Getting the pneumonia vaccine is especially important if you:. But they can make it less likely that people who are at risk will experience the severe, and possibly life-threatening, complications of pneumonia. Treatment for pneumonia depends on several factors. These include what caused your pneumonia, how severe your symptoms are, how healthy you are overall, and your age. For bacterial pneumonia, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics.
Most of your symptoms should improve within a few days. A cough can last for several weeks. Take all the antibiotic medicine that your doctor prescribes.
This can cause your pneumonia to come back. It can also increase your risk of antibiotic resistance. If you have viral pneumonia, your doctor will likely talk to you about ways to treat your symptoms. Over-the-counter OTC medicines are available to lower fever, relieve pain, and ease your cough. However, some coughing is okay because it can help clear your lungs. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you take a cough suppressant.
If your case of pneumonia is severe, you may need to be hospitalized. If you are experiencing shortness of breath, you may be given oxygen to help your breathing. You might also receive antibiotics intravenously through an IV. People who have weakened immune systems, heart disease or lung conditions, and people who were already very sick before developing pneumonia are most likely to be hospitalized.
Babies, young children, and adults who are 65 years of age and older are also at increased risk. Your doctor may schedule a follow-up appointment after he or she diagnoses you with pneumonia. At this visit, he or she might take another chest X-ray to make sure the pneumonia infection is clearing up. Keep in mind that chest X-rays can take months to return to normal. However, if your symptoms are not improving, your doctor may decide to try another form of treatment.
Pneumonia can be life-threatening if left untreated, especially for certain at-risk people. You should also call your doctor if you suddenly begin to feel worse after having a cold or the flu. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
Strabismus is an eye disorder. It affects the muscle control in your eyes. Tuberous sclerosis is a rare disease that causes tumors, or growths, in the brain and other organs. They are…. Visit The Symptom Checker. Read More. Fever in Infants and Children. Vomiting and Diarrhea. Home Diseases and Conditions Pneumonia. Table of Contents. What is pneumonia? Symptoms of pneumonia The symptoms of pneumonia can range from mild to severe.
They include: cough fever bringing up mucus when you cough difficulty breathing chills chest pain You may also sweat, have a headache, and feel very tired. What is walking pneumonia? What causes pneumonia? Most cases of pneumonia are caused by: They are the most common cause of pneumonia in adults. Bacterial pneumonia usually only affects one area of a lung. Any virus that affects the respiratory tract can cause pneumonia. This includes the flu virus and the virus that causes the common cold.
In children under 1 year old, the respiratory syncytial virus RSV is the most common cause. Viral pneumonia tends to be mild. It often gets better on its own in 1 to 3 weeks. Some fungal infections can lead to pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems. There are also some fungi that occur in the soil in certain parts of the United States that can lead to pneumonia. How is pneumonia diagnosed?
No matter the cause, the infection causes your immune system to fill the air sacs in the lungs with mucus, pus, and other fluids.
This makes it difficult for oxygen to reach your blood. Chaisson says both tend to cause shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and feeling more tired than usual.
But Dr. Such illnesses are treated with time, rest and symptom-relieving medication. Chaisson cautions that antibiotic overuse can lead to antibiotic resistance and an outbreak of Clostridium difficile. Although walking pneumonia may go away on its own, antibiotics may be necessary.
Walking pneumonia can be confirmed by a chest X-ray, which will show an area of infection in the lung. Regular pneumonia, on the other hand, is often more severe, Dr. Chaisson says. Understand how it differs from regular pneumonia. Learn more about vaccine availability. After all, the initial symptoms of a high temperature, headaches, dizziness, dehydration and exhaustion can be attributed to several different conditions. It's a major killer worldwide, but it's also extremely common and usually very mild," says Dr Mark Murphy, the chair of communications for the Irish College of General Practitioners.
So it's a condition that can be quite serious, but typically is not. If a patient is over 65, is confused, has low blood pressure or severe breathing difficulties, then that often requires hospitalisation. Dr Murphy says that the term "walking pneumonia" isn't used in Europe, and that what Clinton has been diagnosed with would be referred to as "atypical pneumonia" here in Ireland.
It's usually mild, and caused by an atypical bacteria, not the usual streptococcus. It's also easily treated with antibiotics though.
So where does pneumonia get its terrible reputation from then? Get the best home, property and gardening stories straight to your inbox every Saturday. Enter email address This field is required Sign Up. Hence why we often associate it with nursing homes and hospitals. Dr Murphy says that smoking can make people more vulnerable to respiratory tract infections too. However Dr Murphy also says it would be unusual for GPs to recommend bed rest for pneumonia, except in extreme circumstances.
The patient may need to augment their working habits, but if they get lots of sleep, drink lots of fluids, take the prescribed antibiotics and manage any pain with paracetamol or ibuprofen, the condition should improve.
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