What is pneumnia in adults and who can get it more?

The inflammation of the alveoli, which are the basic anatomical and functional units of the respiratory system, is known as pneumonia. Due to infection and inflammatory exudate, these air sacs will be filled with fluid, resulting in lung consolidation, which can be detected on a chest x-ray later. Lobar pneumonia, or patchy dispersion of accumulating opacities throughout the lungs, is a condition that can affect the entire lobe. It can also affect the interstitial space, which is the space between the broncho-aleveolar segments, at times. 

 

Pneumonia

 

 

Symptoms of pneumonia

 

These symptoms may be developed within one or two days or gradually within days or weeks.

 

Chest pain

Shortness of breath

Cough

Coughing up blood or specks of blood in sputum

Fever or flu like illness

Shivering

Heart racing

Sweating

Loss of appetite

Confusion especially in the elderly

Agitation Nausea and vomiting

Headache

Fatigue

Muscle and body aches or you just feel miserable

 

Symptoms of pneumonia

 

 

Causes of pneumonia

 

Pneumonia can be caused by infective or non-infectious causes.

Bacteria such as Pneumococcus, Mycoplasma pneumniae, Legionella pneumophilla, and other gram-negative bacteria such as Kleibsella and E. coli are among the infectious causes.

Viruses such as influenza and Covid-19

Infections caused by yeast, fungi, or protozoa are known as fungal infections.

Exposures to some poisons or chemicals are examples of non-infectious causes.

Low immunity is another cause of pneumonia, and it is found in alcoholics, HIV –AIDS patients, and people who have had organ transplant procedures such as kidney or liver transplant operations.

People with long-term chronic medical illnesses such as diabetes mellitus or respiratory diseases such as asthma and COPD are also at risk.

Those who have been using steroids and antibiotics for a long time are at risk of developing pneumonia.

Aspiration pneumonia can strike the elderly and feeble, as well as those who are drowsy or unconscious, such as in a vegetative state, or who have swallowing problems.

Hospital acquired pneumonia

This type of pneumonia can affect those people who are being admitted in the hospital for another reason but they can catch pneumonia from there for example patients over 50 who get treatment in the intensive care unit.

 

causes of pneumonia

 

How pneumonia patients can infect others?

 

You can easily become infected with pneumonia by sneezing or coughing droplets of mucus discharges from their mouth, and by touching surfaces used by pneumonia patients. If you are pnemonia patient try to prevent others from getting this infection in these following ways.

It is better to cover your nose when you cough or sneeze to avoid others to get infection.

Wash your hands regularly if you have symptoms. Regularly clean the surfaces with which you are in contact to avoid the spread of infection to the other members of your family.

 

Risk factors

 

If you get an upper respiratory tract infection as a result of influenza,

If you have asthma or COPD, this article is for you.

If you are an alcoholic, you will lose your ability to fight illnesses.

If you're a smoker who gets acute bronchitis on a regular basis, then you are at risk of developing pneumonia.

 

Examination by your doctor

 

It entails using a stethoscope to listen to your chest. During auscultation, he may hear some unusual noises in your chest, such as crackling sounds in the affected lung area.

In addition, he would try to percuss you by tapping your chest with his hands.

There will be a dull sound on the percussion, leading to the diagnosis of pneumonia.

 

chest examination

 

He'll also look at how fast you're breathing per minute, whether your cough contains blood, and whether you're experiencing chest pain while coughing, as well as the other symptoms listed above.

He may request blood tests such as a complete blood count, ESR, and CRP, sample of phlegm for culture and sensitivity, as well as a chest X-ray if necessary.

 

Chest x-ray showing pneumonia

 

 

Treatment of pneumonia

 

If your symptoms are minor, you can treat yourself at home with amoxicillin or other oral antibiotics within four hours of receiving your diagnosis.

If you have a penicillin allergy, your doctor will give macrolides, which are unusual antibiotics.

Your doctor may advise you to take rest, increase your water consumption at home. You must see your doctor again if your condition does not improve after three days of beginning treatment.

Remember this. That your signs and symptoms will subside in 4 to 6 weeks, and that you will be able to resume your normal routine and everyday activities within six months.

If you need to be admitted to the hospital, you will be given antibiotics orally at first, and you may require intravenous antibiotics as well as oxygen.

If you do not improve, you may require all of the supportive treatment available in intensive care.

This usually occurs if you are in poor health, have underlying illnesses such as asthma or a heart condition, or are contaminated with the legionella bacteria.

If you have low immunity or are elderly, you should expect a death rate of up to 1 in 100.

There's also the potential of inserting a tube through your airways to help you breathe, although this has a higher fatality rate of 4 in 100.

 

 

 

Complications of pneumonia

 

We should expect some complications from the existing pneumonia disease, such as pleurisy, in which the pleura, or outer layer of the lungs, becomes inflamed.

A lung abscess that is usually observed in alcoholics, as well as sepsis, in which the infection can spread throughout the body via the bloodstream.

 

Prevention of the pneumonia

 

Getting vaccinated against pneumococcus can help you avoid getting this disease. Get vaccinated for the flu every year.

Smoking causes the lining of your airways to become easily infected, so try to quit.

 

pneumococcal vaccination

 

 

Why Bronchiolitis is not simple flu in babies?

It is a fairly common lower respiratory tract infection that affects babies as young as six months old and children as young as two years old.

It is normally a self-limiting condition that requires no treatment, but it can become severe and necessitate hospitalisation.

 

Bronchiolitis

 

 

 Symptoms of Bronchiolitis

 

This infection usually begins with symptoms similar to the flu, such as a runny or blocked nose, frequent sneezing, coughing, and a mild temperature.

 

However, your child may become agitated, breathe faster with noisy breathing on exhalation of air(wheezy) and refuse to drink or eat as a result of this sickness.

 

This is usually severe from the third to the fifth day after commencement, after which it may improve, but cough normally takes one to two weeks.

 

 

Causes

 

It is a  viral infection produced by the respiratory syncytial virus, although it can also be caused by other viruses that cause flu, such as the influenza virus.

 

Other factors that can lead to infection include:

 

Attendance of your child  at the nursery

 

His siblings, who go to school or care facilities, become infected and return home.

 

If the youngster has a weaken immune system, such as diabetes or epilepsy

 

If your  baby is born before 32 weeks of pregnancy

 

Your child has a heart condition or was born with a lung condition like cystic fibrosis.

 

When your child needs a doctor

 

If you observe complete  collapse of his breathing, such as apnoea, it is referred to as apnoea.

 

If they are taking more than 60 breaths per minute, this is a sign that they are breathing too quickly.

 

Your child is suffering from the flu, which is becoming increasingly severe.

 

Your youngster is under the age of three months and has a fever of up to 38 degrees Celsius.

 

He isn't eating or drinking anything.

 

Due to decreased urine output, he did not require a diaper change for the previous 12 hours.

 

He seems to you lethargic and agitated. 

 

Investigations

 

In most cases, no investigation is required to diagnose this illness.

 

If your doctor wishes to rule out any other diseases, such as pneumonia, he may recommend a chest x-ray.

 

A blood test to check your child’s white cell counts to see if he or she is fighting an infection.

 

ABGs are a blood test that measures the amount of oxygen in your child's blood.

 

Treatment 

 

There is no need for therapy for this infection. However, your child may require oxygen and, in severe situations, artificial ventilation by placing a tube through his trachea to provide him with assisted breathing.

 

Because bacteria don’t cause this disease, antibiotics aren't required. If it worsens and poses a risk of complications, such as pneumonia, your doctor will prescribe antibiotics for your child.

 

To alleviate nasal congestion, use saline nasal drops to thin and hydrate the mucus and relieve nasal stuffiness.

 

Some doctors try to use bronchodilators and nebulize the patients but they do not have any role to combat this disease.

 

Breathing will be considerably easier if you use an air humidifier to keep his nasal cavity moist.

 

Make him sit upright or sleep a little more upright by utilising pillows.

 

Encourage him to drink plenty of water and to the older children fruit juices to avoid dehydration from the fever and infection.

 

Give him over-the-counter pain killers and antipyretics, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

 

Avoid giving him cough medicine if he is less than 6 years old.

 

 Avoid smoking around your child because it might irritate him more.

 

Do not try cold sponging to reduce your baby temperature.

 

 

Prevention of Bronchiolitis

 

Both you and your child should wash hands frequently.

 

 Clean toys and surfaces that your child comes into contact with on a regular basis. 

 

 Keep your baby away from the one who has flu.

 

 

How to live with Hay fever

Hay fever is also known as allergic rhinitis, which is an inflammation of the inner lining of the nose caused by pollen introduction. Because in this body's immune system is overly sensitive to allergens, it releases certain chemicals like histamine. There are two types of allergic reactions that people often experience: seasonal and perennial (throughout the year).

Hay fever is caused by a reaction to a variety of allergens (triggers), including:

·      Pollen from trees (common in spring)

·      Pollen from grass (spring and summer)

·      Weed pollen is abundant in the fall.

·      Pet dander, dust mites, and cockroaches (winter)

·      Fungi and mould spores found both outside and inside might aggravate hay fever symptoms.

 

pollen acts as a mjor trigger

 

Symptoms of hay fever

 

This disease has several symptoms, which can affect your daily chores and quality of life.

·      Frequent sneezing

·      Runny nose with watery secretions or blocked nose

·      Nasal congestion

·      Post-nasal drip

·      Breathing difficulty, which may worsen in pre-existing conditions like asthma and eczema (atopic dermatitis)

·      Itchy nose, eyes and itchy palate

·      Skin hives and frontal headaches are two less prevalent hay fever symptoms.

·      Tiredness and lack of energy

Frequent sneezing

Most people believe they have a cold; nevertheless, there are some significant differences between the two diseases.

·      Influenza is caused by a viral illness that is easily spread from person to person.

·      Hay fever, on the other hand, is not communicable.

·      In the flu, nasal secretions are thick, while in hay fever they are watery.

·      A cold might last for a week or more. Hay fever affects sufferers for several weeks or sometimes the entire year.

 

 

Diagnosis of hay fever

 

After detailing the aforementioned symptoms, your pharmacist will be able to quickly diagnose hay fever. To confirm your diagnosis, your medical practitioner may also refer you to an immunologist sometimes for a skin prick test. He will place pollen allergen to the skin of your arm and prick the skin surface with a needle during this test. This will assist in introducing the allergen to your mast cells (particular immune cells), which will then produce a cutaneous reaction if you are allergic to that allergen. Certain circumstances, for example, can make this reaction unnoticeable.

Skin prick test

 

·      Your complexion is dark.

·      You already have atopic dermatitis (eczema), which manifests itself as angry red patchy skin.

Blood test is performed to check the raised antibodies in the affected individual.

 

Treatment of Hay fever

 

Unfortunately, there is no effective treatment for hay fever. Your pharmacist frequently prescribes antihistamines to treat this problem. However, in these circumstances, you should see your doctor.

·      Your symptoms are persistent.

·      If you are having another atopic condition like asthma or sinusitis, seek medical attention

·      You are pregnant as hay fever gets worsen in pregnant women or you are breast-feeding mother.

·      Your symptoms are showing unusual pattern like occurring at your work place.it is recommended to see a doctor as some other factors are involved in developing your condition.

 

Another option of treatment is leukotriene inhibitors (monteleukast). In fact, when you are exposed to an environmental irritant such as dust mites or pollen. There are some specific substances produced in the body like histamine and leukotriene. These medications inhibit the production of leukotriene and so relieve your symptoms.

 

 Nasal decongestants are also available, which minimise blood vessel inflammation of nasal cavity and opens nasal passage. There are nasal drops and sprays available.

 

Your doctor can prescribe you corticosteroid nasal sprays that contain betamethasone and fluticasone. Steroid nasal drops are more powerful than nasal sprays and should not be used for more than three to four weeks. Moreover, your health provider can prescribe your corticosteroid tablets in an emergency situation such as you are having an upcoming exams.

Topical steroid nasal spray

 

 

To treat allergic conjunctivitis caused by hay fever, eye drops containing 2% sodium cromoglycate are effective and readily accessible over the counter.

 

 Immunotherapy is another treatment available in which small amount of allergen is introduced in the body. This transferred amount will be increased over the time until person gets immune to it and show less frequent symptoms. But this treatment takes long time like for three years or more.

 

immunotherapy

 

 

An allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis could occur as a result of an allergen exposure. To save the patient’s life in an emergency department, an immediate medical intervention is required.

 

Preventing measures

 

 Certain tips are suggested to help you avoid developing this illness.

 

·      Keep a watch on the pollen forecast, which is a specific broadcasting programme dedicated to predicting pollen levels.

 

·      Keep you up to date on the current pollen count. Avoid going outside if the pollen count is more than 60 grains per cubic metre.

 

·      Keep your eyes protected by wearing a protective eyewear cover.

 

·      To avoid pollen inhalation, put Vaseline into both nostrils.

 

·      If at all possible, stay inside your home.

 

·      Keep your windows and doors shut.

 

·      Dry your clothing indoors instead of outside.

 

·      Dust furniture with a moist cloth if possible.

 

·      When you come in from outside or take a shower, change your clothes.

 

·      Broom your carpets only if you have a vacuum cleaner with a filter.

 

·      Close your automobile windows and invest in a pollen filter for ventilation.

·      When you service your car, you should change this.

 

·      Do not mow the lawn on your own.

 

·      Keep your distance from pets.

 

·      Regularly de-clutter your home.

 

·      For food items to which you are allergic, you can keep a food diary. Without seeking medical advice, do not eliminate any foods from your diet.

 

·      Raw foods are more likely to trigger an allergic reaction in the body.

·      Cook meals at the correct temperature.

 

Preventing Measures

 

Complication of hay fever

 

It is preferable to treat hay fever early with the drugs suggested above. If this illness is not treated promptly, you may develop sinusitis (inflammation of the empty air spaces in the skull) and otitis media (inflammation of the middle ear cavity).The latter infection is typically encountered in children who have had hay fever since childhood and have become accustomed to it.

 

Chronic sinusitis