Prevention Of Pneumonia

Follow these steps to prevent pneumonia.

Vaccination

Although the long list of bacteria and inhaled irritants can cause pneumonia vaccination reduces the risk of two offenders leader.

Seasonal flu. The flu virus can be a direct cause of viral pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonia is a common complication of influenza. A vaccine against the flu each year provides significant protection anyway.

Vaccine against pneumonia. Doctors recommend a single vaccine against the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) for all over 65 and for people of all ages living in nursing homes and care facilities, long-term. In addition, the vaccine is recommended for all high risk for pneumonia caused by pneumococcus. The high-risk categories are smokers, anyone with heart disease, lung disease or other chronic diseases, and all immunocompromised due to HIV or prolonged treatment with immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids or drugs to prevent rejection.

Childhood vaccines. Children should receive the vaccine for seasonal flu each year. Doctors also recommend a pneumonia vaccine - pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, in contrast with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, which is intended for adults - for all children under 2 years of age and children aged 2-5 years who are at particular risk of pneumococcal disease, including those with compromised immune responses, cancer, cardiovascular disease or sickle cell anemia. Children participating in the group day care should always be vaccinated.

Take care of yourself

Normal respiratory infections sometimes lead to pneumonia, so you can avoid all types of bacteria. Here are the basics:

Wash your hands. Your hands are in almost constant contact with germs that can cause pneumonia. These bacteria enter your body when you touch your eyes or rubbing inside the nose. Wash your hands often and thoroughly, can reduce the risk. When the washing is not possible, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

No smoking. Smoking damages your lungs' natural defenses against respiratory infections.

Stay relaxed and fit. Rest and moderate exercise can help keep your immune system stronger.

Eating a healthy diet. High-fat diet without dairy products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

Lead by example. Stay home when sick. When you're out in public with a cold, catch your cough or sneeze into the crook of his elbow inside.

Treatment Of Pneumonia

The best approach to treating pneumonia depends on a number of factors, including age and general health, the agency or agencies involved, and the establishment - the attention of the community or health - where the infection developed. Treatment may include:

Drugs

The antibiotics used to treat bacterial pneumonia. Other drugs can help improve breathing and relieve the symptoms of bacterial and viral pneumonia. Drug options include:

Antibiotics. The decision to treat pneumonia with antibiotics is not always easy. Even with a high probability of bacterial infection, it takes time to identify the bacteria in question and choose the best antibiotic to destroy it. Initially, the doctor may prescribe an antibiotic based on particular patterns of infection and antibiotic use in your area. If tests show you need a medicine or your condition does not improve, you can switch to another antibiotic.

Antiviral drugs. The doctor may recommend anti-viral drugs for viral pneumonia. Antibiotics are not effective in the treatment of viral pneumonia.

Fever reducers. To treat a fever with aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen. (Children should not take aspirin.)

Cough. Talk to your doctor before taking cough medicines. Coughing helps to loosen phlegm and get rid of extra. If your doctor advises against cough, enough to soothe coughs and the rest.

Hospital

Community-acquired pneumonia usually does not require hospital care. You may have to admit, however, if you have two of these indicators of severity. If you have three or more, you may need admission to an intensive care unit:

He has over 65

You can become confused

His breathing is rapid

Blood pressure drops

The airway needs, including oxygen therapy or respiratory

Symptoms Of Pneumonia

Pneumonia is often mimics the flu, beginning with a cough and fever, so you can not understand, is more severe. Symptoms may vary depending on the age and general health.

Symptoms of pneumonia can include:

Fever

Body temperature below normal in the elderly

Cough

Breathlessness

Sweating

Chills

Chest pain that fluctuates with breathing (pleurisy)

Headache

Muscle pain

Fatigue

When to seek medical advice

Because pneumonia can be severe, contact your doctor as soon as possible if you have a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, and - in particular, sustainable fever 102 F (39 C), or later, chills and sweating. Also contact your doctor if you suddenly feel worse after a cold or the flu.

Be especially quick to get medical attention if you are elderly or if you smoke, drink too much, has an injury, are undergoing chemotherapy or taking medications such as prednisone, which suppresses the immune system. For some seniors and people with heart failure or lung disease, pneumonia can quickly become a life threatening condition.

Causes Of Pneumonia

Pneumonia has many possible causes but the most common bacteria and viruses found in the environment. In general, the body is to keep these germs invade the lung. Sometimes, however, a solid element may be in violation of our defenses, regardless of your overall health.

The germs that cause pneumonia in healthy people are generally not the same as those that cause pneumonia in hospitals and health centers. Similarly, the germs that can infect the lungs if inhaled foreign material (by inhalation or aspiration pneumonia) differ from those that cause the most common types of pneumonia. The same is true of the germs that cause pneumonia in people with weak immune response.

Community-acquired pneumonia

When you get pneumonia from contact with germs you encounter during your normal routine, it is called community-acquired pneumonia. These common bacteria generally cause a mild form of pneumonia that doctors can easily handle. The microbes responsible for community-acquired pneumonia the most are:

Bacteria. The bacterium that causes most cases of community-acquired pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Other potential agents include Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae and Klebsiella pneumoniae. It is not unusual to have more than one type of pneumonia caused by bacteria at a time. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), antibiotic-resistant bacteria, once found only in health, are now causing skin infections and pneumonia in the Community, too.

The bacteria-like organisms. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a small body, which usually produces less severe symptoms of pneumonia others. Walking pneumonia, which is used to describe pneumonia that is not severe enough to require rest, can be due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Legionella and Chlamydia pneumonia are two of the other bacteria that cause pneumonia, which are not bacteria or viruses.

Virus. Some of the same types of viruses that cause colds and flu can cause pneumonia. Although most cases are viral pneumonia are mild and resolve with time to rest and fluids, viral pneumonia caused by influenza viruses can become very serious. Viral pneumonia may set a first attack of environmental bacteria that cause infection in the second.

Fungi and parasites. Other less common causes of community-acquired pneumonia include fungi, parasites, and the germ that causes tuberculosis. Most of the parasitic pneumonia occur in people who live or have traveled to developing countries.

Health care for pneumonia

Severe, difficult to treat bacterial pneumonia is a major problem in health care facilities - not just hospitals and nursing homes, as well as kidney dialysis centers and outpatient infusion centers, where people regularly receiving cancer chemotherapy and other drugs intravenously.

Health care for pneumonia is sometimes caused by strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae, which also appear in the community. But the list of organisms causing nosocomial pneumonia does not stop there. In hospitals, the bacteria can quickly become resistant to common antibiotics, so the drug-resistant germs are much more common. Resistant bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and MRSA treatment to be difficult. People in the machinery of respiration (ventilation), often used in intensive care units in hospitals are particularly vulnerable.

With so many possible culprits, and a high probability of resistant strains, the problem of hospital is to identify the causative organism and determine which antibiotics against him.

Inhalation or aspiration pneumonia

Aspiration pneumonia is inhaled foreign bodies in their lungs. This can happen if you vomit while asleep or unconscious and breathing in some of the stomach contents. Difficulty swallowing, which occurs with diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's disease and stroke, often leading to aspiration pneumonia.

Opportunistic viral pneumonia, bacterial and fungal

This type of pneumonia affects people with weakened immune systems. Organizations that are not harmful to healthy people can be dangerous for people who have had organ transplants and people with AIDS and other diseases that weaken the immune system. Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as corticosteroids or chemotherapy, can also put you at risk for opportunistic pneumonia.

Pneumonia Overview

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by infection. Bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is a particular concern if you are over 65 or have a chronic disease or weak immune system. It can also occur in people younger and healthier.

Pneumonia can range in severity from mild to life threatening. Pneumonia is often a complication of another condition, such as influenza. Antibiotics can treat the most common forms of bacterial pneumonia, but antibiotic-resistant strains is a growing problem. The best approach is to try to prevent infection.