Sudden fever, chest pain, shortness of breath and cough may indicate pneumonia.
Pneumonia occurs as a result of inflammation of the lung tissue and is one of the most common diseases that cause death in the world.
Experts emphasize that this disease is one of the most dangerous respiratory diseases and that early diagnosis and treatment are important in this process.
What Will We Learn?
What Is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia, also known as pneumonia in the medical language, is the inflammation of the air sacs that form the most extreme structure of the lung and are located in the area where the oxygen in the air enters the body.
Pneumonia is caused by various microorganisms, especially bacteria.
The disease, which can cause mild or severe diseases in people of all ages, can sometimes appear as a complication of flu.
In some types of pneumonia, there is a risk of direct transmission of the disease from sick people to healthy people.
However, pneumonia often occurs when germs from the patient’s own mouth, throat or digestive tract reach the lungs.
The risk of pneumonia is higher, especially in people with weakened body defenses. For this reason, the greatest risk factor is that the person’s body resistance is weak rather than the risk of transmission of the disease.
What Are The Symptoms Of Pneumonia?
It is usually manifested by sudden cough, inflamed sputum, fever, chills, weakness, and headache.
In addition, symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain are also seen.
Some people have an insidious onset. Joint and muscle pains, loss of appetite and weakness that last for a few days may also be accompanied by reactions such as dry cough, fever, vomiting and headache.
Especially in children, the symptoms of pneumonia differ according to the age of the child and the factors that cause the disease.
Sometimes the only finding may be rapid breathing, while sometimes complaints such as fever, abdominal pain or vomiting can be seen together.
People with chest pain may have a build-up of fluid in the chest cavity.
This condition can be completely eliminated with early diagnosis and treatment, but in cases where the disease progresses, it may be necessary to stay in the intensive care unit or to take the inflammatory fluid accumulated in the chest through a tube.
Although the causes are usually bacteria and viruses, they can sometimes occur as a side effect of some drugs.
Is Pneumonia Contagious And What Are The Risk Factors?
Viral respiratory tract infections that predispose to pneumonia are contagious.
They can be spread by coughing or sneezing, as well as through items such as glasses, handkerchiefs, forks that the person has used.
Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases that can cause death.
It can be fatal, especially in infants, the elderly, children, and other people with the disease. Advanced age, chronic diseases, immune system diseases, swallowing difficulties, smoking, vomiting, alcohol, and previous long-term operations are among the risk factors that make it easier to catch pneumonia in adults.
Ways To Prevent Pneumonia
- In order to prevent the disease, the factors that predispose to the formation of pneumonia should be eliminated first. If there is a chronic disease, its treatment and control should be done regularly,
- Stress should be avoided, balanced nutrition and hygiene should be given importance,
- Alcohol and tobacco use is not recommended.
- In case of flu, it is recommended to reduce contact with the crowd and use a mask,
- Vaccines have been developed to protect against influenza, and these vaccines, which provide protection for one year, are administered intramuscularly every year in September, October, and November. It is recommended to administer the vaccine to people who are at high risk of catching the flu or who have survived the disease very severely.
Who Should Get The Pneumococcal Vaccine?
- If you are 65 years or older
- If you have a chronic disease
- If you have had a pneumonectomy
- If there is a cerebrospinal fluid leak
- If there is a spleen disorder
- If you have an immune deficiency
- If you have a chronic alcohol problem
Diagnosis And Treatment Of Pneumonia
First of all, during the examination, the lungs of the person are listened to with a stethoscope, and if the disease in question is suspected, a lung x-ray is requested.
X-ray will give enough information about whether there is pneumonia or not, but extra tests are needed to know the amount of oxygen in the blood and the condition of the respiratory tract.
Complete blood count for the control of white blood cell count, tomography scan, sputum test for the presence of fluid between the lung leaves and the size of the pneumonia, pleural fluid culture if there is fluid accumulation in the lungs, and bronchoscopic methods are used in the presence of resistant pneumonia that does not respond to antibiotics that cannot produce sputum.
Pneumonia treatment primarily includes curing the infection and preventing existing complications.
Generally, antibiotics, rest, plenty of fluid intake, antipyretic and pain relievers are used. In some cases, the person may need to be hospitalized.
Especially if very severe pneumonia is in question, hospitalization in the intensive care unit and respiratory support can be applied.
It is not always possible to identify the microbe causing the disease, but antibiotic treatment should be started shortly after the diagnosis of pneumonia.
For this reason, treatment is started by taking into account the patient’s age, chronic diseases, if any, and the severity of pneumonia.
The treatment process may also be prolonged according to these effects or positive results may be obtained in a short time. Pneumonia is a disease of sudden onset and usually recovers quickly with treatment.
If your fever has not decreased 72 hours after the treatment and your cough continues severely, you should see a specialist doctor immediately.
In some cases, you may experience diarrhea after using a lot of antibiotics. In such cases, contact your doctor immediately.
