In modern medical practice, fungal pneumonia (what it is, not everyone knows) is much more common than several decades ago. This disease is characterized by an inflammatory process in the lungs caused by an infection. Since fungal flora is very diverse, both pathogenic strains and pathogens of the conditionally pathogenic group can be disease provocateurs.
The main condition for the development of inflammation is the weakening of the body's defense mechanisms. Therefore, fungal pneumonia should be considered as a separate group of diseases, which in medical terminology is called pneumomycosis.
Etiology
Today, the problem associated with an increase in the incidence of pneumomycosis is quite acute. This negative trend is confirmed by WHO data.
An unfavorable situation is alarming among doctors. The danger of the disease is that the symptoms of fungal pneumonia rarely manifest themselves vividly, and in most cases the clinic resembles other pathologies of the respiratory tract.
At the same time, the disease is considered the most dangerous variant of pneumonia. When there are all favorable conditions for the pathogen in the body, it begins to multiply rapidly, causing irreparable damage to human health. Since fungi are characterized by high virulence, that is, the ability to spread rapidly throughout the body, the disease is extremely difficult to treat.
The causative agent is able to penetrate into the cell, easily overcoming the intercellular membrane. Interestingly, the reason for the outbreak of pneumomycosis is often the failure to comply with basic sanitary standards. Transitional seasons are especially dangerous in terms of the epidemic situation, when there is an increase in colds in children and adults. Indeed, weak immunity is not able to withstand a massive attack of parasitic organisms.
Fungal pneumonia can be primary, that is, it can be a separate disease. But very often pneumomycosis manifests itself against the background of other pathologies: lung abscess, bronchitis with obstruction, and other diseases.
Causes of pneumomycosis
As mentioned above, a combination of many factors creates a favorable environment for the active development of pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microflora, because they reduce the body's immune capabilities.
Among these related factors:
- frequent colds;
- the presence of chronic pathologies;
- intestinal infections;
- uncontrolled use of antibiotics.
Special attention should be paid to the last point, since very often the cause of fungal pneumonia is the abuse of antibiotics. It is known that many drugs of this series kill not only pathogenic microorganisms, but also bacteria that are beneficial to humans.
As a rule, after such “therapy” the natural balance of the environment of the digestive organs is disrupted, which entails intestinal dysbiosis. But this does not stop the harmful effect of antibiotics, because the situation is developing along an increasing curve.
The parasites, feeling that nothing is threatening them, begin to multiply actively, forming colonies throughout the body. This is how they get into the lung tissue.
Risk groups
Given the concomitant factors, it is possible to distinguish several groups of people who are especially susceptible to the disease of fungal pneumonia.
An increased risk group is made up of patients in whom:
- malignant pathologies (leukemia, lymphoproliferative tumors) requiring long-term radiation therapy or chemotherapy;
- diabetes;
- AIDS;
- tuberculosis infection;
- some types of anemia;
- dysbiosis provoked by irrational use of antibiotics;
- bronchial asthma;
- tonsillitis in a chronic form.
The pneumomycosis threatens those patients who underwent transplantation of any organ, because such operations involve a conflict of donor microflora and the environment of the recipient.
Fear of the disease should also be:
- women during menopause, if they have inflammatory processes of the genitourinary sphere;
- pregnant
- young children;
- To old people;
- patients with progressive caries;
- patients connected to a ventilator (mechanical ventilation).
In addition, you must know that pneumomycosis is very often combined with fungal infections of the skin, nail plates, and mucous membranes.
Types of fungal pneumonia
Fungal flora is very diverse and resistant. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to diagnose and treat such infectious diseases.
Mold and yeast fungi, pneumocysts and other common representatives of this group can cause pathology. Therefore, depending on the pathogen, the following forms of pneumomycosis are distinguished:
- Actinomycosis.
- Aspergillosis
- Candidamycosis.
- Blastomycosis.
- Histoplasmosis.
- Streptomycosis.
- Coccidioidomycosis.
- Pneumocytosis.
- Mucomycosis.
The name of each form indicates a specific pathogen. But even in this small group of representatives of parasitic organisms there are leaders.
As clinical practice shows, most often the culprit of fungal pneumonia is Candida albicans, less often the causative agent of streptomycosis.
Some of the microorganisms listed in the list under normal conditions calmly exist in the human body, but when a provoking factor is triggered, they become the cause of the disease. Therefore, people with AIDS cannot be cured, and they often die.
Transmission ways
Since fungal pneumonia refers to infections, it can quickly be transmitted from the patient to healthy people. The main route of transmission of the disease is airborne, that is, when a pathogen enters the environment when coughing.
The probability of spread of the fungus in contact with an infected patient is high. But most of all, an internal factor is involved, when pathogenic bacteria become activated in a weakened disease organism.
Especially it is worth being wary of nosocomial infections, which most often occur due to improper fulfillment by the staff of sanitary and hygienic requirements.
Diagnostic methods for pneumomycosis
It must be said right away that diagnosis includes a whole range of measures, the implementation of which helps to correctly diagnose. They are as follows:
- If you suspect a fungal pneumonia, the first priority is a painstaking medical history. For example, if as a result of a detailed questioning it is established that a person has been taking one of the antibiotics for a long time, one can immediately assume the presence of pneumonia of a fungal nature of origin.
- At the initial stage of diagnosis, a full laboratory study is performed, both in adults and in young patients. An extensive blood test allows you to detect a shift in the leukocyte formula, an accelerated reaction of red blood cells (ESR), and a change in other important indicators. In addition to this, serological tests and even molecular genetic studies are carried out.
- X-ray examination gives a visual representation of what is happening in the lungs. So, according to the changed pattern, it is possible to identify foci of infiltration, the formation of abscesses, to notice cavities filled with exudate.
- A traditional examination of the patient with listening to the lungs also gives its results: pain is noted on the affected side, auscultation data change.
The most difficult thing in diagnosing the symptoms of fungal pneumonia is the identification of the pathogen.
Symptoms of pneumomycosis
The clinical picture of fungal pneumonia depends on the pathogen that caused the infection. True, this does not affect the choice of treatment, since the treatment for pneumomycosis is the same for all known options.
Features of the course in children
The disease is most severe in young children. Often the course of the process is rapid. At the same time, against the background of the main symptoms of fungal pneumonia, respiratory failure develops, the skin turns blue, shortness of breath.
In especially critical situations, the child loses consciousness, and then only the competent actions of doctors can save the life of a small patient. Such an acute clinic complicates therapy.
How does the disease occur in adults
Different forms of fungal pneumonia at the initial stage in adult patients have similar symptoms. Often at the beginning of the inflammatory process, the clinical picture of pneumomycosis resembles SARS. Therefore, in most cases, the picture is blurry, the symptoms of fungal pneumonia in adults are blurred:
- occasional fever;
- a dry cough appears;
- the patient complains of weakness;
- muscle pain may be observed;
- when listening, dry rales characteristic of any pneumonia are clearly visible.
Depending on the severity of the disease, after a few days the cough becomes more intense with profuse sputum. Often there is purulent contents in it, which indicates that an abscess has formed in the lungs.
The cough is paroxysmal. Therefore, often with severe attacks, resolution of the infiltrate occurs, and along with its contents, the vital products of pathogenic fungi are thrown out. Fungal pneumonia often leads to complications such as pleurisy.
Therefore, it is very important at the very initial stages of the inflammatory process to conduct adequate therapy to prevent the development of an abscess in the lungs.
Symptoms of candidiasis
Pneumonia caused by candida fungus often develops in cancer patients. For example, in children undergoing chemotherapy, fungal pneumonia is common. Since the immunity of such patients is greatly weakened, the inflammatory process can proceed against the background of severe intoxication without an increase in temperature.
In some cases, on the contrary, the disease develops rapidly. Shortness of breath, pain in the chest area, a rise in temperature to critical values are noted. With secondary pulmonary candidiasis (pneumonia), in the vast majority of cases, such patients have destructive changes in the lung tissue with the development of cysts and atelectasis (pulmonary decay, leading to impaired ventilation).
Among the frequent complications of this form of pneumomycosis is the development of sepsis.
Aspergillosis of the lungs
This is one of the most severe forms of fungal pneumonia. It is characterized by the formation of an abscess with involvement in the inflammatory process of the pleura, lymph nodes.
A clinic of this form is distinguished by a lightning course with powerful bouts of cough, profuse sputum with pus, passing into suffocation, shortness of breath. The general condition of patients is severe, often accompanied by cachexia.
Treatment
Effective therapy for all types of disease is possible only with an accurate diagnosis. It must be remembered that in the presence of fungal pneumonia in adults and children, the symptoms and treatment, as in the case of other ailments, are interrelated.
The complex of medications necessarily includes antifungal agents, vitamins, and immunostimulants. Patients with this diagnosis are treated only in a hospital with strict adherence to bed rest.
If accumulations of exudate are noted in the pleural cavity, the patient is punctured and rinsed with pleura.
If we talk about forecasts, the best results are given by operational methods of treating fungal pneumonia, which completely eliminate the recurrence of the disease and the development of complications. In other situations, the outcome of the disease largely depends on the severity of the background process and adequate therapy.