High death toll from pneumonia

by Sharon Bell

Pneumonia kills over 60,000 Americans every year and it remains a leading cause of death of children worldwide. This is tragic considering the fact that the disease can be cured with early detection and treatment.

Pneumonia is the inflammation of the lung in which the air spaces are filled with mucus and fluid, making breathing difficult. The disease has many causes and can be fatal in very young and very old patients.

Bacterial pneumonia, which is the more dangerous type of the disease, can be caused by infection with pneumococci, staphylococci and other forms of bacte¬ria. This is usually confined to just one area of the lung and is called lobar pneumonia.

"Among children 12 and under, the most frequent cause of pneumonia is the bacteria pneumococcus. Among adolescents and young adults, the most frequent infective agent is a bacteria like microbe called Mycoplasma pneumoniae; symptoms at first are like those of a chest cold, with a dry cough and then a sputum producing cough," explained Dr. Harold C. Neu, professor of medicine and head of Infectious Dis¬eases in “The Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons Complete Home Medical Guide.

"Bacterial pneumonia can also be a complication of influenza A. Often the symptoms of flu have disappeared, then suddenly the patient is worse with fever, cough, and shortness of breath. The recuperating victim this time has a full-fledged case of bacterial pneumonia and all its distressing symptoms. These secondary infections are most often caused by the pneumoccos, Haemophilus, or worst of all the staphylococcus. This microbe can be so deadly so doctors usually prescribe antibiotics that can destroy all three of the possible microorganisms," Neu added.

Another type of bacterial pneumonia is caused by streptococci (Diplococcus pneumoniae) and usually follows an upper respiratory tract infection. It is characterized by the sudden onset of chills and high fever.

The risk of acquiring the disease increases in those who have AIDS, heart disease, and diabetes, those who smoke and drink a lot, exposure to certain chemicals or pollutants, and in those who are hospitalized or have had surgery. Treatment depends on the severity of symptoms and the type of pneumonia you have.

To diagnose pneumonia, the physician will first listen to the chest, checking for fine, crackling noises, and then tap it, being alert for characteristic dull thuds. A certain diagnosis cannot be made, however, without chest x-rays, which will show patches in the lungs where air sacs are filled with fluid and debris instead of air. To determine the particular infective agent, lab tests can be done on blood and sputum samples, but the results are not 100 percent accurate," Neu said.

How serious pneumonia is for you depends on your overall health and the type and extent of pneumonia you have. If you're young and healthy, your pneumonia can usually be treated successfully. But if you have heart failure or lung ailments, especially from smoking, or if you're older, your pneumonia may be harder to cure. You're also more likely to develop complications, some of which can be life-threatening,” warned the Mayo Clinic.

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About the Author
Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.

How to treat pneumonia

by Groshan Fabiola

The therapy for pneumonia is different for each case dependoing on severity of symptoms and type of pneumonia. In bacterial one doctors recommend antibiotics, so do not stop taking them earlier because you observe a remission in symptoms. Viral forms of pneumonia can't be treated with antibiotics, so doctors suggest antiviral medications, rest and plenty of fluids. It may take more time to recover from a viral pneumonia than from a bacterial one. In Mycoplasma pneumonias antibiotics have given good results, over-the-counter medications to reduce fever, treat your aches and pains, and soothe the cough are also recommended. Coughing helps clear your lungs so don't use suppressants.

Home care is possible even in severe cases if the caregivers give the chest therapy and antibiotics intravenous and if good support and home nursing services are assured. Some of the patients may need only homecare. Patients treated at home with oral antibiotics need to drink plenty of liquids. In hospital the standard treatment is intravenous administration of antibiotics for five to eight days or two to three days in uncomplicated cases and oxygen administration. Most patients are stable after three days and can leave the hospital.

Prevention

Pneumonia is not the kind of disease you take from someone else, you develop it because your immune system is temporarily weakened. You need to get vaccinated in order to prevent pneumonia, after age 65 have a vaccination against pneumococcal pneumonia every year. Prevnar is a vaccine that helps protect young children against pneumonia, if you're younger but have a lung or cardiovascular disease, diabetes or sickle cell anemia you are indicated to have vaccine. You should wash your hands properly, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Stop smoking, have a healthy diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, physical exercise.

To reduce the complications in pneumonia and accelerate the healing you should get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, don't stop taking your medicatio when you start feeling better and follow the appointments your doctor requires from you in order to monitor you properly. Because the disease can be very serious, it's best to try to prevent infection(flu or cold) in the first place. Signs and symptoms can vary greatly, sometimes it doesn't seem to be pneumonia and the treatment is not taken seroiusly.

Some of the patients may need only homecare. Patients treated at home with oral antibiotics need to drink plenty of liquids. Coughing has its role in clearing the lungs. Mild pain is treated with aspirin (adults only), acetaminophen (Tylenol and other brands), or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, Rufen). For severe pain we should have administered codeine. Most patients are stable after three days and can leave the hospital.

About the Author
You can find great content regarding walking pneumonia, walking pneumonia symptoms and many moreby visiting http://www.pneumonia-center.com/