Pneumonia is an infection of one or both of the lungs caused by either a virus, bacteria, or fungus. Over 3 Million Americans each year will be diagnosed with a form of pneumonia; approximately 5% will die each year from this disease.
Signs and Symptoms of pneumonia usually begin with cold like symptoms which then develop into a high fever, shaking chills, and a productive cough. Pneumonia patients may suffer from shortness of breath, and sharp chest pain during deep inspirations. They may also develop headaches, muscle aches, and cyanosis.
Pneumonia is often first suspected after a physician has listened to a patient's chest and breath sounds and hears coarse breathing, wheezing, faint breaths, and/or crackling sounds. A chest x-ray is usually performed to confirm the physicians finding, and provide a diagnosis of pneumonia. Other test such as sputum samples, blood tests, and/or bronchoscopies.
There are various types and forms of pneumonia, and treatment of pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia the patient has. Many treatments begin with antibiotics such as: penicillin, amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, erythromycin, azithromycin, and clarithromycin just to name a few. At times, steriods are often used to treat pneumonia as well. There are also two available vaccines for specific forms of pneumonia.
Pneumonia can be a life-threatening disease for elderly, children, COPD patients, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
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