Pneumonia is a severe debilitating illness of the lungs, either one or both. In layman term, pneumonia is defined as the infection of the lungs due to different germs like bacteria, viruses and fungi. Medically, Pneumonia is defined as the recent onset of pulmonary infiltrates corresponded to the febrile illness of the patient. Sometimes pneumonia becomes a serious condition if it does not resolve and the infection in the lungs increases locally or spreads to the distant organs of the body via blood. The un-treated and spreading lung infections or pneumonia most often leads to the serious complications and unfortunate death.
The mortality rate due to pneumonia complications is very high throughout the world and especially in those areas where there is a poor hygiene and lack of facilities and expertise. Pneumonia is a common illness, and it is prevalent throughout the world. Most of the time it is transmitted from air or respiratory droplets, and it would be life threatening in extreme of ages. Pneumonia is broadly classified on the basis of how the infections are acquired.
Community Acquired Pneumonia:
This division includes the chest infection or the pneumonia which is acquired through the community. Community Acquired Pneumonia leads to more hospital admissions and its rate is on increasing.
Hospital Acquired Pneumonia:
Hospital Acquired Pneumonia is a chest infection develops after 48 hours of hospital admission. It affects 0.5%- 1.0% of in-patients and contributes to the high mortality rate.
How a Person can Acquire Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is caused by inhalation of the germs via air droplets expelled by a patient having an infection of lungs or pneumonia. These germs are transmitted quickly to the others via air. Those patients who are weak or immuno-compromised i.e., those who don’t have enough power to fight against germs like young children, babies and old persons are most commonly infected. Secondly, there are certain germs that are present normally on the skin or mucosa of the mouth and respiratory tract and they use to provide benefits to the persons, unless they invade and enter deep inside the tissue.
Pneumonia may also be caused by different injurious agents that are not germs like acids, metallic spores and other substances. If a person gets his stomach contents, including acid aspirated his lung tissues destroy and result in pneumonia. Those who work at coal mines, deals in lead substances and work in factories and deal with other heavy metals frequently get exposed to the lethal environment that would lead to the development of certain conditions, including pneumonia.
Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia:
Patient might have high fever, feeling of tiredness or malaise, sneezing, headache, cough with phlegm (yellow green phlegm is due to bacterial infections) or cough that produces rust-colored or greenish mucus, shaking, chills, chattering teeth, severe chest pain, sweating, rapid breathing, rapid pulse rate, muscle pain and weakness. These flu-like symptoms may be followed within one or two days by increasing breathlessness, bluish color to the lips, loss in appetite, feeling ill, clammy skin, anxiety, stress and tension, abdominal pain etc.
Investigations of Pneumonia
Once a person develops above symptoms, he must seek medical advice, and the doctor after examination and investigations including Chest X-rays will be able to diagnose and treat accordingly. Chest X-ray could be the single most appropriate investigation to get the clue about pneumonia, however; different other blood tests like CBC, ESR could also be done. In hospital settings, Blood gas analysis is usually recommended to know the clinical status of the illness and possible extend of its management.
Treatment Plan
Treatment depends upon the severity and type of pneumonia and the organism that causes the condition. As a rule of thumb any patient who has been diagnosed to have pneumonia should be at the safe place like in a hospital for appropriate management. Oxygen, Intravenous fluids, Nebulizations and other mandatory plans are augmented by the good and appropriate antibiotic. The early recovery depends upon the appropriate use of antibiotics. The most important thing is how to get prevention from pneumonia. Again there is a role of good hygiene, proper food intake, cleaning, healthy enjoinment, etc. Proper hand wash even after hand shaking since this is a common way of transmitting germs to the others. Hand washing prior to take meals is also recommended.
Tags: bacteria viruses, community acquired pneumonia, distant organs, high mortality rate, hospital acquired pneumonia, hospital admission, organs of the body, poor hygiene, pulmonary infiltrates, respiratory droplets