What is Pneumonia: Pneumonia is an infection that causes the air sacs
in the lungs to fill with fluid, making it hard for you to breathe, and
causes you to cough up phlegm. Pneumonia is an ancient Greek word,
which means 'lungs'. Pneumonia can occur in patients of all age groups,
but young children, and older people are especially at risk.
What
causes Pneumonia: Pneumonia is caused by many things. However, bacteria
are the most common causes of pneumonia. The most common bacteria that
causes pneumonia is 'Streptococcus pneumoniae', Streptococcus pyogenes
or Group A Streptococcus can also cause pneumonia. Workers that are
exposed to cattle are at a risk for pneumonia caused by anthrax.
Symptoms
Of Pneumonia: There are quite a few symptoms that may show up with
Pneumonia, the most common ones are: Cough with a yellow or greenish
mucus or Phlegm, Fever often with chills and the shakes, Soreness or
pain in the chest, worsened by breathing deeply or coughing, Shallow
breathing, Shortness of breath, Bloody mucus or phlegm, Headache,
Sweating and sometimes clammy skin, Fatigue and weakness, Decreased
appetite. If left untreated Pneumonia can advance to 'blood poisoning',
and severe respiratory distress.
Treatment For Pneumonia: If you
have a bacterial pneumonia, you will need to take an antibiotic. The
antibiotic will depend on your age, and your medical conditions. You
should also drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated, since this helps your
body fight the pneumonia. Anti-fever medicines such as Tylenol or Advil
may also help you feel better. Cough as much as you comfortably can, to
help clear the mucus and phlegm from your lungs. You must avoid
cigarette or other tobacco smoke while you recover from pneumonia, since
smoking hurts your body's ability to fight infection and makes your
healing take a lot longer. If you've been diagnosed with viral
pneumonia, you need to rest and drink plenty of fluids. If you work much
or over-exert yourself when you have viral pneumonia, you can possibly
get sicker. You can use over the counter medicines to reduce fever, body
aches, and cough. You can take over the counter medicines such as
Tylenol to help you feel better, but you still must rest and drink lots
of fluids in order for your body to heal and get better.
Pneumonia
Prevention: There are a few things you can do to help reduce your risk
for getting Pneumonia, such as: Washing your hands frequently, Don t
smoke, and avoid second-hand smoke, Stay away from those who have a cold
or the flu, Drink plenty of fluids, Keep Active, and if your in the
Hospital try deep breathing exercises and cough up any mucus or Phlegm
to help keep the lungs exercised and clear.
