Pneumonia: Symptoms And Treatment In Adults, What Is It

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Pneumonia: symptoms, causes, treatment

The content of the article:

1. Etiology and forms of pneumonia
2. Factors affecting the development of the disease

3. Common symptoms of pneumonia

   1. Viral form
   2. Croupous form
   3. Atypical form
   4. Hospital form
   5. Klebsiella pneumonia
4. Diagnostics
5. How to treat pneumonia
6. Complications
7. Prevention
8. Video

Pneumonia is a disease in which the inflammatory process affects different structures of the lungs. The disease can be primary or become a complication of another pathology.

With pneumonia, the inflammatory process can develop in different structures of the lung.

The disease can occur in both adults and newborns (including premature babies). With intrauterine pneumonia, a child is born with symptoms of the disease. This is due to an infection that entered the mother's body during pregnancy.

In children, viral pneumonia is most often diagnosed, while in adults in most cases, inflammation caused by viral and bacterial flora is observed.

The disease is considered very serious and requires timely treatment, and it is often difficult to identify the symptoms of pneumonia. If therapy is not started on time, complications may develop, and in severe cases, pneumonia can be fatal.

Etiology and forms of pneumonia

What causes pneumonia? Depending on the infection that caused the inflammation, the following forms of the disease are distinguished:

• bacterial (caused by gram-positive and gram-negative microorganisms): pneumococci, streptococci, staphylococci, Klebsiella, Friedlander's bacillus, Haemophilus influenzae, enterobacteriaceae, Escherichia coli, Proteus;
• fungal: mushrooms from the genus Candida;
• viral: influenza virus, herpes, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus;
• mixed: a virus followed by a bacterial infection.

The development of pathology is often noted in bedridden patients

Prolonged lying down can cause pneumonia. In this case, fluid accumulates in the lungs, and the body triggers a false immune response, resulting in an inflammatory process. This form of the disease is considered less dangerous, it lasts longer than infectious.

According to the severity, the pathology is divided into mild, moderate and severe.

Depending on the epidemiological component, pneumonia is classified as follows:

• community-acquired: infection occurs outside the walls of the hospital;
• hospital: one of the most dangerous forms of the disease, in which the patient becomes infected in a hospital setting, and the primary pathogenic agent changes very quickly;
• atypical: this form of the disease is characterized by the presence of symptoms that are atypical for classical pneumonia;
• deficiency: occurs in HIV-infected patients.

Pneumonia is also classified as follows:

• according to the degree of influence on the body: a simple form of the disease (without respiratory failure) and pathology proceeding with functional changes (cardiac or chronic respiratory failure);
• by the presence / absence of complications: complicated and uncomplicated type of pathology;
• by the nature of the process: acute, subacute, chronic form;
• by the degree of prevalence of the process: unilateral, bilateral, segmental, focal, lobar pneumonia.

Factors affecting the development of the disease

There are certain factors that have a direct impact on the development of the disease:

• weakening of the immune system;
• frequent colds;
• smoking and drinking alcohol;
• chronic heart disease;
• lack of adequate nutrition;
• frequent hypothermia;
• work in hazardous industries;
• systemic diseases.

Common symptoms of pneumonia

Symptoms of the disease can develop gradually or appear suddenly:

• increase in body temperature: in mild forms of the disease, it can increase to 37.5–38 ° C, in severe cases - up to 40 ° C and above;
• shortness of breath: can occur with the slightest physical exertion;
• shallow breathing: the larger the area affected by the inflammatory process, the more often a person breathes in air;
• increased heart rate: with a mild form of pathology, the pulse rate is within 90 beats per minute, with a severe course of the disease, the value of this indicator exceeds 100 beats per minute, while blood pressure simultaneously decreases;
• cough: initially dry, later accompanied by sputum.

Viral form

Most often, inflammation of a viral etiology is a complication of an acute respiratory illness or influenza. The incubation period can last from 2 to 5 days. The patient develops a runny nose, bone aches and muscle pain.

Influenza virus can lead to the development of a viral form of the disease

Then the body temperature begins to rise sharply (up to 39 ° C and above). Chills, fever, general fatigue occur. In some cases, nausea and vomiting may occur.

Symptoms of lung damage are insignificant and are usually lost against the background of other signs of intoxication. The patient has an unproductive cough over a long period. Gradually, a little transparent, whitish, odorless sputum begins to stand out (in rare cases, streaked with blood).

There is pain in the chest, which is aggravated by coughing or taking a deep breath. In severe cases, respiratory failure is observed.

Croupous form

The generalized form of the disease is one of the most severe, since in this case a significant segment of the lungs is affected. The causative agent of the disease is pneumococcus. Symptoms are pronounced from the first days of the disease. Body temperature rises sharply to 39–40 ° C. There are signs of intoxication such as headache, chills, dizziness, weakness, drowsiness.

The patient has a pulling pain in the chest. There is a cough, in which a large amount of rusty sputum leaves. The disease is often accompanied by shortness of breath and suffocation, the nasolabial triangle turns blue. In severe cases, an attack of acute heart failure occurs.

Atypical form

Symptoms of the atypical form of the disease resemble lobar pneumonia. Severe respiratory failure and muscle pain join the main symptoms.

The intensity of the manifestations of the disease can be different. With atypical pneumonia, there is a high probability of death.

Hospital form

This form of the disease develops within 2–3 days after the patient is admitted to the hospital. Late hospital pneumonia begins no earlier than the 6th day after the patient was in the hospital. The disease is extremely severe. Its causative agent is bacteria living in the walls of the hospital. They are particularly resistant and resistant to several antibiotics at once.

The hospital form of inflammation requires special attention, since it is difficult to treat

Factors that affect the disease include:

• smoking;
• elderly age;
• chronic diseases;
• long stay in a horizontal position;
• tube feeding;
• connection to an artificial respiration apparatus.

The patient has frequent shallow breathing, cough with purulent sputum. The oxygen level in the blood decreases, and respiratory failure occurs. Body temperature rises (from 38 ° C).

Hospital pneumonia is very often the cause of complications. In severe cases, the disease is fatal.

Klebsiella pneumonia

This form of the disease is more severe than the disease caused by pneumococcus. During the first day, the patient has an increase in body temperature up to 38 ° C, weakness, increased sweating, chills, loss of appetite and headache.

The disease caused by Klebsiella is usually severe

As the intoxication intensifies, the body temperature rises and can reach 39-40 ° C, the general condition worsens significantly, diarrhea and single vomiting appear. The bacteria are very aggressive and cause destruction of lung tissue.

At the initial stage of the disease, the patient suffers from a strong dry cough. After 2-3 days, it turns into a stubborn, productive, with viscous, hard sputum.

Particles of destroyed lung tissue are observed in the sputum, so it has a reddish color (resembles currant jelly) and contains blood streaks. The sputum has a specific smell, reminiscent of burnt meat. On about the 5th or 6th day of illness, it becomes bloody and leaves in large quantities.

After the inflammatory process affects the membrane of the lungs, there are quite severe pains behind the sternum. The pain is worse when coughing, walking, or bending over.

The patient has shortness of breath, even if he is at rest. His face becomes pale with a grayish tint, and the nasolabial triangle turns blue. In about 30% of cases, the disease becomes the cause of death.

Diagnostics

If there is a suspicion of pneumonia, you should seek the advice of a physician. After the survey, the necessary inspection is carried out:

• auscultation (listening with a phonendoscope). Normally, the patient's breathing should be clean. If an inflammatory process is observed and exudate accumulates in the lung, breathing becomes weakened, difficult, wheezing is heard;
• percussion (tapping). In the projection of the lung, the doctor taps his finger. Normally, the sound should be ringing due to the presence of air. With pneumonia, exudate accumulates in the lungs, so the sound becomes shortened and dull;
• examination of the chest. It allows you to determine the uniformity of its participation in breathing. With pneumonia, the affected side may lag behind the healthy side.

To make a diagnosis, the doctor conducts an examination, including auscultation

If you suspect the development of the disease, the following studies are carried out:

• general blood analysis. An indicator of inflammation is an increased number of leukocytes and a high ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate);
• sputum analysis. Allows you to determine the causative agent of the disease and its sensitivity to antibiotics;
• X-rays of light. The picture makes it possible to determine the focus of inflammation, its size and the presence of complications.

How to treat pneumonia

Disease therapy should be carried out under the supervision of a physician. It is possible to be treated at home only with an uncomplicated course of pneumonia. If the disease is severe, the patient is hospitalized.

First of all, the patient needs to create optimal conditions:

• bed rest. Throughout the acute period of the disease, physical activity should be excluded. This will help prevent the development of complications and speed up recovery;
• drinking regimen. Drinking enough fluids will help reduce intoxication. For these purposes, non-carbonated water, tea, fruit drink or compote are suitable. You need to drink at least two liters of liquid per day;
• balanced diet. Nutrition should be complete. It is necessary to consume not only vegetables and fruits, but also meat, eggs, milk. During the treatment period, it is worth giving up fried, spicy and salty foods.

Wet cleaning in the patient's room should be done daily

In the room where the patient is located, wet cleaning must be carried out daily. It is also necessary to maintain an optimal temperature regime - it is impossible for the air to be too hot and dry. The room should be regularly ventilated.

For the treatment of inflammation of the mild form of pathology, antibiotics from the group of penicillins, cephalosporins of the II-III generation, macrolides are mainly used. The choice of the drug depends on the sensitivity of the causative agent of the disease. In order to determine it, sputum is taken for analysis.

It takes time to determine the causative agent of the disease, so the doctor usually prescribes an antibiotic with the broadest spectrum of action. In severe cases, treatment with antibacterial drugs from several pharmacological groups is carried out simultaneously.

In order to lower body temperature and reduce pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used: Ibuprom, Nurofen, Ibuprofen, Nimesil, Nimid, Paracetamol, Panadol.

The duration of the disease depends on the causes of its occurrence, the severity of the course and the adequacy of therapy. Before antibiotics appeared in medicine, the temperature dropped on the 7-9th day, and very often pneumonia became the cause of the patient's death.

With the advent of antibacterial drugs, treatment has become more effective, usually on the 3-5th day, improvements are already noticeable.

Complications

Pneumonia can cause the following complications:

• pleurisy: inflammation of the layers of the pleura covering the lungs;
• lung abscess: formation in the lung of a cavity with purulent contents;
• obstructive syndrome: replacement of the lung tissue with connective tissue;
• pulmonary edema.

Also, the patient may experience other complications: meningitis, hepatitis, pericarditis, myocarditis, or toxic shock.

Prevention

In order to avoid the development of the disease, you must:

• lead a healthy lifestyle, eat right and exercise;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene;
• to refuse from bad habits;
• observe the rules of personal hygiene;
• treat colds and flu in a timely manner;
• avoid hypothermia;
• avoid crowded places during the peak of colds, use personal protective equipment.

During the peak of colds, when visiting crowded places, personal protective equipment should be used

You should also treat cough correctly: you cannot take expectorant drugs and drugs that suppress the cough reflex at the same time.

People who often suffer from colds are advised to regularly perform breathing exercises.

Inflammation of the lungs is a very serious disease that, even with timely treatment, can be fatal. Therefore, if you suspect its development, you must immediately seek help from a pulmonologist or therapist.

Video

We offer for viewing a video on the topic of the article.

Anna Kozlova Medical journalist About the author

Education: Rostov State Medical University, specialty "General Medicine".

The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!