Introduction
Pneumonia is usually a bacterial infection of the lungs, more rarely viruses or fungi are the triggers of the disease. The consequences of pneumonia can be caused by the inflammation itself, in which case the lung tissue is usually affected. The greatest fear, however, is that the pathogens will spread, which would result in the functional impairment of other organs and can also damage them in the long term. Pneumonia is a serious disease and can cause lifelong damage.
Long-term consequences of pneumonia
Long-term consequences of pneumonia can be limited to the lungs themselves, but as the disease spreads, other organs are often affected. In the lung, the pneumonia often causes scarring of the tissue. These scar tissue scarring lasts a lifetime and results in functional impairment of the lung.
Bronchiectasis (dilatation of the bronchi) can also be a consequence of pneumonia and in the long term leave scars in the airways. If the tissue damage is minor, affected persons may not be affected at all, but respiratory insufficiency (the lungs are not able to absorb sufficient oxygen) may occur. Outside the lungs, the worst long-term damage is usually the result of sepsis, in which the pathogen spreads throughout the body.
This can result in damage to kidney function and heart failure. Meningitis can also cause long-term neurological damage. The extent of the consequential damage depends largely on how quickly the underlying sepsis can be treated.
In the case of severe pneumonia, the tissue can be so severely inflamed that it is no longer possible to absorb sufficient oxygen from the air we breathe. To absorb oxygen from the air in the lungs into the blood, the oxygen must pass through a thin wall of lung tissue. In the case of inflammation, this tissue layer may be thickened.
In addition, the passage of oxygen through the inflammatory cells can be difficult. As a result, in severe pneumonia, not enough oxygen can be absorbed. At the same time, the body releases too little CO2 from the blood into the exhaled air.
The symptoms can be so severe that breathing difficulties (respiratory insufficiency) or even life-threatening oxygen deficiency can occur. Bronchiectasis refers to a dilatation of the bronchi, i.e. the airways. This is usually not triggered in the acute stage of pneumonia.
Rather, bronchiectasis develops when the pneumonia becomes chronic. Such bronchiectasis can in turn lead to other secondary diseases. For example, they promote the occurrence of further pneumonia.
In addition, scarring of the lung tissue can occur, which restricts lung function and thus leads to a poorer supply of oxygen. Bleeding in the lungs can also occur with bronchiectasis. In blood poisoning (known as sepsis), the bacteria that caused the pneumonia enter the bloodstream.
This usually happens when the body’s own defenses are already weakened. As a result, the body cannot contain the infection and cannot keep the pathogens in check at a specific location. The bacteria can enter the entire body via the blood and attach themselves to other organs.
The consequences are severe damage to various organs. These usually start relatively simultaneously and quickly develop into a life-threatening threat. Damage to the heart and kidneys is particularly dangerous in sepsis.
Since blood poisoning usually spreads throughout the entire body within a short time, multiorgan failure can occur if the spread is detected too late. Several organs are so severely damaged at the same time that they can no longer fulfil their function. In the lungs, this quickly leads to a disturbed gas exchange, resulting in shortness of breath and oxygen deficiency.
If the heart is affected, the blood circulation can no longer be adequately maintained. The blood pressure drops sharply, the organs are supplied with too little blood, which further weakens the body and can also damage the brain. In the case of kidney failure, the excretion of both fluid and toxins is massively disturbed.
If blood poisoning occurs in the course of pneumonia, one also speaks of delayed pneumonia.Information about the course of the disease, the therapy of a delayed pneumonia and more can be found here: Cardiovascular pneumoniaThe heart can be affected by pneumonia if the pathogens spread from the lungs to the heart. Due to the proximity of the two organs, such a spread is not particularly unlikely. This can lead to pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium) or endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart).
Both diseases are associated with a restriction of heart function. This can also cause permanent damage to the heart, which permanently reduces its function. In the worst case, this can lead to acute heart failure, which is a life-threatening threat.
Meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) occurs when the pathogens causing the pneumonia spread to the brain. Normally, the brain is especially protected against such invaders by the blood-brain barrier. This means that only very selected substances from the blood vessels can enter the brain.
In severe cases, however, the spread of the bacteria can be so strong that they also settle in the brain and on the meninges, where they trigger an inflammation. Intense headaches and fever up to severe functional deficits and permanent brain damage can be the consequences of meningitis. People who get a pronounced pneumonia are often seriously ill and therefore confined to bed for several weeks.
Due to the lack of exercise, thromboses can form, especially in the legs. These are small blood clots that form especially when there is no continuous blood flow in the vessel. These clots can completely block a vein in the leg and lead to severe circulatory problems there.
The most feared complication is pulmonary embolism, in which the clot is released from the leg and reaches the lungs. There it can block a large pulmonary vessel and severely impair the function of the lung, which is already weakened by the inflammation. Such a pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening. Since pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition, it should be detected quickly.