Pneumonia
It is an inflammation of the lung tissue and the alveoli resulting from the infection of bacteria or bacteria that often reach the lung by inhaling these harmful microbes, the disease affects people of all ages from young to infants to the elderly and the elderly, especially people with immune disorders such as senior and young people , Diabetics, patients taking immunosuppressants, and people with chronic heart and lung diseases such as asthma.
The severity of the disease varies from severe illness requiring ICU treatment to transient infection requiring 2 to 3 weeks of home treatment with doctor reviews as needed and necessary.
Symptoms of pneumonia
There are many possible symptoms including:
- Cough that may be dry or accompanied with mucous discharge may be yellow or green, and may be accompanied by blood sometimes.
- The temperature, which may be too high to reach above 40 degrees and is accompanied by trembling, or may be particularly high, especially in cases of viral infections.
- Chest pain, which is characterized by sharpness and increased when inhaled deep.
- Tightness of breath, feeling of suffocation, which may be accompanied by a change in the color of lips to blue color or breathe quickly.
- Fatigue, exhaustion, numbness and muscle weakness.
- Abdominal pain may be accompanied by diarrhea.
- Nausea and exhaustion.
- Sensation of rapid heartbeat.
If the pneumonia affects the elderly, the symptoms may be quite different. They may suffer from deterioration in their mental state and level of awareness. In addition to general fatigue, in the absence of the usual symptoms, the diagnosis depends on chest radiographs. Infants; where a single mother complaint can be a child’s lack of activity.
Diagnosis of pneumonia
Diagnosis of the disease depends first on the symptoms, and then the diagnosis is confirmed based on a set of laboratory and radiation tests, the most important is a chest X-ray, where you can not diagnose pneumonia without a picture of the rays no matter what the symptoms are obvious; the lower bronchitis symptoms very similar Making it virtually impossible without relying on a radiograph, and a series of blood tests, urine, and the cultivation of samples of mucus that comes out with coughs, and other tests as required by the patient.
Treatment of pneumonia
The disease can be treated at home if the symptoms of the person are simple, does not suffer from any chronic diseases or conditions affecting the immune system, but in the event of severe symptoms in the elderly, children and immunodeficiency patients must be treated under direct medical supervision within the hospital or Even the ICU.
The most important drugs used to treat this condition are antibiotics that may be taken in the form of pills or intravenous. The appropriate antibiotic should be chosen according to the patient’s condition, age and form of inflammation in the X-ray. Antibiotics are taken for at least a week, Or more as necessary.
Medications also relieve cough symptoms, relieve viscosity of respiratory secretions to facilitate their exit, and analgesic and antipyretic drugs, as well as expanded drugs for airway control to facilitate breathing and discharge of secretions.