Symptoms
The symptoms often vary greatly depending on whether it is a typical or atypical pneumonia. Atypical pneumonia, where the inflammatory focus is mainly on the lung supporting tissue, often has less pronounced symptoms. In addition to shortness of breath, which can occur either during physical exertion or even at rest, depending on the severity of the disease, an unproductive cough usually occurs.
The cough is dry and not accompanied by sputum. When fever occurs, it is usually not as high as in the case of the classic, typical pneumonia, i.e. below <38.5°C. Under certain circumstances, the fever may be absent completely.
Due to the possible shortness of breath, the respiratory rate may be increased and the ability to breathe may be restricted. The strength of the subjective feeling of illness can vary greatly from individual to individual. If the inflammation also affects the lung membrane (pleuritis), breath-dependent pain in the chest area may occur.
Without cough and fever
Pneumonia can occur without fever and without coughing. As a rule, it is then a so-called atypical pneumonia with predominant infestation of the lung supporting tissue (interstitial pneumonia).If the pneumonia is only noticeable by more or less pronounced shortness of breath or by unspecific symptoms of a flu-like infection, it is not always easy to recognize them directly and to treat them adequately.
Treatment
One of the first therapeutic measures for pneumonia is strict bed rest to give the body the opportunity to recover and regenerate. It is also important to ensure a sufficient fluid intake and to provide the body with sufficient nutrients. If fever occurs, antipyretic medication can be administered.
Depending on the degree of shortness of breath, it may be necessary to administer oxygen through a nasal probe. In all cases, breathing exercises and inhalations with saline solution make sense. Whether treatment should be carried out by the family doctor or in hospital always depends on the severity of the pneumonia and any pre-existing or secondary diseases.
If it is a pneumonia caused by bacteria, antibiotic therapy makes sense in any case to fight the pathogens efficiently. If the pneumonia was caused by viruses, antivirals can be used. To prevent an additional infection (superinfection) by bacteria, antibiotics are used. Antimycotics can be used for fungal infections.
