26/09/2024
Pneumonia
Pneumonia (nu-MO-ne-ah) is swelling (inflammation) of one or both lungs that is usually caused by an infection. Many different germs can cause pneumonia, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. When you breathe in these germs, they can settle in the air sacs (alveoli) of your lungs. Deep in your lungs, the germs may grow and overcome your body's normal defenses.
After the lungs become infected, the air sacs (alveoli) in the lungs fill with pus and mucus. This swelling (inflammation) of the air sacs makes them less stretchy and keeps oxygen from properly reaching your blood stream.
As you work harder to breathe and give your body oxygen, you can feel short of breath. The swelling also causes many of the other symptoms of pneumonia like cough, fever, and chest pain.
Pneumonia can be life-threatening. It's a leading cause of death and hospitalization in seniors and in people with long-term (chronic) diseases. The good news is that there are many things you can do to lower your risk of getting pneumonia.
Causes
Pneumonia has many different causes. Many different germs can cause pneumonia, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. You can also get it from breathing in (aspirating) food, liquid, chemicals and dust.
If you have pneumonia caused by a virus it is called viral pneumonia. Many different viruses can cause viral pneumonia, including the flu (influenza) and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), a virus that is common in children. Viral pneumonia is usually less serious than bacterial pneumonia.
Viral pneumonia can be life threatening in:
seniors and infants
people who have a weak immune system from diseases like chronic lung disease, HIV, cancer and diabetes
pregnant women
If you have pneumonia caused by bacteria it is called bacteria pneumonia. The most common type of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). Other bacteria that cause pneumonia include: mycoplasma pneumoniae, chlamydia pneumoniae and legionella pneumophila.
Bacterial pneumonia usually affects an entire lobe of the lung; doctors call this lobar pneumonia. People of any age can get it.
Other types of pneumonia include aspiration pneumonia. You can get aspiration pneumonia if you breathe (aspirate) something into your lungs, for example vomit, food or dust. Vomit is the most common cause of aspiration pneumonia. This can happen when people are unconscious or semi-conscious (knocked out) because of a stroke, accident or alcohol or drug overdose. Other things that can cause aspiration pneumonia include:
liquid (for example, water)
dust
fungus
Other types of pneumonia include pneumocystis jiroveci that is a type of fungus commonly found in the environment. It can cause pneumonia in people with weak immune systems. It is most common in people with HIV/AIDS, diabetes, sickle cell and lung disease, and in people whose immune systems are weak from taking cancer treatment. Healthy people rarely get sick from breathing in the Pneumocystis jiroveci fungus.
If you have a weak immune system because of a chronic disease (for example, lung disease or HIV) and you get a cough, fever and/or shortness of breath, call your doctor.
Risk factors that increase your chances of getting pneumonia include:
Chronic lung disease (COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis)
Cigarette smoking
Dementia, stroke, brain injury, cerebral palsy, or other brain disorders
Immune system problem (during cancer treatment, or due to HIV/AIDS, organ transplant or other diseases)
Other serious illnesses, such as heart disease, liver cirrhosis, or diabetes mellitus
Recent surgery or trauma
Surgery to treat cancer of the mouth, throat, or neck
Prevention
Not smoking is the best thing to do to help prevent pneumonia. People who smoke are at a higher risk of getting pneumonia and children whose parents smoke are at a higher risk for pneumonia.
Some of the germs that can cause pneumonia are easily spread from person to person. They are carried in the nose and throat of an infected person. When an infected person coughs, they spray drops of infected saliva (spit) into the air around them. A person who breathes in that air can get pneumonia.
There are things you can do to reduce your risk of getting pneumonia:
Wash your hands properly and often
Throw away used tissues
Don't share cups or eating utensils with people who are sick
Stay away from people who are sick
Get your flu shot each year
Get your pneumococcal shot (some people may need it every five years — ask your doctor)
Treatment
The main treatment for bacterial pneumonia is antibiotics, rest and drinking lots of water. Most people with pneumonia will manage their condition at home with medication from their physician. Some people with severe pneumonia will need to go to the hospital to have additional support of oxygen, and medication through an IV.
People who have been admitted to the hospital with other medical conditions and develop pneumonia may become very ill and may need very powerful antibiotics.
If you are prescribed antibiotics it is important to take the medicine as your doctor prescribes, even if you start to feel better. Do not take cough medicine or cold medicine unless your doctor says it is okay.
Antibiotics do not treat viral pneumonia. Some of the treatment of viral pneumonia may include drinking lots of fluids, corticosteroid medicine, oxygen and rest.
If you have a milder pneumonia, you will usually begin to feel better within a few days or a week. If you have severe pneumonia, where you spend time in the hospital you may take a number of weeks to feel better.
Can you take Homoeopathy Treatment for Pneumonia.
