After a visit to the crowded grocery store a few days back, a neighbor developed symptoms like breathing difficulty, fever with chills accompanied by chest pain and cough with mucus. These symptoms suggested that he may be suffering from pneumonia which affects the respiratory system and it is caused by bacteria, virus, parasites, or fungi.
History of Pneumonia
Hippocrates, known as the “father of medicine,” first described pneumonia in 460 BC. Edwin Klebs discovered for the first time in 1875 AD that a person who had died of pneumonia had bacteria in their airways. Pneumonia, also known as the “captain of the men of death,” had surpassed tuberculosis in terms of mortality by 1918 AD, according to Sir William Osler, the “father of modern medicine.” Since the first vaccination against the pneumonia-causing bacteria “Streptococcus pneumoniae” was created in 1977 AD, the number of pneumonia-related deaths has decreased.
Understanding pneumonia
The lungs, which consist of air sacs called alveoli and airways called bronchial tubules, are the primary respiratory organs. Air enters your airways during inhalation and travels to the alveolar sacs. The blood in the alveolar sacs absorbs oxygen from the air and exhales carbon dioxide. When you have pneumonia, your alveoli become inflamed and fill with fluid, which makes breathing difficult. Treatment is available for both mild and severe cases of pneumonia.
Types of Pneumonia
Community-acquired pneumonia: This is the most common type of pneumonia caused due to bacteria known as streptococcus pneumoniae. This is caused by airborne bacteria, fungi, viruses, or other irritants that are easily contracted when you move through public areas like malls, grocery stores, gyms, schools, or work places.
Aspiration pneumonia: Aspiration pneumonia can occur when small particles lodge in your lungs when you vomit and prevent you from coughing them out.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia: This is a serious kind of pneumonia that can strike the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems. This kind of pneumonia develops when a patient must stay in an intensive care unit and is dependent on a ventilator for breathing. This can also occur if you have undergone chest surgery or if you had to stay in chronic care centers or received treatment at a kidney dialysis center.
Opportunistic Pneumonia: This happens to people whose immune systems have been compromised by illnesses such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and organ transplant cases.
Walking pneumonia: Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia that is brought on by Mycoplasma pneumonia. The condition is transient and does not cause severe symptoms. When a person has walking pneumonia, their body has the ability to heal itself. They may not even be aware that they are afflicted and carry on with their daily activities, which is why the term “walking” is interestingly associated with the condition. Despite its mild nature, you shouldn’t ignore it because it can cause uncomfortable symptoms such as headaches, nausea, fever, chills, sore throats, chest pain, lumps in the neck, ear pain, rashes, and increased rate of respiration. Although hospitalization is not necessary, bed rest is required. Tetracyclines, erthyromycin, and clarithromycin are among the antibiotics that may be administered.
Symptoms
The symptoms of pneumonia are fever, cough with mucus, breathing difficulty, chest pain, chills, muscle pain, headache, fatigue, and sweating. These symptoms can range from mild to severe, and they are frequently confused with the flu.
Diagnosis
During the physical examination, the doctor might listen for any unusual rumblings or crackling noises coming from your lung. The accumulation of fluid in the lungs is indicated by these unusual sounds. A chest X-ray is taken to determine the location and extent of the infection in the lungs. To detect the presence of microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria, a blood test is also performed. To determine the white blood cell count, a blood test is required.
Testing of mucus is done to determine the specific microbe causing pneumonia. A lung biopsy, which involves taking a sample of lung tissue for analysis, may be necessary in extreme circumstances. The thin membrane lining the chest cavity and lungs, the pleura, has fluid that can be removed for analysis during a procedure called thoracentesis. A test known as spirometry is used to examine how well the lungs are working. The patient is asked to breathe into a device known as a spirometer, which measures the amount of air that is breathed. A tube with a scope (camera) at its end is passed through the nose by the doctor during a bronchoscopy procedure to examine the lungs’ airway for abnormal mucus, pus, and other infections.
Treatment
The kind and severity of the pneumonia that is present determine the course of treatment. Antibiotics are administered for bacterial pneumonia. You will feel better once you start taking the drugs, but don’t stop taking the antibiotics suddenly as this could lead to pneumonia returning and increase the chance of developing bacterial strains that are resistant to them. Antiviral medications are used to treat viral pneumonia, and the patient is also advised to rest completely and drink plenty of fluids. Antibiotics are prescribed for mycoplasma-related pneumonia. Fungal pneumonia is treated with antifungal drugs. A hospital stay is necessary when pneumonia is severe. Following the completion of your treatment, the doctor will contact you for a follow-up appointment and perform a chest X-ray.
