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What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a lung infection ranging from mild to severe, often requiring hospitalisation.
It occurs when infections fill the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) with fluid or pus, making it hard to breathe and absorb oxygen into the bloodstream.
Anyone can get this lung infection. However, babies younger than 2 and people older than 65 are at higher risk due to weaker immune systems.
- Bacteria
- Viruses, and
- Fungi
These are the causes of pneumonia, which can spread to others if caused by bacteria or a virus.
Lifestyle choices, like smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol, can also increase the chances of getting pneumonia.
Is Pneumonia Contagious?
The germs that cause pneumonia are contagious, which means that they can be passed from person to person. Both viral and bacterial pneumonia can be transferred to others by inhaling airborne droplets from sneezing or coughing.
This type of pneumonia can be transmitted by coming into contact with bacteria or viruses that cause pneumonia on surfaces or objects.
You can catch fungal pneumonia from the environment. However, it is not passed on from person to person.
How does pneumonia spread from person to person?
Pneumonia spreads when someone coughs or sneezes, sending bacteria or viruses into the air. You can also get it by touching things they touched or using their tissues.
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Get A Second OpinionSymptoms of pneumonia
Pneumonia symptoms can range from being so mild that you don't even notice them to being so severe that you need to be admitted to the hospital.
The type of bacteria that causes pneumonia, your age, and your overall health all affect how your body reacts to the illness. Signs and symptoms of pneumonia can include:
- Greenish, yellow, or even red mucus can be produced by coughing.
- Fever, sweating, and chills.
- Difficulty breathing
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Sharp chest pain gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough.
- Loss of appetite, low energy, and fatigue.
- Nausea and vomiting, especially in young children.
- Confusion, especially in older people.
Causes of pneumonia:
The main causes of pneumonia are:
- Bacterial Pneumonia
- Viral Pneumonia
- Mycoplasma Pneumonia
- Other Pneumonia
Bacterial Pneumonia :
This type of pneumonia comes from different bacteria. The main one is Streptococcus pneumoniae. It often happens when your body is weak because of sickness, not eating well, getting older, or having a weakened immune system. The bacteria get into your lungs.
Anyone can get bacterial pneumonia, but you're more likely to if you drink too much alcohol, smoke, are very weak, have had surgery recently, have a lung disease or virus, or have a weak immune system.
Viral Pneumonia :
This type is caused by various viruses, including the flu (influenza), and is responsible for about one-third of all pneumonia cases. If you have viral pneumonia, you may be more likely to get bacterial pneumonia.
Mycoplasma Pneumonia :
This type has somewhat different symptoms and physical signs and is referred to as atypical pneumonia. It is caused by the bacterium Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It generally causes mild, widespread pneumonia that affects all age groups.
Other Pneumonia:
There are other less common cases of pneumonia that may be caused by other infections, including fungi.
Is Pneumonia Curable?
Pneumonia is caused by various infectious agents. With proper recognition and treatment, many cases of pneumonia can be cured without complications.
For bacterial infections, stopping antibiotics early can prevent the infection from completely disappearing. This means that your pneumonia could come back.
Early discontinuation of antibiotics can also contribute to antibiotic resistance, which is more difficult to treat.
Viral pneumonia often resolves in one to three weeks with home treatment. In some cases, you may need antivirals. Antifungal medications treat yeast pneumonia, which may require a longer period of treatment.
Diagnosis of pneumonia
Your doctor will start by asking questions about your symptoms and medical histories, such as whether you smoke and have been around sick people at home, school, or work. Then, they will listen to your lungs. If you have pneumonia, you may hear cracking, bubbling, or rumbling when you inhale.
If your doctor thinks you may have pneumonia, they will probably do tests, including:
- A chest X-ray is needed to find the infection in your lungs and determine how far it has spread.
- Pulse oximetry to measure the level of oxygen in the blood.
- A sputum test is used to check the fluid in your lungs for the cause of an infection.
If your symptoms started in the hospital or if you have other health problems, your doctor may do more tests, such as:
- An arterial blood gas test to measure oxygen in a small amount of blood drawn from one of your arteries.
- Bronchoscopy to check your airways for blockages or other problems.
- A CT scan to get a more detailed picture of your lungs.
- A pleural fluid culture, in which the doctor removes a small amount of fluid from the tissues around the lungs to look for bacteria that can cause pneumonia.
Treatments of pneumonia
- Treatment for pneumonia depends on the type, germ causing the infection, and its severity.
- Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics. It's important to take them as prescribed to prevent recurrence.
- Improvement usually begins within one to three days of antibiotic treatment, with symptoms like cough and fever decreasing.
- Antibiotics are ineffective for viral pneumonia. Antiviral medication may be prescribed, and recovery typically takes one to three weeks.
- Severe symptoms or high risk of complications may require hospitalization, possibly involving oxygen therapy or IV antibiotics.
- Do what your doctor says, take all your medicine as directed, and go to your follow-up appointments for more care.
Risk factors of Pneumonia:
Although anyone can get pneumonia, some people are at higher risk. Pneumonia occurs when an infection develops inside the lungs.
It can cause respiratory complications and spread to other parts of the body, such as the bloodstream. People who are most likely to get pneumonia include:
- Immune systems that have not fully matured in children and newborns
- Older people with weakened immune systems
- Pregnant women
- People take medications that suppress the immune system.
- People with diseases that weaken the immune system, such as cancer, HIV, and AIDS
- People with autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis
- Persons suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), or asthma
- People at risk for pneumonia should be especially careful around people who have recently had pneumonia or another respiratory infection.
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Book an AppointmentFrequently Asked Questions
Yes. Children under the age of 2 are at risk because their immune systems are still developing, and adults over 65 are at higher risk because, as we age, our immune systems slow down in responding to infection.
Viral pneumonia usually goes away on its own. Therefore, treatment focuses on alleviating some of the symptoms. A person with viral pneumonia should get enough rest and stay hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids.
Pneumonia can range from mild to severe or life-threatening infection and can sometimes lead to death.
Pneumonia can be contagious for 2-14 days. Generally, the goal of medicines given for pneumonia is to limit the spread of the disease. A person with bacterial pneumonia will stop being contagious within two days after taking antibiotics.
Surprisingly, even with severe pneumonia, the lung usually recovers and has no lasting damage, although occasionally, there may be some scars on the lung (rarely leading to bronchiectasis) or on the surface of the lung (the pleura).
First-line antibiotics that might be selected include the macrolide antibiotics azithromycin (Zithromax), clarithromycin (Biaxin XL) or the tetracycline doxycycline.
Some viruses that cause colds and flu can cause pneumonia. Viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children younger than 5 years old. Viral pneumonia is usually mild, but in some cases, it can become very serious.
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