How do I recognize pneumonia?

Introduction

Pneumonia, also known as pneumonia, is a common infectious disease in industrialized countries. It is usually caused by bacteria. Pneumonia is an inflammation of the alveolar space (the site of gas exchange in the lung) or the surrounding lung tissue.

There are different forms of the disease, which also differ in their symptoms and complaints. The course of the disease depends on the age and general condition of the person affected. There are typical as well as atypical pneumonia, the course of which can be quite different.

Classical (typical) pneumonia is usually accompanied by an acute onset of the disease and is caused by bacteria called pneumococci. Such pneumonia is usually further characterized by fever and productive cough. A productive cough is a cough with sputum.

This is treated differently from, for example, a dry irritable cough. One should listen even if symptoms such as cough, fever, chills and general fatigue have appeared again and for no apparent reason. Breathlessness should also make you think of a possible pneumonia.

There are many other illnesses that can also be considered, but pneumonia should always be excluded to avoid complications. Especially in elderly people or with already existing lung diseases, care should be taken even with weak symptoms, because an atypical course of the disease could be present. Here, one should pay attention to partly different symptoms than in classical pneumonia, as these are often not even present.

Atypical pneumonia is characterized by a rather slow onset of the disease, headache and aching limbs, slight fever and dry cough. They present themselves more like a cold or a mild flu. One should keep this in mind, especially with regard to the risk groups (elderly people, people with lung diseases such as asthma, COPD, tuberculosis, people with heart failure). For yourself: Especially with the described symptoms, it is recommended to consult a doctor. If a therapy, e.g. with an antibiotic, is initiated but shows no improvement or even a worsening, further clarification is also absolutely necessary.