Pneumonia (pneumonia, bronchopneumonia) is an acute inflammation of the lung tissue due to infectious, allergic, or physicochemical causes. In some developed countries, pneumonia is the most common infectious disease leading to death. Learn more about the causes, symptoms, duration, and treatment of pneumonia here.
Causes of pneumonia
Depending on the origin of the disease, a distinction is made between noninfectious and infectious pneumonia:
- Non-infectious pneumonia is, for example, allergic or caused by physicochemical stimuli (such as poison inhalation).
- Infectious pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. This may be caused by direct infection of the lung tissue, or the infection may be caused by extension from the bronchi (bronchitis) to nearby lung tissue.
As a somewhat unusual cause, food particles that have entered the lungs through ingestion can cause inflammation in children or the elderly.
Types of pneumonia
Pneumonia can be classified along different lines. In part, these classifications are historical. They are also used to select appropriate (provisional) therapy pending microbiologic evidence of the causative agent. A simple distinction is the classification based on symptoms. A distinction is made between typical pneumonia, which has a highly acute onset, and atypical pneumonia, in which signs of disease develop slowly.
Symptoms of typical pneumonia
In typical pneumonia, which is usually caused by bacterial pathogens (for example, pneumococcus or streptococcus), a severe clinical picture develops within 12 to 24 hours. The following symptoms are seen in typical pneumonia:
- The patient suddenly gets a high fever that can reach 40 degrees Celsius and often has chills.
- The pulse accelerates up to 120 beats per minute.
- Coughing occurs at the same time.
- After a short time, the patient coughs up purulent, yellowish or green sputum. There may be blood admixtures in the sputum. The color of the sputum then changes to reddish-brown.
- Often the patient complains of shortness of breath and pain on breathing due to involvement of the pleura.
- Noticeable is a sweet or foul smelling bad breath.
- Some patients breathe quickly and shallowly, with the nostrils clearly moving along (nostrils) and the diseased half of the chest visibly less involved in breathing (Schonatmung).
Signs of atypical pneumonia
Atypical pneumonia is not limited to one lobe. The focus of inflammation may be centrally located or scattered throughout the lung tissue, sometimes with fluid transitions. It usually affects younger people without pre-existing or concomitant diseases. Before the disease comes to an outbreak, flu-like symptoms occur. The general condition is only slightly affected compared to flap pneumonia. The fever rises slowly to about 38.5 degrees Celsius. Atypical pneumonia rarely extends to the pleura. Also absent is the purulent sputum typical of flap pneumonia. 5 facts about pneumonia – kalhh
Pneumonia: Duration and course
Depending on the origin of the disease, a distinction is made between non-infectious and infectious pneumonia. The course of typical pneumonia shows an increase in symptoms within the first seven days. Subsequently, symptoms regress and convalescence begins, which can last up to 12 weeks.
Complications of pneumonia
Due to the sometimes very severe courses in bedridden patients, weakened affected persons may die from pneumonia. Secondary complications of pneumonia may include lung abscess with copious, foul-smelling sputum, and rarely pulmonary gangrene if putrefactive agents are present in the lungs.
Pneumonia: Treatment and therapy
Basic therapy involves targeting the particular pathogen with an antibiotic or antibiotics. In addition, the following measures should be taken to treat pneumonia:
- Cough suppressant medications (with codeine) are administered for an unquenchable cough without sputum.
- In productive coughs, expectorants aid in mucus clearance. However, these should not be given in conjunction with cough suppressant medications, except at night.
- In case of severe pain or high fever (generally 38.5 degrees Celsius is the limit), antipyretic and analgesic drugs (for example, paracetamol) are indicated.
- Thrombosis prophylaxis is required for bedridden patients.
- Very important is sufficient fluid intake, if necessary also as an infusion. But be careful: since predominantly yet older people get sick with pneumonia, it must be paid attention to whether they suffer from heart failure.
- A good respiratory therapy effectively supports the treatment.
- Occasionally, in particularly severe cases, oxygen must be administered via a nasal tube.
