Pneumonia
Many people have different stories, theories or points of view on what pneumonia is, how it comes about, and what can be used to treat it. Many people even have their explanations about how the symptoms of pneumonia can be.
Many a time, when people hear about pneumonia, they do not tend to be scared or they relate it to a mild sickness that can be cured in a number of days, but this is not so at all.
Pneumonia is majorly caused by microbes, which include bacteria, fungi or viruses. And microbes could be deadly. Not everyone has the slightest idea of how bad pneumonia can be except the ones who have come in contact with it.
This is nowhere near a child’s play, and parents and guardians have to be in constant observation of their kids and loved ones to know or detect when something is off about the health of a child or a loved one.
Assuming it is pneumonia, it would be better to quickly refer such a child to a physician or a hospital so as to undergo tests to really determine the cause of the symptoms.
This article has seen into the most occurring problems people have that leads to the deaths or paralysis of young children and adults.
This is the fact that most people do not know what this disease is, and even when they know, most people do not know its symptoms or how it can be controlled.
This article will help to fill those holes, and give detailed illustration and explanation about what pneumonia is, and help individuals out there to know when they have the symptoms of pneumonia.
This would go a long way to save lives, as it is only what you know about that you can treat.
This is a bacteria causing disease that affects the lungs and makes breathing almost impossible, if not impossible in some fatal cases.
It is generally known as the inflammation of the lungs which is often caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.
These have a way of making an Individual very sick and unfit to do certain things that they would do on a normal day.
Some people tend to treat pneumonia in the home within a week or two and usually get well but some people have to be taken to the hospital to be treated for a while before they can get well.
This infection called pneumonia could be very fatal if it is not treated with immediate effect, there is a particular kind of bacteria that is commonly known to cause pneumonia, and this is called Streptococcus.
Pneumonia can be caused by either bacteria, fungi or viruses, bacteria are very common in older adults.
When someone is suffering from pneumonia, their air sack called alveoli would be filled with pus or fluid which would make breathing very difficult, or in most cases almost impossible to breath in and breathe out.
Pneumonia starts almost immediately after an individual breathes in the contaminated air, in some cases, especially in little children, pneumonia starts immediately after a cold problem.
In others for example, older adults; those who have a long term disease like asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart problem etc. have a very high chance of getting pneumonia, so it is safe to say that almost anything can be a trigger for pneumonia in adults and children.
The most common trigger has been known to be a cold or flu in children which in most cases results in pneumonia.
Nevertheless we are going to look into the various symptoms of pneumonia to help enhance the awareness of people all around the globe.
Symptoms of Pneumonia
Everyone needs to know how this disease makes the human body reacts, once this is handled; we are one step away from conquering this disease in our various societies and communities.
There are some symptoms of pneumonia that should be known by everyone whether they have come in contact with it or not.
It is very safe to know the symptoms of pneumonia, because no one knows when it would ever happen to them.
These symptoms can be similar to that of other sickness or ailment, but it is still better to know them and be watchful of anyone who shows signs of them. These symptoms include;
Coughing
This happens in the early stage of pneumonia patients, as it is almost becoming a problem to breath, coughing is a reflex action that patients of pneumonia engage in it to try to free up their airways so that they can breathe well.
This happens often and there is no end to it unless it is treated. Even when treated with a cough syrup, it might subside for some days but if it’s a pneumonia infection, especially in children it would come almost immediately and this time worse than it has ever been.
This should be an eye opener for everyone has an opportunity to read through this article to report any of these suspicious symptoms to the hospital as soon as possible.
Fever
This is a symptom for almost every kind of infection or disease in the world, but it also occurs in pneumonia patients.
It is not rare to see people showing signs of fever when they are infected with one disease or the other, but pneumonia patients have a way their bodies show feverish conditions.
It usually comes with headaches, body rashes and joint pains. They usually look very pale and worn out within a few days of getting the virus. Patients with fever should be thoroughly checked, if it is pneumonia it could be very dangerous, it could be the last straw and if it cuts off the patient might be on his or her way to a bad health.
This should be an eye opener for everyone who wants to learn about this ailment, if these symptoms are studied well, then they could be overcome with immediate effect.
When a pneumonia patient is having fever, it usually comes with chills. Such a person might be under a hot temperature and feel feverish at the same time; this is known as a feverish condition. When this happens, the person is most likely to start having dizzy sessions even during the day, and in the afternoon.
It would be a disaster at this time if the person is not taken to the hospital with immediate effect, these signs or symptoms show that such a person is not fit anymore, in other words his or her immune system is not able to fight the virus back so it has resulted in the body deteriorating.
Breathe Shortage
This is another deadly symptom of pneumonia that could ultimately result in the death of an individual if care is not taken. One thing that is very common with most pneumonia patients is their bodies being prone to hiccups.
The do this often time to show that they either want water or are on their way to start gasping for air, when this happens, you can almost not control them at all.
You see these patients trying to pound on their chests because it feels like it is on its way to closing up and the start gasping for air just like asthmatic patients, only that they do not need an inhaler to calm down, they just need to be patted for a while and given little water to help calm their nerves.
Everyone and anyone who dreads this illness should know for a fact that this is one of the critical symptoms of pneumonia patients and should be handled with care and discretion.
Fatigue Or Tiredness
Fatigue occurs in almost every area, but for pneumonia patients it almost feels or looks abnormal.
When a pneumonia patient wakes up in the middle of the night or even very early in the morning, for a normal person who isn’t suffering from this illness, the bones are well relaxed and have stretched out a bit, the person is fit to carry on some tedious hours of work without breaking down.
But a pneumonia patient has a feeling of tiredness all around their bodies and joints, it feels like they have not slept well enough but they have actually spent long hours in bed without being disturbed.
In other words, they feel tired at every little thing they feel worn out even from walking a little distance; this is due to their bodies’ immune system which no longer functions well as it should.
Many things occur when this happens, even food tends to become a problem for such a person to consume, he or she finds it tiring to eat and even when they eat little chunks, it feels like they have eaten a gull mountain.
We can see in just many ways how pneumonia can disrupt the daily life of an individual and render a person almost paralysed, ranging from being tired all the time, to having chills coupled with fever all the time, and a whole lot of other things that come with pneumonia.
An older adult might be able to go through these symptoms and come out in one piece, but what happens with a little child?
This is why parents and guardians should know for a fact that pneumonia is no respecter of age, and it can happen to anyone and at any stage on anyone’s life provided it’s a human being.
Parents and guardians are advised to be on the lookout for any of their wards that show or display these symptoms, so as to act fast and not relent till the ailment is completely out of the body.
This is why home medication is never advised, if anyone shows uncontrollable symptoms, such a person should be taken to the hospital with immediate effect to find out the real cause of the symptoms.
There are other symptoms of pneumonia that include diarrhoea, chest pain in the process of coughing, nausea and vomiting, all these are symptoms which pneumonia patients show from time to time which shows there is something definitely wrong with their bodies.
We have looked into the various symptoms of pneumonia, and have explained them in bits above, but one should know that pneumonia comes in various ways, it varies in that sense, and in other words it has different types.
The type of treatment that will be given to a child for pneumonia that the body capacity can take might be very different from the type of treatment that would be administered to an older adult.
Both levels might be suffering from very different types of pneumonia, so it is very important for people to be well informed about the types of pneumonias that we have and read on them, just in case a loved one shows signs and symptoms that vary.
Classification Of Pneumonia Types According To Germs
Pneumonia is commonly said to be classified according to the types of germs that cause them.
Bacterial Pneumonia
This is mostly known to be the most common type of pneumonia disease, and it usually occurs in most patients.
6 of 10 patients have this type of pneumonia. Streptococcus pneumonia, Chlamydophila pneumonia and Legionella pneumophila are types of bacterial pneumonia.
Viral Pneumonia
This is a respiratory virus that causes pneumonia, and is very common in little children; it is also not as serious and dangerous as that of the bacterial pneumonia, so it usually clears up within a few days after it is contacted.
It is mostly common in young children.
Mycoplasma Pneumonia
This is not a viral disease or a bacteria disease in that sense; it rather has some traits that are similar to that of bacterial and viral pneumonia.
It is also not too serious, but if not well looked into can become fatal, it usually occurs in most cases in older children and young adults like teens.
Fungal Pneumonia
Fungi is known to be caused by two main components or through two specific ways which include the soil and dropping from birds in the sky.
When people inhale these organisms for a long period of time, it usually takes some time to weaken the immune system before it can be very obvious to the outside world.
Fungal pneumonia can also quickly affect people with chronic diseases and weakened immune systems.
You can also acquire pneumonia in various locations. There are two specific locations that have been known to man to be a cause of pneumonia and that includes the;
Community Acquired Pneumonia (Cap)
This refers to any pneumonia that is acquired outside the jurisdiction of an institution, it is usually environmental, a polluted environment, or a polluted area can result in this very fast.
Hospital Acquired Pneumonia (Hap)
This type of pneumonia is acquired within the four walls of a hospital.
When a patient stays too long in the hospital due to an illness, such a person can acquire this kind of pneumonia, and it is very fearful in some cases because it might be resistant to antibiotics in the body.
This type of pneumonia is very serious compared to the others.
Also, classification of pneumonia can be done as to how they are contacted in the first place. One does not just sit at home and immediately get infected with pneumonia; there are ways to acquire them.
Pneumonia By Aspiration
This usually occurs when there is a swallowing problem in the lungs of an individual; and generally, it happens when bacteria gets inhaled into the lungs through food items, drinks, or even saliva.
Pneumonia by Ventilator
This is usually known as ventilator-acquired pneumonia (VAP), it occurs when people make use of a ventilator system.
The question of pneumonia having the capacity to be contagious answered thoroughly.
Many times people have asked this question from friends, in the hospitals, in memos, on the internet, and even to personal physicians. Is pneumonia contagious?
Bacterial and viral pneumonia are often gotten from airborne droplets that are inhaled into the lungs, can be transmitted from one person to another especially through coughing, sneezing, and inhaling the same air, in and out.
So yes, these two types of pneumonia are transferable from one person to another.
Meanwhile, fungal pneumonia is acquired through the environment so it really has a very minimal or no potential at all to be contagious in any way.
Prevention of Pneumonia
1. Maintain hygienic practices by washing your hands most especially after coming in contact with person with lung infection or a cold.
2. Ensure to live a healthy life be consuming good diet and exercising.
3. Get pneumoccal (streptococcus pneumoniae) vaccine as well as influenza virus vaccination.
4. Avoid smoking both active and passive.
Who and at what age can pneumonia happen to anyone?
Anyone and everyone can actually have pneumonia, but certain people and at certain ages are at very high risk if they contact this ailment.
1 Infants till the age of 2 are at very high risk when they contact this ailment.
2 Older citizens from ages 65 and above are also at risk.
Individuals who have a history of stroke, swallowing problem and bedridden problem also have a high risk when this ailment is contacted.
4 People also who have a very weak immune system due to excess use of drugs and steroid, use of cocaine and other harmful substances that are very harmful to the health.
5 People who drink excessively and also smoke excessively also suffer through this ailment.
6 Lastly, people who have chronic diseases like asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or heart failure face a fatal condition during this ailment.
SUMMARY: Pneumonia is a disease that human being experience at any age but mostly common in young children and elderly ones. A healthy person may become infected if such come in contact with airborne microbes from an infected person.
Immediately you notice these signs and symptoms, visit the hospital.