How to determine pneumonia: the main symptoms

Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) is an infectious disease of the lower respiratory system that affects various parts of the lung. It is quite difficult to diagnose pneumonia at home, because the symptoms are similar to other diagnoses - whooping cough, tuberculosis, laryngitis, etc. Depending on the pathogen that caused the inflammation, bacterial, viral and fungal pneumonia are distinguished. In general, the lungs are populated with their microflora, and microorganisms include bacteria and viruses. But often the immune system can easily cope with small pathogens, inflammation, as a rule, occurs against the background of a weakened organism. In this article we will look at the causes of the development of pneumonia, learn about the symptoms that will help suggest a diagnosis, as well as learn about the main methods of treating pneumonia.

How to recognize pneumonia - the main symptoms

Of course, only a doctor can diagnose such a serious disease, but the patient can assume the disease for some symptoms. The sooner he suspects pneumonia, the more successful his treatment will be.

Cough is the main symptom of pneumonia. Cough may be different - dry or wet, it can occur from the first days of the disease or develop gradually. But often the cough with pneumonia is obsessive, strong, incessant, it cannot be stopped by antihistamines.

Over the course of the disease, sputum is formed in the lungs. If with bronchitis it is viscous, transparent or whitish, then with pneumonia the sputum acquires a purulent color and odor. In severe cases, the secreted sputum has blood streaks - this suggests that the inflammation is very serious.

Inflammation of the lungs is accompanied by a general deterioration of the patient's condition - fever, chills, aching joints appear, the temperature may rise above 40 degrees.

Pneumonia is often accompanied by chest pain, squeezing and acute, especially with coughing and moving.

Often, when pneumonia occurs, profuse sweating occurs, breathing and pulse speed up, and there is a strong shortness of breath.Some patients with inflammation complain that they can not breathe in the air with a full breast, they do not have enough oxygen. With a deep breath, a sharp pain is certainly felt.

Often, inflammation of the lungs goes to other respiratory organs, and pneumonia is often accompanied by a cold.

The peculiarity of pneumonia is that fever arises from the onset of the disease, and many antipyretic drugs simply do not work or the effect of taking them is short-term. The appearance of a patient with inflammation is very painful - a person becomes pale, loses his appetite, loses weight, quickly gets tired, etc. But where does pneumonia come from?

Causes of pneumonia

There are a huge number of microorganisms that can cause pneumonia. First of all, these are bacteria - pneumococci, staphylococci, streptococci. Inflammation of the lungs can develop when ingested intestinal, pseudomonas, hemophilus bacilli. Klebsiella, Proteus, fungi, legionella - all this can be the cause of the development of pneumonia. But not everyone develops inflammation, in most cases the body copes with a harmful bacterium. Diseases are only exposed to a weakened by various factors.

Pneumonia in 80% of cases begins as a complication after acute respiratory viral infection and flu.

Chest injury and external infection can lead to inflammation of the respiratory organs.

The body becomes weakened on the background of alcohol intake or with prolonged smoking. With constant exposure to nicotine, the lungs become vulnerable, any, even a minor infection develops into inflammation.

Intense physical exertion, stress, taking strong medicines (antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs) - all this weakens the body.

Diseases of the circulatory system and kidney disease greatly affect the state of the lungs, inflammation with such diagnoses develops very quickly.

All these factors are becoming a risk not only for the development of pneumonia, but also for many other diseases. To protect yourself from pneumonia and other diagnoses, you need to give up bad habits, lead a healthy lifestyle, play sports, eat right. In the autumn, before the beginning of the cold season, you should be vaccinated against the flu - the risk of pneumonia after the flu is very high.Be sure to comply with hygiene measures - wash your hands before eating and after the street, try not to contact with sick people. During periods when human health is especially vulnerable, you should avoid places of large concentrations of people. This includes the elderly, pregnant women, children, patients after past infectious diseases, etc.

Diagnosis and types of pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs is a very serious disease that is difficult to diagnose only by questioning and examining a patient. To make an accurate diagnosis, a person will need to pass a general and biochemical blood test. The analysis and bacteriological culture of sputum will help identify the type of pathogen and determine its sensitivity to a particular antibacterial therapy. Localization of pathological changes in the lungs can be determined by X-ray examination. In severe cases, computed tomography of the chest and fibrobronchoscopy may be necessary. The latter procedure consists in the introduction into the lungs of a special optical device that helps to view the walls of the body from the inside.This diagnostic procedure is rarely performed only if conventional treatment does not bring the desired result. All these measures will help to make a more accurate diagnosis, because pneumonia can be different depending on the pathogen, the severity of the disease and the localization of inflammation.

Focal pneumonia. It is one of the most common types of pneumonia when small areas of the lung are affected. The disease develops rather quickly, the cough for several days from the dry becomes wet, sputum is plentiful, it is mixed with pus.

Lobar or lobar pneumonia, when a whole lung lobe is affected. The temperature rises to high values ​​almost from the very beginning of the disease. When lobar pneumonia pain is felt very strongly, it is aggravated by coughing, walking and any movement. For this type of inflammation of the lungs has its own characteristics - tachycardia develops, red spots appear on the face or on the body on the part of the patient's lung, lips may turn blue, pain is localized on one side of the chest.

Segmental pneumonia, when pneumonia spreads to several segments of the lung.

Drain pneumonia is characterized by a large number of small inflamed areas, which merge together.
Total pneumonia is considered the most dangerous, since such a diagnosis is made when both parts of the lungs are completely affected, total pneumonia can lead to coma and even death.

In addition, there are primary, secondary, post-traumatic and radiation forms of diseases. Primary pneumonia is an independent disease. The secondary form develops against the background of another diagnosis, for example, with bronchitis. The radiation form is associated with the oncological course of the disease. Post-traumatic - when the ventilation of the lung and sputum discharge due to a chest injury are disturbed. The intensity of the course of pneumonia can be acute, subacute or chronic. The disease takes a long time - from three weeks of the acute course to several months and even years of chronic manifestations.

Treatment of pneumonia

To quickly suppress inflammation and prevent the development of its chronic form, a comprehensive and complete treatment should be carried out. This is especially true of antibiotic therapy.It so happens that at the first improvements, patients stop taking antibiotics, it is very dangerous. Not only will the disease soon develop again, since all the painful microorganisms are not suppressed, so there will be persistent resistance to this group of antibiotics, that is, the bacteria will no longer react to them. We will have to look for other drugs to which microorganisms will be sensitive. Without competent antibacterial therapy, it is very difficult, almost impossible to suppress pneumonia.

If the causative agent is a virus or a fungus, antiviral or antimycotic agents are selected. Together with antibiotics, probiotics are prescribed to protect the health of the intestines. Expectorant and thinning agents are obligatory - they facilitate the removal of sputum from the lungs. In addition, the doctor prescribes symptomatic treatment - antipyretics at high temperatures, cardiovascular drugs for shortness of breath and oxygen starvation, etc. In the acute course of the disease, artificial pulmonary ventilation is prescribed to the patient.

In the fight against pneumonia, along with drugs, you can use the popular recipes. It is very effective to take decoctions of expectorant herbs, which thin the sputum and relieve inflammation in the lungs. Among them are licorice, elecampane, marshmallow, oregano, and coltsfoot. It is useful to do warming compresses on the chest and back (but not in the heart). You should also follow a sparing diet, bed rest and drink plenty of water.

In most cases, pneumonia is well treated and does not leave behind any consequences. However, sometimes there may be complications, such as pleurisy, broncho-obstructive syndrome, gangrene or lung abscess. Therefore, it is very important to promptly consult a doctor, make the correct diagnosis and begin a comprehensive treatment!

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