Pneumonia disease

PNEUMONIA

What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs that can be caused by bacteria or viruses. The air sacs in the lungs are filled with pus and when the infection is severe, oxygen has trouble reaching the blood. More than half of the cases of pneumonia are caused by bacteria. Other causes include viruses, mycoplasma and others (parasites and fungi).

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
Patients may complain of a recent onset of the following:
cough
fever (sometimes associated with shaking chills)
sputum production (may be rusty or greenish in colour)
chest pain that is aggravated by breathing and coughing
The patient may appear to be breathing rapidly and have rapid pulse rate. The lips and tongue may appear to have a bluish tinge due to lack of oxygen.

Is there a test for pneumonia?
Besides a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia made on history and physical examination, a chest x-ray is often required to confirm the diagnosis. Other tests may include sputum and blood tests.

Do patients with pneumonia need to be hospitalized?
Only about 15% of patients with pneumonia require hospitalization. Elderly patients, those with underlying serious illnesses and those who have serious infection may require hospitalization. Younger and relatively fit patients with 'mild' disease may be treated on an outpatient basis.

What is the treatment for pneumonia?
In the young, healthy patients, early treatment with antibiotics (usually taken orally) can cure and speed recovery from pneumonia. There is no effective treatment for viral pneumonia. In certain cases, viral pneumonias may become secondarily infected with bacteria and such cases require antibiotics as well. The type of antibiotics used to fight the pneumonia are determined by the most likely germ causing the pneumonia and the doctor's judgment.
In more severe cases, hospitalization and antibiotics given directly to the blood stream is required, in addition other supportive treatment like oxygen to increase the oxygen in the blood. Patients with severe pneumonia may require admission to the intensive care unit. With prompt treatment, most types of bacterial pneumonia can be cured within 1-2 weeks, but viral and certain other types of pneumonia may last longer.

Can one die of pneumonia?
Yes. Until 1936, before the advent of antibiotics, pneumonia was the leading cause of death in the United States. Since 1979, pneumonia and influenza combined have ranked as the sixth leading cause of death.

What are the predisposing factors for pneumonia?
People considered at high risk for pneumonia include the elderly, those with chronic illness such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus and congestive heart failure. Viral infections such as influenza, illness such as AIDS that impair the immune system including those undergoing chemotherapy for cancer and patients on immunosuppressant drugs post organ transplant are particularly vulnerable.

Is it possible to prevent pneumonia?
The bacteria known as pneumococcus is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in the community. A vaccine is available against pneumococcal pneumonia and this is usually given to people at high risk of getting the disease eg patients with chronic illnesses such as chronic lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetes; patients who are recovering from severe illness, who are in nursing homes, and the elderly. The vaccine is generally safe and effective and is usually given once.