Pneumonia (pneumonia) is an extremely serious disease, it is impossible to ignore its symptoms in any case, since the consequences can be unpredictable. Doctors still can not accurately answer the question of why the infection in some people stops in the upper respiratory tract, while in others it moves deeper and attacks the lungs. But one thing experts can say with complete certainty - pneumonia develops only when the immune system is already weakened by any other disease.
Symptoms of pneumonia in an adult are manifested somewhat differently than in a child. In general, they depend on the severity of the disease and on the type of infectious agent that caused them.
Causes and symptoms of pneumonia
In an adult, pneumococci most often provokes the disease. Penetrating into the bronchi and alveoli, they give rise to an inflammatory process there. When a fluid component enters the alveoli from the walls of the vessels, the patient has difficulty breathing. Against this background, oxygen starvation develops in the body, because the affected lobe of the lung becomes non-functional. To increase the flow to the blood tissues, the heart begins to contract actively. All these processes lead to the appearance of the first symptoms of pneumonia in an adult: a sharp increase in temperature, chest pain, cough with separation of reddish sputum.
In the case when the inflammatory process is caused by other infectious agents: mycoplasmas, legionella, chlamydia - the symptoms will be similar, but such inflammation is somewhat easier. So, the symptoms of pneumonia in an adult, when mycoplasmas excite it, will be manifested by chills, sore throat, runny nose (optional), fever, shortness of breath, leading to chest pain. If the development of the disease occurred as a result of exposure to chlamydia, the first signs of the disease will be similar to those that occur with a cold: dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, fever. If the causative agent is
Legionella, the symptoms, in addition to those listed above, will be supplemented by
loss of appetite, diarrhea.
Common symptoms of pneumonia
Regardless of the type of pathogen, the first signs of the disease are most often the same. This is an obsessive dry cough, moisturizing over time, an increase in temperature (can vary between 37-40 degrees). In severe pneumonia, the skin acquires a pronounced bluish tint, breathing quickens.
Such symptoms are completely non-specific, so even doctors sometimes confuse the disease with SARS. And only when the temperature reaches high values, shortness of breath appears, leukocytosis is noted, pneumonia is diagnosed. To confirm suspicions, carry out a radiography.
How to treat pneumonia in adults
The patient must be hospitalized. He is prescribed bed rest, frequent intake of warm fluids, high-calorie nutrition. The main method of treatment is antibacterial therapy (the drug is selected for each patient individually, depending on many features). If necessary, it can be supplemented by the use of immunostimulants, expectorants, antihistamines, etc. In case of delayed treatment, complications of pneumonia in adults can lead to death.