It is important for the patient to continue taking medication according to the doctor’s instructions because pneumonia can recur if not properly treated.
By: Lorraine Seabrook
While the widespread prevalence of influenza continues to capture today’s headlines, many people are suffering from a different infection that is just as serious pneumonia.
According to the American Lung Association, pneumonia was the Number One cause of death in the United States until 1936, at which time antibiotics became available to treat the disease. Despite our ability to diagnose and treat this disease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) cites pneumonia and influenza combined as the seventh leading cause of death.
Dr. Kenneth Goldblatt, who is board certified in internal medicine, pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine and who serves as chairman of the Department of Medicine at the University Medical Center at Princeton, offers answers to the following questions:
What causes pneumonia?
This is a difficult question to answer because pneumonia can have multiple causes.
The main causes include bacteria, viruses, atypical organisms such as mycoplasma, and fungi. Bacterial and viral pneumonia are the most common, with bacterial usually being the more serious infection, often leading to the hospitalization and death of thousands of older Americans.
How does pneumonia affect the lungs?
Pneumonia affects the lungs in one of two ways. Lobar pneumonia affects a section, or lobe, of a lung, while bronchial pneumonia affects patches throughout both lungs. The air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid, including pus, making it difficult for oxygen to reach the blood. Without enough oxygen in the bloodstream, the body cells do not function properly. This is why pneumonia, and the infection that can spread through the body, can result in death.
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
Pneumonia can come on gradually or suddenly, over the course of several hours. In severe instances, patients experience chills, chest pain that is worse on inspiration, and a mucus-producing cough. Body temperatures can rise to as high as 105 degrees and the patient may sweat profusely and breathe rapidly. Because of the lack of oxygen in the blood, lips and nail beds may take on a bluish hue. Some patients, especially the elderly, may become confused or delirious.
How is pneumonia treated?
As with most health issues, if the patient is young and otherwise healthy and if the infection is caught early before it has a chance to spread, chances for recovery are excellent.
For this kind of patient, treatment with antibiotics cures bacterial pneumonia and speeds recovery from mycoplasma pneumonia. Frequently, these patients can be treated as an outpatient. (This is the so-called "walking pneumonia.") While there is not a general treatment yet available for viral pneumonia, antiviral drugs can be prescribed.
It is important for the patient to continue taking medication according to the doctor’s instructions because pneumonia can recur if not properly treated.
In addition to antibiotics, proper diet and rest, some patients may require oxygen and/or medication to ease chest pain and provide cough relief. Young patients typically return to their normal activities within a week; the middle-aged often require several weeks before regaining their typical level of strength and stamina.
Who is at risk for developing pneumonia and what can be done to reduce this risk?
Bacterial pneumonia can affect anyone from infants through seniors. The pneumonia bacteria are present in some healthy throats, and if the body’s defenses are weakened and resistance is lowered, the bacteria can multiply and work their way into the lungs, inflaming the air sacs. People with underlying illnesses also are at greater risk for pneumonia.
Pneumonia is often a complication of influenza, so getting a flu shot can help.
There is also a vaccine available for one type of bacterial pneumonia pneumococcal pneumonia. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) notes that people age 65 and older are two to three times more likely than the general population to contract pneumococcal infections. Of those who have pneumococcal pneumonia, approximately 20 to 30 percent develop bacteremia. At least one-fifth of those with bacteremia die from it, despite the use of antibiotics.
For this reason, the CDC recommends that the following people should get the pneumonia vaccine:
* Everyone age 65 and older.
* Those with a chronic illness, such as heart or lung disease, liver disorders, sickle cell anemia or diabetes.
* Those with a weakened immune system.
Are there any side effects of the vaccine?
While some people experience minor discomfort at the site of the shot, this is short-lived. Like the flu shot, the pneumonia shot cannot cause the infection because it is not made from the bacteria itself, but from a bacterial component that is not infectious. People can get the pneumonia vaccine and a flu shot at the same time. Most people need to get a pneumonia shot every five years. This immunization is covered by Medicare.
If you come down with symptoms of pneumonia, it is vitally important not to wait and see if you can "ride it out." You should contact your physician immediately, as this serious and sometimes fatal infection is curable if caught early.