Understanding Pneumonia: More Than Just a Lung Disease

During a cold or during flu season, you must have heard elderly people say they do not want to have pneumonia, my grandma usually say this and it looked like we were giving out pneumonia as souvenirs whenever she came over. Anyways, pneumonia is one of the leading causes of hospitalization worldwide, and it is dangerous to the elderly and people with immuno-compromised health. While a lot of people get pneumonia, so many people do not still know what pneumonia is. Well, if you are in that category, then you do not need to worry because you are not alone and this is because Pneumonia isn't just one disease rather, it is a family of disease.

When it comes to pneumonia, there are many different types, which means that the symptoms, and treatments will be different completely. While there are different types, we should understand that in general, it means ( greek word = "pneumon' - lungs, and "ia' - Disease) a diseas of the lung. When a person suffers from pneumonia, the alveoli is filled with pus or fluid causing an inflammation of the lungs that makes it difficult for oxygen to reach the blood.

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Both children and adults can be severely affected by pneumonia. Alarmingly, it's the top cause of death for children under five, claiming approximately 800,000 lives in 2017. Adults, particularly in less developed countries, are also at high risk, with severe cases leading to a 30% mortality rate. Those with pre-existing lung conditions or compromised immune systems are especially vulnerable.

While most cases of pneumonia is mild, in its severe case, about 30% of the people would die from it. This can be very difficult for people with pre-existing lung issues such as COPD or Lung Disease as it can increase the severity of the infection, and the risk of complication. Also, people with immno-compromised health system such as people with viral infection, or a person undergoing chemotherapy, would find it hard to fight it.

If you do not know how people develop pneumonia, then let me tell you that something as simple as going to the hospital to be treated for another health condition can increase the risk of having pneumonia especially when it involves a ventilator. This doesn't mean that other reasons cannot make them get pneumonia. There are other factors that can lead to pneumonia and they include smoking, malnutrition, air pollution, and other life style factors.

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There are many types of pneumonia, and health practitioners categorize pneumonia according to different ways, such as Acquired Pneumonia. In this aspect, we talk about Community Acquired Pneumonia which is one gotten from the community as the name implies. In this type of Pneumonia, the virus or bacteria is transferred from one infected person to another or from surfaces. From persons, it can be transmitted via droplets, blood especially during birth or after birth.

Another type of pneumonia is the Hospital acquired pneumonia which can be gotten when a person visits the hospital or a nursing home where the infection can spread through ventilators. This type of pneumonia is more serious than community acquired pneumonia and has a higher mortality rate.

There can be still be more types of Pneumonia based on how it is acquired, such as walking pneumonia which is a mild type of pneumonia, Aspiration pneumonia which occurs when fluid is inhaled into the lungs and bacteria causes it to lead to inflammation of the alveoli. Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. The bacteria Legionella pneumophila causes Legionnaires disease which is contracted from contaminated water from pools and whirlpools. Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is predominant for causing tuberculosis also causes tuberculosis pneumonia and it is highly resistant to treatment.

Pneumonia's impact can also be assessed based on the affected lung area – it can be Lobar, affecting one lung, or Double, impacting both. While viral pneumonia tends to be less severe than bacterial forms, influenza-related pneumonia can be particularly deadly.

While pneumonia can be viral or bacterial, most viral pneumonia are less severe to bacterial pneumonia but flu related pneumonia can be very deadly. The symptoms of bacterial pneumonia can be sudden or gradual but they include fever, shortness of breath, chills, phlegmy cough, change in breathing pattern,chest pain, and fatigue. The symptoms aren't the same for everyone.

There is no one way to diagnose pneumonia but doctors can use their Stethoscope to check the lungs, order for chest X-rays, or a pulse oximetry test to measure the oxygen level. To identify the organism responsible, a blood test can be done, and treatment for pneumonia depend on the type of pneumonia, and the severity of the symptoms.

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Reference

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https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/111/2/131/4457923}