Diagnosis of protracted pneumonia
A doctor diagnoses a delayed pneumonia by first asking specific questions about the existing symptoms. Then a physical examination is performed, which usually reveals pathological changes in the lungs. This is followed by a blood sample, and the subsequent laboratory examination reveals increased inflammation values.
If there is a suspicion of a protracted pneumonia, an X-ray of the chest is taken, with which the disease can be clearly diagnosed. If pneumonia is suspected, an x-ray of the chest must always be made. As a standard procedure, x-rays are taken from the front and the side (chest x-ray in two planes).
A protracted pneumonia is shown in the X-ray image by extensive shading of the lungs. The migration of immune cells into the lung tissue leads to the formation of an infiltrate. This accumulation of fluid is clearly visible in the X-ray image and indicates pneumonia. If a protracted pneumonia is survived untreated, scarred changes in the lung tissue often remain, which are clearly visible on X-rays.
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