Pneumonia: how not to miss pneumonia

In patients with pneumonia, the “classic” history of the disease: caught a cold, was treated, began to recover, but … The temperature returned, the cough, shortness of breath appeared. It is very important not to miss the beginning of the development of the disease and to diagnose the disease in time.
How not to miss the development of pneumonia? What is the danger of this ailment and is it necessary, if pneumonia is suspected, a chest X-ray is performed? Let’s see.
What types of pneumonia are
Pneumonia (pneumonia) is an infection of the lungs. There are several types of disease: bacterial pneumonia, viral, atypical (the disease is caused by so-called “atypical” pathogens – chlamydia, etc.), fungal. About half of the cases of pneumonia are caused by viruses. There are viral pneumonia on the background of the cold season and under the influence of the same viruses that cause influenza and ARVI. Children are more prone to this type of disease.
Bacterial pneumonia often hurts adults: the disease is caused by pneumococci, streptococci, staphylococci, and others. Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia are more pronounced than other types of this ailment. Atypical and fungal pneumonia are extremely rare and more difficult to diagnose.
Why not all people get pneumonia
Pneumonia often occurs on the background of SARS and influenza, as a secondary bacterial infection. Also, a healthy person with a weakened immune system can become ill with pneumonia after communicating with a patient, who, when communicating, “transferred” some of their own pathogens.
The body of a healthy person with strong immunity will cope with the infection: along with the formed mucus, which he coughs up, the pathogens are removed from the body. People with weakened immunity cope with this task worse. Also a high risk of developing pneumonia in smokers. Villi located on the mucous membrane and participating in the outflow of sputum, smokers gradually die off. And, if the mechanism of evacuation of sputum from the body is broken, then a person can easily get sick with bronchitis. And then, with a large presence in the body of microbial cells – and before the inflammation of the lungs is not far.
How not to miss pneumonia
Characteristic symptoms of pneumonia are fever (often low-grade fever 37.2 – 37.5), general intoxication, cough, weakness. These symptoms may develop again after a person’s ARVI or on their own. In some cases, coughing may not be. The specialist should be able to distinguish pneumonia from bronchitis, focusing not only on the testimony of the patient, his health and the nature of wheezing when listening to the lungs. Therefore, for accurate diagnosis prescribed fluorography (X-ray examination of the lungs) of the chest.
If the body temperature returned to normal after suffering from ARVI, the patient feels better, we can talk about the recovery of the patient. But, if after replacing the normal temperature (36.6 on average) the temperature “comes” again from 37 and higher, then you must do an x-ray of the chest and donate blood for analysis. Blood indices also determine the presence of an inflammatory process in the body.
How to protect yourself from pneumonia
Patients with pneumonia, not knowing about their illness, starting self-treatment often complicates the situation. After reading information on the Internet about treating pneumonia, people buy antibiotics from the pharmacy and start taking them. Such “initiative” can not only help but exacerbate the situation, even an allergic reaction or exacerbation of other chronic diseases. Since you need to be sure about the diagnosis, know the cause of the disease in order to find the right drug in this particular case.
Modern medical drugs make the treatment of pneumonia effective and fast. However, much depends on the patient himself: if the state of health has stabilized, then it is necessary to do breathing exercises, move more, eat well. An active lifestyle, strong immunity and the right diet – the guarantee of health and resistance to any disease, not only pneumonia. According to experts, if a person is young enough (not a child and not elderly), he eats normally, tries to avoid stressful situations, goes in for sports and does not allow the development of chronic diseases – then pneumonia simply has no chance!