What Are The Types And How To Treat Pneumonia?

There are many types of pneumonia. Some are more common than others, but they all share the same basic symptoms. The most common types include bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, and lung abscess.

So in this article we will read out some common points regarding pneumonia such as what is pneumonia, how you can treat it, how common is this disease and the last one what are the types of this disease. If you want to gather knowledge regarding this disease than it is must for you to read out all these things very carefully.

What is Pneumonia?

The word, pneumonia, comes from the Latin word for “lungs.” In other words, it refers to a respiratory infection that affects your lungs. Your lungs are part of your respiratory system, which also includes your nose, mouth, throat, bronchi (the tubes connected to each lung), and chest cavity. When you have an infection that affects these parts of your body, you get pneumonia. You can get pneumonia from bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites – in other words, any one of several different things can cause a case of pneumonia.

Most cases of pneumonia are caused by bacteria, although some are caused by viruses, and others are caused by fungal infections. Bacterial pneumonia usually occurs when your immune system is weakened. Viral pneumonia often starts with an upper respiratory bug like a cold or flu. Fungal pneumonia is rare, but can be very serious if not treated quickly.

In this article we will look at what causes pneumonia and how it is treated. We will also discuss some of the most common types of pneumonia.

A common myth about pneumonia is that it only happens to old people.

This is simply untrue. About half of all cases of pneumonia happen to children under 5 years old, and about 7% of all cases occur in adults over 65 years of age. Anyone can get pneumonia, regardless of their age or medical history.

If you have been exposed to someone who has had pneumonia recently, you may develop a form of the disease yourself. This is called secondary pneumonia. It happens because the germs from one person’s pneumonia infect your body.

You should consult a doctor immediately if you have signs and symptoms of pneumonia such as coughing up blood, shortness of breath, fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, weakness, rapid breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.

Although all of these indicators may seem alarming, they are actually quite normal if you have pneumonia. Most people who have pneumonia have a lot of them! Here are some reasons why people cough up bloody phlegm:

  They have fluid in their lungs that needs draining.

  They have a bacterial infection in their lungs.

  They have a virus in their lungs.

  Their airways are partially blocked.

  They have a parasite living in their lungs.

How Common Is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is second only to acute heart attack as the most common infectious illness in the United States, accounting for 1 out of every 8 visits to doctors’ offices. More than 3 million Americans develop pneumonia each year, and nearly 90,000 die from it.

Most of these deaths are preventable through early diagnosis and treatment. If you suspect you may have pneumonia, call your doctor as soon as possible. The earlier you start antibiotics, the better your chances of recovery. In fact, an antibiotic given within 48 hours of onset of symptoms gives the best chance of curing the disease completely.

Types of Pneumonia

Here are a few types of pneumonia that you may experience:

Bacterial Pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia is the most common type of pneumonia. It is almost always caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, a bacteria commonly found in the nasal passages and throat. A typical bacterial pneumonia begins with a mild sore throat, followed by a fever, chills, and cough, along with a low-grade headache. The cough becomes productive of thick yellow mucus that turns greenish blue when streaked with blood. Bacterial pneumonia rarely goes away on its own; instead, it gets worse until either the patient dies or the infection clears up on its own. Bacterial pneumonia is extremely contagious and spreads easily from one person to another via sneezing, coughing, or sharing eating utensils.

Viral Pneumonia

Viral pneumonia is much less common than bacterial pneumonia. It usually begins with a runny nose accompanied by a slight fever and malaise (feeling tired). The runny nose lasts for several days before turning into a cough. The cough produces whitish sputum that looks like cottage cheese and smells like ammonia. Coughing up white sputum is so characteristic of viral pneumonia that doctors often refer to it as “coughing up the devil.”

Fungal Pneumonia

Fungal pneumonia is the least common type of pneumonia. The first sign of this type of pneumonia is typically a fever, followed by a severe cough, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. A fungus known as blastomyces dermatitidis grows on the skin, causing lesions that produce a distinctive smell. Blastomyces dermatitidis is spread by inhalation of spores from soil contaminated with bird droppings.

Lung Abscess

Tuberculosis (TB) is a type of lung abscess. Lung abscesses are pus filled cavities inside your lungs. They are usually caused by a bacterial infection from TB or another bacterial condition. Tuberculosis is a particularly dangerous disease because it can affect your lungs, brain, spine, or eyes. TB is transmitted via the air from one person to another through close contact. It is common among homeless people, prisoners, and people who inject drugs.

How to Treat Pneumonia

Once you have confirmed that you do indeed have pneumonia, you need to see a doctor right away. Doctors treat pneumonia with antibiotics, even if you don’t show all the classic symptoms listed above. Antibiotics kill the bacteria causing the disease, keeping you healthy and preventing a relapse.

Doctors use a variety of antibiotics to treat pneumonia depending on the type of infection. For example, a drug called ampicillin is used to treat bacterial pneumonia while erythromycin and azithromycin are used to treat viral pneumonia. Once the infection is cleared up, doctors may prescribe a steroid cream to help treat inflammation.

You can take antibiotics orally or intravenously. However, taking them intravenously means that you must go to the hospital or clinic to receive the injection. Your doctor will probably give you enough antibiotics to last five days after you start treatment. Even though you don’t feel well, you shouldn’t stop taking the antibiotics without talking to your doctor. If you stop taking them too early, you could end up having another round of pneumonia.

It takes time to recover from pneumonia. After you are finally free of the disease, however, your doctor will likely want to keep you on antibiotics for six weeks to make sure you don’t get reinfected. That being said, you don’t necessarily need to take antibiotics after getting rid of pneumonia. Instead, your doctor might advise you to take a short course of steroids to reduce inflammation in your lungs.

As long as you follow your doctor’s instructions, you should begin feeling better within two weeks of starting treatment. As always, talk to your doctor about any questions you may have regarding your health.

In general, pneumonia is a pretty easy ailment to treat. However, there are certain instances where pneumonia becomes complicated. One complication is when an infected person develops sepsis, which can lead to organ failure. Another complication is when the infection spreads to a person’s bloodstream, leading to meningitis. If you think you may have any of those complications, call your doctor right away.