Typical complaints and symptoms

Symptoms can be distinguished between typical and atypical pneumonia. Here these symptoms will be presented in a simplified form by means of the enumeration. *Pathological auscultation means that when listening with a stethoscope, instead of the normal breathing sound, a so-called rattling or crackling can be heard.

Typical pneumonia Beginning: fast Chills: +++ Cough: +++ Fever: over 39°C Fast breathing: +++ Patholog. auscultation*: +++ X-rays: segmental
Start: fast
Chills: +++
Cough: +++
Fever: over 39°C
Fast breathing: +++
Pathologist. Auscultation*: +++
X-ray: segmental
Start: fast
Chills: +++
Cough: +++
Fever: over 39°C
Fast breathing: +++
Pathologist.
Auscultation*: +++
X-ray: segmental
Atypical pneumonia Beginning: slow Chills: + Cough: + Fever: below 38.5°C Fast respiration: + Pathology. auscultation*: – X-ray: diffuse, interstitial
Start: slow
Chills: +
Cough: +
Fever: below 38,5°C
Rapid breathing: +
Pathologist. Auscultation*: –
X-ray: diffuse, interstitial
Start: slow
Chills: +
Cough: +
Fever: below 38,5°C
Rapid breathing: +
Pathologist. Auscultation*: –
X-ray: diffuse, interstitial

Causes of pneumonia

Pneumonia can be caused either by:. The causes include:

Bacteria
Viruses ode
Mushrooms
An immunosuppression (e.g. through medication, HIV)
After surgery
By undercooling
Due to poor ventilation of the lungs
Through bedriddenness

The dry pneumonia without cough

If the pneumonia is severe, hospitalization is indicated. In this case, a severe course is defined as a respiratory rate below 30 per minute, resulting in low oxygen levels in the blood and low blood pressure. If the course is mild, outpatient treatment may be sufficient.

A major pillar of the therapy of pneumonia is the administration of antibiotics. The antibiotics are administered depending on the pathogen. In the case of pneumococcus and staphylococci, which are among the most common pathogens, for example, penicillin or derivatives are often prescribed.

In the case of atypical pneumonia, so-called macrolide antibiotics are administered due to the fact that chlamydia and mycoplasma are the most frequent causes. As the pathogen spectrum is often not immediately available, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used, as pneumonia requires immediate treatment. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are antibiotics that are effective against as many pathogens as possible.

However, antibiotics are ineffective against viruses and fungi. The course of viral pneumonia cannot be influenced by medication. Breathing can be made easier for the patient by the administration of oxygen. In case of pain, painkillers are administered and a lot to drink (or liquid has to be given by infusion).