Duration
The duration of pneumonia can sometimes vary greatly. It often depends on the pathogen, the course, the therapy and the type of pneumonia (typical or atypical). With proper, timely therapy, the symptoms of pneumonia usually subside within 2-3 weeks.
Only in severe cases or if the therapy is missing, wrong or too late, the symptoms can persist for up to 12 weeks. This is known as chronic pneumonia. The duration of the illness is also influenced by any pre-existing pre-existing and secondary diseases and the general state of the immune system or the immune system, so that the healing of pneumonia can vary greatly from individual to individual. If the pneumonia is adequately treated with the right antibiotic, the symptoms will improve significantly within 3-4 days. Recovery should occur after a minimum period of 10 days with uncomplicated progression.
Risk of infection of pneumonia without fever
Exactly how long a pneumonia is contagious cannot be said in general terms, as the course of the disease can vary greatly from individual to individual and depends on many different factors such as the type of pneumonia, the course, the severity, the effectiveness of the medication and the strength of the immune system. In principle, the causative agents of pneumonia are contagious until they are completely eradicated and can be transmitted via saliva droplets when coughing, sneezing or speaking and infect other people. However, not everyone who ingests these pathogens becomes ill and suffers pneumonia in the same way.
The intact immune system of a healthy person can usually fend off the pathogens. In general, it can be roughly said that after starting an adequate antibiotic therapy, pneumonia loses its infectiousness within 3-4 days. At the latest after the end of therapy and the complete disappearance of all symptoms, the risk of infection should no longer exist.
Pneumonia in children
The immune system of children is usually not yet fully developed. Therefore, they are generally more susceptible to infections, pathogens and thus also to pneumonia. Pneumonia is one of the most common respiratory diseases in children and infants.
Untreated and undetected, they can even become life-threatening and lead to the death of the child. Especially in children and infants, atypical pneumonia can often be diagnosed, in which the usual symptoms often do not occur, so that a diagnosis is not always easy. High fever and cough with sputum may be absent or only slightly pronounced. Typical symptoms in children with pneumonia without fever are nasal wings, accelerated breathing, apathetic behaviour and increased pulse rate.