, the goal is to cure the infection with antibiotics. If the cause is viral, antibiotics will not be effective. In some cases it is difficult to distinguish between viral and bacterial pneumonia, so antibiotics may be prescribed. The person with an underlying chronic disease, severe symptoms, or low oxygen levels can be hospitalized for intravenous antibiotics and oxygen therapy. Infants and the elderly are more commonly admitted for treatment of pneumonia.
When in the hospital, respiratory treatments to remove secretions may be necessary. Occasionally, steroid medications may be used to reduce wheezing if there is an underlying lung disease. |
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Vaccines can help prevent pneumonia in children, the elderly, and people with diabetes, asthma, emphysema, HIV, cancer, or other chronic conditions:
- Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax, Prevnar) prevents Streptococcus pneumoniae.
- Flu vaccine prevents pneumonia and other infections caused by influenza viruses. It must be given yearly to protect against new viral strains.
- Hib vaccine prevents pneumonia in children from Haemophilus influenzae type B.
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1: Wikipedia - Pneumonia
2: MedlinePlus - Pneumonia
3: NIAID, NIH - Pneumonia |
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Pneumonia
