Pain as a symptom of pneumonia | Symptoms of pneumonia

Pain as a symptom of pneumonia

Pain is a typical symptom of pneumonia. The intensity of the pain can vary depending on the extent of the inflammatory processes. Affected patients mainly complain of pain in the area of the chest, which can radiate into the back.

If infants or children are affected by pneumonia, pain in the upper abdomen is also a typical symptom. With a comparatively mild pneumonia, the pain usually occurs only under stress. In particular, the stretching of the lung tissue when inhaled is accompanied by stabbing pain. Typical symptoms of a pronounced pneumonia, on the other hand, are pain that can be respiratory or independent of breathing.

Pneumonia and back pain

The symptoms of pneumonia usually include significant fatigue, difficulty breathing, coughing with yellowish or greenish sputum, an increase in body temperature (or fever) and chest pain. Depending on the severity and exact localization of the inflammatory processes, however, back pain may also occur in the case of pneumonia. Back pain is usually described by the affected patients as burning or stabbing.

There can be several explanations for the occurrence of back pain in the course of pneumonia. On the one hand, the back pain can indicate a localization of the inflammatory processes facing the back, on the other hand, a pronounced pneumonia can lead to pain in the chest area that radiates into the back. On the other hand, if a patient suffering from pneumonia describes back pain that is reminiscent of a sore muscle, this symptom often indicates that the affected person adopts a relieving posture while breathing and activates the back muscles to a greater extent.