Viral pneumonia is a pneumonia caused by a virus. It can be single or double-sided. Prior to the discovery of penicillin, this disease was considered fatal.
Modern medicine, of course, keeps up with the times, but nevertheless, about five percent of patients die from pneumonia every year.
Basically, viral pneumonia is transmitted by airborne droplets. Direct contact with the patient will ensure the nucleation of the focus of the disease in a healthy body. In other cases, the disease develops due to the overactivity of bacteria that are present in the nose and mouth. Weakened immunity also contributes to the disease.
Symptoms of pneumonia are very different. Among the latter cases, the course of the disease without any visible manifestations is increasingly common. Therefore, deaths have become more frequent . The inability to determine the disease at an early stage and prescribe treatment determines an unfavorable outcome.
But usually pneumonia is accompanied by fever, shortness of breath, sputum, chills and cough. Less commonly, the disease is accompanied by bloody discharge, that is, streaks of blood that are structured in sputum. Often the patient may complain of pain in the chest during inhalation or exhalation. Usually pain characterizes the pleural form of pneumonia.
Viral pneumonia, the symptoms of which will not necessarily manifest in the form of a cough, is especially dangerous for children. Kids lose their appetite, become lethargic. Often (with cyanosis), changes in skin color are observed, there are headaches, loss of consciousness, or fever.
Diagnosis of the disease is carried out using special equipment. Upon examination, the doctor may hear wheezing in the patient’s chest and prescribe a fluoroscopy in order to confirm or refute suspected pneumonia. The focus of inflammation will be clearly visible in the picture, so that the treatment will be prescribed accurately.
Using bronchoscopy, the patient's bronchi are examined. The doctor introduces a thin tube through the patient’s mouth or nose. The video tube will accurately show the amount of accumulated fluid. With this course of the disease, puncture of the lungs is prescribed, which allows you to remove fluid through a thin tube.
Inoculations are given to children and adults, for example, against pneumococcal infection.
Viral pneumonia caused by adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, influenza viruses and parainfluenza does not rely too much on antibiotics alone, because they do not give the desired effect. The doctor usually prescribes the appropriate antiviral drug.
In cases of histoplasmosis, blastimycosis, aspergillosis or cryptococcosis, that is, with fungal diseases of the respiratory organs, a drug that acts on a particular type of fungus is used.
Viral pneumonia, the treatment of which involves being in a hospital, especially with intensive development, can cause a number of complications. Therefore, independent treatment without consulting a doctor can cost the patient life.
After the disease recedes and the patient returns home, a rehabilitation period follows. For these purposes, it is good to stay in a sanatorium or resort area, trips to the sea with its iodized air are beneficial.
In addition, viral pneumonia involves a special diet. Folk remedies can serve as an additional weapon in the fight against this ailment, but not as independent ones. Proper nutrition will contribute to the speedy restoration of the immune system, which, in turn, will help the body gain strength faster. Essential vitamins, micro and macro elements will restore the body's immune balance.