Pneumonia is pneumonia , an infectious disease caused by bacteria in the body. Despite the seemingly, at first glance, the simplicity of the inflammatory process, this disease can be very diverse. In most cases, pneumonia is a disease that manifests itself in such a way that it is quite difficult to immediately suspect deviations from the lungs.
This feature of this infectious disease is due to the fact that the patient’s age and the conditions in which bacteria develop are very important for her. The causative agents that provoke the development of pneumonia in a small child who is ill at home, and in an elderly person who is sick, for example, while in the hospital, are different. Therefore, symptoms and treatment methods are also different.
Pneumonia is a disease whose development can be caused by viruses, unicellular fungi, bacteria. Depending on which pathogen struck the body’s immune system, the symptoms of the disease will differ. Pneumonia can be bilateral in the case when both lungs are affected, and unilateral if only one of them is affected, for example, left-sided pneumonia. There are also lobar, segmental, focal and total varieties of the disease.
In practice, bacterial pneumonia is most often encountered - this is an inflammatory process caused by a certain type of bacteria. Before the advent of antibiotics (drugs aimed at suppressing various pathogens), several hundred people died every year from this disease. Today, this infection responds well to treatment and, as a rule, does not cause any complications. The development of
viral pneumonia in most cases is associated with the appearance in the human body of an adenovirus or influenza virus. This disease is quite severe and very often has complications. Fungal pneumonia is susceptible to immunocompromised patients, for example, those suffering from immunodeficiency.
Among other things, one can distinguish hospital and community-acquired infection. The first is associated with the presence of a specific bacterial flora, which as a result of prolonged hospital stay in a number of patients can cause the appearance of this disease. There is also aspiration pneumonia associated with inhalation of foreign matter into the lungs, and congestive pneumonia that develops due to prolonged bed rest or due to shallow breathing.
The presence of this infectious disease can be suspected with a prolonged increase in temperature, a prolonged cold, severe weakness, coughing and pain in the chest area. In the presence of such symptoms, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. In some cases, the doctor will be able to make a diagnosis on the basis of only listening to the lungs. However, the main way to diagnose pneumonia is by
chest x-ray. Other necessary examinations include biochemical and general blood tests. Even provided that the patient does not need to be hospitalized for further treatment, these studies and tests must be carried out to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe appropriate therapy.