On the X-ray image

In the case of pneumonia, there are main and secondary criteria for confirming the diagnosis. The only main criterion is a positive result in conventional X-rays. Here, a newly occurring infiltrate can be seen in conventional x-rays in two planes.

It is difficult for an untrained eye to detect such pathologies in the image. X-rays of pneumonia can also differ depending on the form of pneumonia. In general, one can see so-called shadows, which dominate as white areas in the lungs.

The lung is actually air-filled and therefore black in the X-ray image to simplify it. Infiltrates, on the other hand, as they occur in pneumonia, look white. They can appear in many different ways, for example as distinct, large, homogeneous white areas, but also as reticular, inhomogeneous, delicate structures.

In order to possibly recognize it better, it is advisable to compare the X-ray image of the pneumonia with that of a healthy lung. This makes it easier to see the differences. In the X-ray image, bronchial pneumonia can be distinguished from so-called lobar pneumonia.

Lobar pneumonia is a large area of shading that is limited to the lobes of the lungs. Bronchial pneumonia, on the other hand, is a rather diffuse distribution into the lung tissue. However, it is not possible to draw conclusions from the X-ray image about the causative pathogen.

How pneumonia initially manifests itself depends on many factors. Not every pneumonia shows the same or similar onset of the disease. This depends, among other things, on the general condition and age of the person affected and the pathogen causing the pneumonia.

A typical pneumonia, which is mostly of a bacterial nature, manifests itself in a very sudden onset of the disease. The symptoms appear abruptly out of normal well-being. This abrupt onset of the disease is characterized by high fever and a very strong feeling of illness and exhaustion.

The rise in fever is steep. It is accompanied by chills and a productive cough. Bacterial pneumonia may be preceded by signs of an infection of the upper respiratory tract.

Atypical pneumonia, which is mostly caused by a virus, shows a rather slow onset of the disease. There is usually no fever (or only very slight) and hardly any cough. The pneumonia manifests itself only after a few days. Symptoms such as headache and aching limbs are more likely to occur at the beginning of the disease and can be an indication of pneumonia. However, it is difficult to clearly define incipient pneumonia, as it can manifest itself differently in different people.