Pneumonia (pneumonia ) is most often bacterial in nature. Pneumonia is an acute infectious disease.
Almost any microorganism can be the cause of pneumonia. It depends on a number of factors: the age of the patient, the place where he became infected - at home or in the hospital, if in the hospital, then in which department, the state of immunity and the health of the body as a whole. Pneumonia is a secondary disease, and it occurs as a complication of other diseases.
The main symptoms of pneumonia are an intensifying cough that does not go away for a long time, a cold or flu that does not go away for more than a week, a worsening of the patient’s condition after a temporary improvement, the use of paracetamol does not help at a high temperature, shortness of breath appears at a low temperature, and pallor of the skin due to colds coughing fit while trying to take a deep breath.
Many people ask: is pneumonia contagious? Until recently, it was believed that pneumonia is not a contagious disease. However, recent evidence suggests that pneumonia is contagious.
In 1994, large-scale studies of this disease were carried out in the USA, and it turned out that pneumonia ranks fourth among the causes of deaths. Moreover, 36% of medical personnel working in pulmonology departments annually get pneumonia. Moreover, in the past twenty years, there have been cases of epidemics of pneumonia around the world (the largest covered in 2002, China, Vietnam and Singapore).
Pneumonia is contagious for people with weakened immune systems: undergoing surgery, women after childbirth, people who have had a cold or flu, or have AIDS. In addition, chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, heart failure can put patients at risk of disease.
Also, pneumonia is contagious for the following categories of people: smokers, children under 1 year old, people over the age of 65, people who abuse alcohol. For all people who are at risk for the disease, a pneumonia vaccine is indicated.
The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets from a sick person to a healthy one.
The development of pneumonia can contribute to severe hypothermia, physical and psychological stress.
Inflammation of the lungs is a serious disease that requires compulsory treatment under the supervision of a doctor and a long follow-up. After the inflammatory phenomena in the lungs have been eliminated, the consequences of pneumonia may occur. Often in people who have had pneumonia, foci of sclerosis remain in the lungs, adhesions appear, and areas of a collapsed lung appear. This leads to oxygen starvation, weakens the immune system, and provokes a decrease in resistance to infections. At an early stage of the disease, intestinal toxicosis may occur. Inflammation of the lungs can lead to peripheral circulation disorders and heart failure.
The consequences of pneumonia can occur both in the early period of the disease and against the background of an improvement in the patient's condition.
Complications of pneumonia can be acute respiratory failure, pleurisy, meningitis, abscess , pulmonary gangrene , pulmonary edema, endocarditis, sepsis.
The treatment of pneumonia must be carried out under the supervision of a doctor who can choose the right therapy to restore the normal structure of the affected lungs and their functions. During an exacerbation of the disease, when pneumonia is contagious, treatment should be carried out in a hospital.
As mentioned earlier, pneumonia is a rather serious and dangerous disease, it is better to consult a doctor with the first symptoms in order to avoid complications.
Be attentive to your health and take care!