this pneumonia Is a Infect Inflammation of one or both lungs.There are many bacteria that can cause it, and most are bacteria anyone Virus Those in the air.
Fatigue, fever, chills, chest pain when breathing or coughing, coughing up phlegm… These signs can alert you to the onset of pneumonia.
Prompt detection is important to avoid complications, since statistically, pneumonia is Ranked 10th among the most common causes of death in Spain One in five people with this disease must Enter the hospital receive treatment.
The issue is, Sometimes symptoms are nonspecific and related to typical cold or flu.
what is pneumonia
When pneumonia occurs Inflammation of lung tissue due to infection.
due to inflammation, Oxygen does not enter the blood properly, Symptoms such as fatigue appear, and breathing becomes difficult or even painful.In addition, pneumonia can also cause Fatigue, malaise, fever, chills, and cough (With mucus).
How to judge whether pneumonia is complicated
pneumonia is Infections that are putting more people in hospital, Considering many of these incomes, About 10% of people end up in the intensive care unit due to complications.
Often, people with pneumonia Improvements begin three to five days after starting treatment.You start to feel better and experience similar symptoms Breathing difficulty and fever began to subside. Fatigue and persistent cough, although mild, can last up to a month. However, most people are able to resume normal activities within the next 7 days.
When this improvement does not occur or symptoms worsen Although there have been initial improvements, we can think that The situation with pneumonia is becoming increasingly complex.
Some of these symptoms are:
- Chest pain that worsens when you cough or breathe in
- Shortness of breath or pain
- Night sweats
- unexplained weight loss
Possible complications of pneumonia
Although treatment usually works well, Sometimes the infection can become complicated. go through:
- Pleural effusion. This condition occurs when fluid builds up between the membrane surrounding the lungs (the pleura) and the lining of the chest cavity.
- abscess. Pus in the alveoli turns into cysts. Generally, antibiotic treatment must be prolonged.
- Systemic infection. In the most severe cases, the infection can enter the bloodstream and can lead to very serious complications, such as meningitis.
What may cause pneumonia?
exist More than 100 species of microorganisms This can eventually lead to the disease.
- Most pneumonia in adults is caused by a type of bacteria called “pneumonia”. Streptococcus pneumoniae, as. .and be known pneumococcus.
- Some viruses such as influenza or that chicken pox and even bacteria They can also cause pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems.
- Many times it is caused by a variety of factors. Therefore, bacterial pneumonia may be caused by the bacteria themselves, or it may be caused by a virus, and then superinfection occurs due to the action of the bacteria.
How to diagnose pneumonia
If you have a severe cold or flu that doesn’t go away It is very important to see a doctor Make the correct diagnosis and rule out more serious conditions.
In view of the symptoms, after examining you and listening to your story, You may be asked to have a chest X-ray To confirm the diagnosis, perform blood tests if necessary.
X-rays allow doctors to confirm If it’s pneumonia, it’s also possible Advise on the origin of pneumonia (viral or bacterial).Anyway, it can only be confirmed by Sputum or lung sample culture Sent to Microbiology.
If the origin is bacterial, probably Will prescribe antibiotics End it.In this case, antibiotic therapy is continued 10 to 14 days.
The most common ones are physical discomfort and fever Improvement begins in 3 to 5 days After starting treatment. In most circumstances, You can resume your normal life after 7 daysalthough fatigue and a mild persistent cough may persist for a considerable period of time (a month or more).
take care of the elderly
Over 65 years old, children under 5 years old, people with weakened immune systems and smokers People who are more likely to get pneumonia And once cured, the risk of recurrence is greater.
According to a study coordinated by CIBERSP (Biomedical Research Center for Epidemiology and Public Health Network), 11.39% of patients aged 65 and older hospitalized with pneumonia had to be readmitted within 30 days of discharge. Typically, readmissions are due to exacerbation of prior disease or the emergence of new pathology.
Factors that may lead to relapse include: Living with people under the age of 15, going to the hospital more than three times within three months before admission, and suffering from chronic respiratory failure, heart failure or chronic liver disease.
Respiratory Physical Therapy for Recovery from Pneumonia
Respiratory physiotherapy is very helpful Prevent and treat respiratory problems. It includes techniques applied by these experts and exercises we can do at home.
In pneumonia, when the alveoli fill with pus and the lungs fill with secretions, respiratory physiotherapy can help eliminate them, and Keep the respiratory tract open and improve the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Take a series of deep breaths A few times a day can help mobilize your lungs to restore their function. It can also be good for you to practice controlling your cough.
you should stay the same Until your body has completely eliminated all traces of infection. And, once you overcome it, keeping your breathing regular will help you increase your lung capacity and avoid recurrence.
Pneumonia and gut health
Almost all older people have Five times the risk The proportion of people hospitalized after pneumonia infection and die due to pneumonia they can More than 50% Depends on the person’s health status and diseases (hypertension, diabetes…).
Strengthening the gut may be a way to reduce severity, according to a University of Colorado study lung infection.
As we said before, Most common causes of bacterial pneumonia This is what causes pneumococci.
“he pneumococcus It is usually shipped in nostril Healthy adults. “People with healthy immune systems can tolerate it and it doesn’t cause any problems.”explain Holly Helsebuthone of the study’s authors.
“But people and weak immune system “They tend to become more susceptible because their immune systems are unable to control these bacteria.”,clarify.
Why might its effects be devastating for some but not others?The answer seems to be intestinal. The more permeable it is, that is, the more microorganisms it allows to “filter” into the blood, the greater the risk of intestinal bacteria invading the lungs.
- “As you get older, there will be reactions Highly inflammatorywhich then induces the gut to become more pro-inflammatory.”said Dr. Rachel McMahan, a professor at the University of Colorado and leader of the study. “This makes it possible for bacteria Pathogens in the intestines penetrate the organsand then things go downhill quickly.”he concluded.
Therefore, it will not just be pneumococci that are to blame for severe pneumonia, but they will also play a role. Other gut bacteria This will make the situation worse.