Pneumonia is a lung infection that is usually caused by a virus or bacteria that makes the air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid, pus or mucous which blocks the air passage. The blockage makes it hard to breathe and results in coughing that can range from mild to severe and we might need a medical emergency if the breathing problem increases.
In this blog, we will define pneumonia, discuss the various pneumonia symptoms, its causes, treatment and other important points that you should be well aware of.
What is Pneumonia?
Let us first help you understand pneumonia meaning. Pneumonia is an infection in which the air sacs get inflamed in one or both lungs. It is an infection that anyone can develop during their life. The people mostly at risk of developing pneumonia are usually young children, older adults, and people who have preexisting medical conditions that weaken the immune system. Pneumonia, if not severe, can be treated at home with antibiotics when it is mild but some cases with severe infection may require medical attention. Infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria is the most common infection which may result in ear infections, sinus infections and meningitis and can be so severe that may require a hospital stay. On the other hand, viral pneumonia is caused by viruses that cause the common cold, the flu (influenza), and COVID-19. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can also lead to pneumonia and can cause flu-like symptoms and is more likely to resolve on its own.
Causes of Pneumonia
In this section, we will discuss pneumonia causes. Pneumonia develops when our immune system fights an infection in the alveoli of the lung. This causes our lungs to swell and leak fluids. Many bacteria, viruses and fungi can cause infection in our body leading to pneumonia. These include
- Bacteria called Streptococcus pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumonia are the primary causes of pneumonia. They can spread from person to person by means of touching infected surfaces or through coughing and sneezing.
Some other pneumonia causes include:
The other factors that increase the chances of Pneumonia are our lifestyle habits like smoking cigarettes and drinking too much alcohol.
Symptoms of Pneumonia
The common pneumonia symptoms include coughing mucus, difficulty in breathing, chest pain and discomfort, loss of appetite, discomfort in sleeping patterns, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat.
Pneumonia symptoms in babies and newborns may not show up distinctively. Their incidence can be mild to life-threatening. In babies and newborns, the symptoms may vary. The most common symptoms are grunting sounds with breathing or noisy breathing, limpness, decrease in pee volume, diarrhoea, difficulty in feeding the babies, fever, nausea, loose motions, babies often getting crankier when not fed properly and night sweats
Diagnosis of Pneumonia
Now that we have discussed all the relevant aspects of understanding what is pneumonia, the succeeding step is to know how to diagnose pneumonia. The doctor may ask you to go for a test in case he/she suspects pneumonia symptoms. These tests include chest X-ray where our healthcare provider looks for infection in the lungs by performing a chest X-ray or CT scan. If any inflammation is noticed he may inform the doctor about its location and extent of infection spread. Blood culture can also be done to confirm an infection and can also help us to identify the reason for infection by studying the growth of the infection. Early morning sputum collected from the patient is also advisable to look for the cause of infection by performing bacterial and fungal culture test
A pulse oximetry test is also performed to measure the amount of oxygen in our blood which will indicate whether our lungs are moving enough oxygen through our bloodstream.
Other extra-pulmonary samples are pleural fluid and bronchial wash which is fluid from our lungs that can be taken by the specialist to look for infection of the lungs. The doctor can also perform a bronchoscopy to look into the airways in our lungs by using a camera on the end of a flexible tube that’s gently guided down our throat and further into our lungs.
Complications Associated with Pneumonia
Pneumonia may cause severe complications in people with compromised immune systems or any chronic conditions like congestive heart failure and emphysema. The chances of heart attack increases also in the case of diabetes. Bacteria may enter and cause infection (known as Bacteremia) when reaches the bloodstream which leads to low blood pressure, septic shocks and organ transplants in the worst scenario. There may also be chances of lung abscesses in which cavities in the lungs get filled with pus that results in impaired breathing and worst cases the patient might have to use a ventilator Pleural effusion is also one of the complications that can occur fluid gets filled around our lungs in our pleura making thin membranes outside or inside of our lungs