Pneumonia is the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States and fifth among the elderly. More than 2 million Americans get pneumonia each year, out of which about500, 000 are hospitalized and 50,000 to 75,000 die.

Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lung tissue i.e., the millions of air sacs deep inside the pair of spongy balloons. The later enable humans to breathe. If too many of that air sac is infected, the lungs can’t do their job of exchanging carbon dioxide waste for fresh oxygen to nourish the blood.

Risk Factors: Though pneumonia can attack anyone, but there are some risk factors as follows:

  1. Older people. The death rate doubles in patients over 60.
  2. Children under 2
  3. Smokers
  4. Chronic illness such as heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes
  5. Other lung diseases
  6. Alcoholics
  7. AIDS
  8. Organ transplant recipients
  9. Cancer patients
  10. People whose spleen is re- moved.

As is generally believed, going out into the cold by itself will not cause pneumonia. There are more than 100 different microscopic “bugs” causing infection leading to pneumonia. These include bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and mycoplasma.

Symptoms: Pneumonia can come on suddenly, within hours of infection, or take days. The symptoms vary and overlap with influenza. Most common are:

  1. Shortness of breath
  2. Sharp chest pain on breathing
  3. Fever, low or high grade
  4. Rigors and chills
  5. Persistent, noisy cough, often producing Greenish-yellow, sputum.
  6. Blueness around the lips, from lack of oxygen.
  7. Extreme weakness and body aches.

 Diagnosis: Pneumonia is suspected on his- tory and physical examination of the patient. Diagnosis is confirmed by – 1.Blood count 2.Sputum examination 3.Chest X-Ray

Complications: With the advent of antibiotics, complications of pneumonia are rare, If not treated; it may lead to lung abscess.

Management:

  1. Bed rest.
  2. Adequate fluids
  3. Oxygen if needed
  4. Analgesics
  5. Antibiotics

In practice, many doctors treat pneumonia with an antibiotic which covers many microbial “bugs,” lo save time, money and effort. For viral pneumonia, there is no effective antibiotic and treat- mentis a matter of waiting for the infection lo run its course. People with risk factors (described above) most of the time are admitted to a hospital. The patients who recover quickly and feel fine should get a follow-up chest X-ray within four 0 six weeks to make sure that pneumonia has cleared up.

 Prevention: The flu can wipe out the patient’s defenses against pneumonia- causing organisms, to reduce the risk of pneumonia, people at risk (described above) should get flue shot every year and pneumonia vaccine, once-in-a-lifetime shot.

This information provides a general overview on pneumonia and may not apply in each individual case. Consult your physician to determine whether this information can be applied to your personal situation and to obtain additional information.

Article extracted from this publication >>  May 21, 1993