Pneumonia without cough

Pneumonia is also called pneumonia in medical terminology! This is an acute or chronic inflammation of the tissue in the lungs. The infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.

Inhaling toxic substances and aerosols can also trigger pneumonia. The infection is accompanied by various symptoms. The symptoms may be typical of pneumonia but also atypical and therefore not always indicative of pneumonia.

Furthermore, a distinction is made between primary and secondary pneumonia. Primary pneumonia is pneumonia affecting a healthy person in whom no risk factors are present. On the other hand, secondary pneumonia is defined as pneumonia if the person affected belongs to the risk group.

Risk factors include underlying diseases that weaken the immune system. These include, for example, HIV, cancer, diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, people who suffer from an underlying disease of the lung are predisposed to develop pneumonia.

These diseases include COPD, cystic fibrosis and emphysema. Furthermore, old people and especially small children belong to the risk group. A distinction is also made between outpatient and nosocomial pneumonia.

Outpatient pneumonia is acquired through infection outside the hospital, for example in nursing and old people’s homes. Nosocomial pneumonia occurs during a hospital stay or for 14 days afterwards. The background to this distinction is the different treatment due to different causative pathogens. In the case of nosocomial pneumonia, multi-resistant pathogens are often present, which often make therapy difficult.

Causes

In most cases, pneumonia is caused by various pathogens. The spectrum includes bacteria, viruses, fungi and in rare cases also parasites. However, most are caused by bacteria such as pneumococci, streptococci and staphylococci.

They usually trigger a typical pneumonia. In contrast, chlamydia, mycoplasma, legionella and interstitial pathogens cause atypical pneumonia. Pneumonia caused by chlamydia are pathogens of the genus Chlamydia pneumoniae.

They are only transmitted from person to person. Legionella are often found in lakes, showers, air conditioning and heating systems. Especially in old houses and pipes they can be found in water.

The inhalation of vaporized water is particularly dangerous because the pathogens are finally in the aerosols. In addition to the typical pathogens, irritating and toxic substances inhaled through the air can also cause pneumonia. The substances settle in the lung tissue and trigger an inflammatory reaction there.

In some cases, aspirated food or stomach acid can also cause an infection. This risk is particularly increased in small children. Small children, elderly people and chronically ill people are at increased risk of developing pneumonia because they either do not yet have a fully developed immune system or it is very weakened by a chronic disease.

Especially in cancer patients, an infection of the lung can occur more often during radiotherapy. Patients who also take immunosuppressive drugs are also particularly at risk. Further risk factors are:

  • Nicotine abuse,
  • Alcoholism
  • Obesity and
  • Lack of exercise.