home Diseases Lung damage due to pneumonia. Pneumonia: symptoms and treatment in adults. Form of pneumonia, type of development

Lung damage due to pneumonia. Pneumonia: symptoms and treatment in adults. Form of pneumonia, type of development

A busy pace of life, an unstable climate, a polluted environment, frequent colds, high resistance of harmful microorganisms to drugs - all these factors undermine our body’s defenses and can lead to complex diseases, which often occur in the early stages with virtually no symptoms.

Pneumonia or pneumonia is included in the list of such diseases. However, the symptoms are often subtle, and the consequences can be critical and in some cases even fatal.

How to identify pneumonia at home in the early stages in order to seek qualified help as quickly as possible?

Symptoms

How does pneumonia manifest? Experts identify a number of symptoms that can be used to determine the initial stage of pneumonia in a child or in adults.

Conventionally, they can be divided into two classes:

Extrapulmonary or general symptoms- decreased performance, high fatigue, general weakness, muscle pain, increased body temperature, chills, fever, severe sweating, shortness of breath during movements and at rest, skin rash and dyspepsia may appear.
Pulmonary symptoms- copious sputum, wet cough, pain when taking a deep breath, discharge of pus streaked with blood.

The nature of the course of pneumonia depends on the area affected, the pathogen, the general condition of the patient, his age and immunity.

The causative agents are pathogenic microorganisms that are constantly present in the body, viruses, fungi, mold.

Pneumonia. How not to die from pneumonia

The most characteristic symptom of the disease is cough. Sometimes the patient will have sputum that is yellow, green, or brown, possibly streaked with blood.

How do you know if you have pneumonia? There are a number of external signs that occur in patients:

There are signs of the disease that are less common:

headache;
wheezing when inhaling;
blood in sputum;
vomit;
nausea;
pain in joints and muscles;
clouding of consciousness (typical of the elderly).

At the first signs, consult your doctor immediately.

Depending on the affected area, the following types of pneumonia are distinguished:

Croupous form.
Bronchopneumonia or focal form.
Atypical.

How to recognize pneumonia? Each form of this disease has a number of characteristic symptoms.

In the case of lobar inflammation, the functioning of the entire lobe of the lung is disrupted, which manifests itself as a result of exposure to pneumococci. Pneumonia in adults occurs unexpectedly with symptoms of inflammatory processes in the lungs.

The patient's body temperature rises sharply, a state of chills and painful sensations in the side of the inflamed lung appear. With every cough or breath, the pain in the side becomes stronger.

At the same time, shortness of breath begins and a dry, infrequent cough appears. The strength of the cough continues to increase until it becomes constant.

It is very important to carefully monitor the condition of an adult patient. His cheeks may turn red or red spots may form on the side of the diseased lung, his nostrils will become enlarged, and his lips will acquire a bluish tint.

Delusional statements and loss of consciousness are the result of the consequences of pneumonia. After 2-3 days, the appearance of the cough changes to a more wet one, and a little sputum begins to be released, which may contain traces of blood.

Along with such symptoms, painful sensations appear when inhaling; this is due to damage to the pleura, which contains a large number of nerve endings.

A characteristic feature of lobar inflammation is disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system: tachycardia occurs.

Signs of lobar inflammation, if no special treatment is carried out, can be observed for two weeks or more. After this, the disease may recede.

Throughout this period, you should consult a doctor, since this pneumonia causes serious complications: ulcers appear on the lungs and exacerbation of pain in the heart area.

During focal inflammation, the disease affects small areas of the lungs.

Suspicion of pneumonia occurs unexpectedly. Signs of the disease begin with an increase in temperature and a deterioration in the patient’s general condition. General weakness and unpleasant, painful sensations occur.

With a focal form of inflammation, a cough with sputum appears quite quickly. It can be either wet or dry.

Pain in the chest area is either completely absent or mild. After some time, there is more and more sputum containing purulent discharge.

Unlike lobar inflammation, focal inflammation develops as a result of bacterial and viral infections of the upper respiratory area.

When treatment is prescribed correctly, the high fever should subside within five days, resulting in subsequent recovery of the patient.

The duration of focal pneumonia is three to four weeks.

However, many patients prescribe antibiotics themselves without a doctor’s recommendations, and although such treatment stops the course of the disease, the disease is not completely cured, which is dangerous because it becomes chronic.

Signs of pneumonia caused by viruses are:

body temperature rises sharply to critical levels;
the patient gets chills and develops a fever;
pain in muscles and head;
the patient is feeling sick;
there is severe sweating, vomiting and diarrhea.

After 5 days the following symptoms are added:

dry annoying cough;
dyspnea;
lowering blood pressure;
cardiopalmus;
the pulse is faintly palpable.

The symptoms of progression of pneumococci in the lungs are not always pronounced. Doctors note vague signs and variable conditions during the disease with a latent form of pneumonia, another name is interstitial pneumonia.

It is impossible not to notice this pathology, since the symptoms of pneumonia without fever still manifest themselves as follows:

Breathing in such patients is difficult: during inhalation, the ribs retract. Chest pain may be absent, or it may manifest itself in the form of attacks and then subside.

Diagnostics

How to diagnose pneumonia? It is very important to obtain the results of the physical examination. To do this, the doctor performs palpation, percussion and auscultation.

Signs of pneumonia may include the following:

In most patients with pneumonia, wheezing is heard - a kind of noise that is formed during breathing. In cases of pneumonia, the wheezing is often moist.

They are divided into fine-bubble, medium-bubble and large-bubble. This may depend on the very size of the bronchi in which the patency was impaired.

Pneumonia can be detected in the early stages by the presence of crepitus. Crepitation is a sound that occurs during inspiration, often similar to a cracking sound. It appears as a result of the filling of the alveoli with liquid contents.

If pneumonia is accompanied by pleurisy, you can hear the pleural friction noise. Usually, a clear sound is detected over the lung tissue in a healthy person. With pneumonia, pockets of decreased airiness occur.

In addition to physical examination, instrumental and laboratory diagnostic methods are used to confirm pneumonia.

In order to determine the localization of the focus of the disease in the lungs and clarify its size, the following research methods are used:

radiography;
CT scan;
fibrobronchoscopy;
FVD - study of external respiration function;
ECG - electrocardiography.

The main method for diagnosing pneumonia is radiography of the lungs in 2 projections - lateral and direct.

It is necessary because in some cases it is not possible to determine pneumonia through a physical examination, since the disease can develop unnoticed, sometimes even without a cough.

It can be used to determine the following characteristics of the lesion:

availability and location;
pleural damage;
prevalence;
the presence of an abscess in the lungs;
change in pulmonary roots.

In some exceptional cases, pneumonia with all its characteristic clinical signs may not show up on a radiograph.

Still, this happens infrequently, but only in the early stages of the disease, in patients with reduced immunity, and sometimes in the case of an atypical course of the disease. This type of pneumonia is called X-ray negative.

In the case of the development of focal pneumonia, you can see on the radiograph groups of foci measuring 1 - 2 cm, which merge with each other. Moreover, the lower parts of the lungs are most often affected, but the middle and upper lobes on one or both sides can also be affected.

Lobar pneumonia can be characterized by the appearance of darkening in the entire lobe of the lung. The pleura is often affected, causing pleural effusion.

During recovery, the darkening decreases, but the enhanced pulmonary pattern can persist for another 2–3 weeks, while changes in the roots are observed for a relatively long time.

In the case of a normal course of the disease, control radiography should be carried out no earlier than 14 days after the start of antibiotic treatment.

Fibrobronchoscopy is performed in patients with severe disease, in the absence of sputum, as well as in immunodeficiencies. This procedure involves using an endoscope to examine the bronchial tubes. A biopsy of the lesion may also be performed.

The material is examined under a microscope using special staining, and pathogens are isolated in the laboratory on nutrient media.

At the same time, the sensitivity of microorganisms that provoked pneumonia to various antibiotics is studied. A few days later, the result of such a study is received, taking into account its indicators, antibacterial therapy is changed, if necessary.

Currently, computed tomography, for example, spiral, is recognized as the most informative method for diagnosing pneumonia.

Its disadvantages are that it requires qualified personnel and expensive equipment, so tomography is not carried out in all hospitals.

Tomography is performed if there is a suspicion of bronchiectasis (dilation of the bronchi), a lung abscess, or if there is a likelihood of dissemination (spread) of the lesion.

If the patient suffers from severe shortness of breath or has a chronic lung disease, the doctor will prescribe a study of the function of external respiration. In case of pneumonia, it will help to determine the deterioration of the airways and decreased ventilation of the lungs.

With pneumonia, an ECG can detect increased heart rate (sinus tachycardia). In the case of a severe course of the disease, signs of overload of the right side of the heart, which fills the blood vessels of the lungs, appear.

As a result, heart block or symptoms of ventricular and/or right atrium enlargement may develop.

A blood test can detect an increase in the number of white blood cells due to neutrophils. In the case of a severe course of the disease, immature forms of leukocytes appear - young or band-shaped, which indicates intoxication of the body and a strained immune response.

With focal pneumonia, ESR can increase to 50 – 60 mm/h in case of severe lobar pneumonia. If there are no changes in the blood, this may indicate immunosuppression.

Sputum examination usually provides little information. The reason for this may be that samples are often contaminated with oral microflora. Also, pathogens may die when the material is transferred to the laboratory.

In some cases, other flora that is not related to pneumonia grows more actively on nutrient media. Pathogens such as anaerobes, fungi, legionella, mycoplasma and many others cannot be detected by conventional bacteriological methods.

Usually they resort to bacterioscopy (examination for the presence of microbes under a microscope) and sputum culture. When collecting material, you need to cough deeply and make sure that no saliva gets into the material. Thanks to this, the diagnostic value of the study increases.

If the patient suffers from shortness of breath at rest, a blood gas composition should be studied.. To do this, in the simplest cases, a pulse oximeter is used - a small device that is placed on the finger, it allows you to assess the degree of oxygen saturation in the blood.

In case of severe disease, a complete blood gas analysis will be required. This is necessary in order to promptly begin oxygen therapy or artificial ventilation.

So, pneumonia is a very serious disease.. Therefore, it is important to identify the disease in the early stages. This will help avoid complications and achieve a speedy recovery.

It must be remembered that treatment of pneumonia must be strictly under the supervision of a doctor, and after that the patient will need rehabilitation.

Be sure to follow all doctor’s recommendations and undergo timely examinations. All these measures taken together will help to fully restore the body after pneumonia and prevent the recurrence of such a dangerous disease.

Symptoms of pneumonia can be mild or severe and can be life-threatening.

Signs of pneumonia in an adult may vary depending on the type of infectious agent:

The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this form of pneumonia, there is an abrupt onset of the disease with accompanying chills, fever, and sputum when coughing. The infection spreads into the blood in 20-30% of cases (known as sepsis).
Klebsiella pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae are harmful organisms that can cause pneumonia in those who suffer from obstructive pulmonary disease or alcoholism.
Mycoplasma pneumonia - provoked by mycoplasma, infection occurs gradually. The patient experiences chills, fever, muscle pain, diarrhea and skin rashes. Mycoplasma becomes the causative agent of pneumonia in summer and autumn.
The harmful microorganism Legionella pneumoniae can become a source of infection from dirty water or untreated air conditioner. If the patient is not accurately diagnosed, this infection can lead to fatal consequences. With such pneumonia, the patient experiences chest pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and a slow heart rate. The disease is dangerous for smokers and people with weakened immune systems.
Chlamydia pneumoniae is also a cause of pneumonia. When infected, chest X-rays show diffuse abnormalities. This infection is very difficult to detect clinically and often requires laboratory evidence for confirmation.
Pneumocystis pneumonia. Caused by fungi. Can infect patients with weakened immune systems or those who have undergone chemotherapy for cancer. Patients with HIV/AIDS are also susceptible to the disease.
Viral pneumonia can be caused by adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and parainfluenza virus (which also causes croup).
Fungal infections that can lead to pneumonia include histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, and coccidioidomycosis.

Pneumonia: symptoms in adults without fever

The most common symptom of pneumonia in an adult is chills and fever, which does not go away for several days (you should definitely call a doctor), but pneumonia can happen without fever. Therefore, it is necessary to study other symptoms of the disease.

The common symptoms of bacterial pneumonia can develop rapidly and can lead to a number of symptoms.

Among them:

chest pain,
dry cough,
wheezing,
muscle pain.

Associated symptoms: nausea and vomiting, rapid and difficult breathing, rapid heartbeat.

Some symptoms may require emergency medical attention.

The patient needs to urgently call a doctor if he has:

Blue skin (from oxygen deficiency);
Blood in sputum (in mucus after coughing);
Labored breathing;
Confusion;
Cardiopalmus.

Diagnosis of pneumonia in an adult

Pneumonia is sometimes confused with a cold or flu due to the similarity of symptoms. However, pneumonia lasts longer and symptoms are more severe than those of a cold or flu.

To diagnose a disease, the doctor asks the patient about the signs and symptoms that the sick person is experiencing.

Questions that a specialist may ask:

What are the symptoms and when did they first appear?
Your recent travels and events attended?
When was your last contact with animals?
When was the last time you interacted with a sick person?
What chronic diseases do you have?
How long have you been smoking?
Have you had any vaccinations recently?
Have you recently had an infectious disease?

Diagnosis begins by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope. As a rule, whistling and characteristic wheezing are heard during inhalation. Shortness of breath may be present. In various areas of the chest, the doctor may hear sounds that are uncharacteristic of healthy breathing.

A chest X-ray and fluorography will help determine pneumonia, but the image will not show the type of pneumonia. Blood tests can provide a more detailed picture of the type of pneumonia and help detect infection in the blood.

With bacterial pneumonia, the number of lymphocytes decreases. With viral pneumonia, a decrease in the number of leukocytes is observed. Red blood cells are normal, or their number decreases slightly.

Below are additional diagnostic methods that may be needed.

A computed tomography scan of the chest can provide the most accurate image of the respiratory system.
By analyzing sputum collected from the mucus of the upper cough, the form of pneumonia is also established.
The fluid that enters the pleural cavity is taken for bacteriological analysis, which also shows whether the patient has a viral or bacterial form of pneumonia.
Pulse oximetry is a technique that allows you to measure the degree of oxygen enrichment in the blood. A miniature sensor is attached to the patient's finger. With pneumonia, there is a disruption in the supply of oxygen to the blood.
Bronchoscopy can be used to diagnose the airways inside the lungs to determine whether blocked airways are a contributing factor to the disease.

Risk group of people susceptible to pneumonia

Certain groups of people are particularly at risk of infection:

People who have had a stroke, have difficulty swallowing, or are bedridden can easily develop pneumonia.
Elderly persons aged 65 years or older.
People with weakened immune systems are at risk of developing pneumonia. These are patients who take medications that weaken the immune system (steroids and some cancer drugs), as well as people with HIV and AIDS.
Drug abuse increases the risk of infection. Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking also provoke the development of the disease.
Some medical workers.
People with conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and heart failure.

Treatment of pneumonia in adults

The method of treating pneumonia is prescribed depending on what type of disease the patient has and how much it progresses.

In many cases, pneumonia can be treated at home with the use of medications, always antibiotics. The doctor decides which antibiotics to use depending on the causative agent of the infection.

Pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae is treated with Penicillin, Amoxicillin, macrolide antibiotics, including Erythromycin, Azithromycin and Clarithromycin. Penicillin may still be effective in treating pneumococcal pneumonia. However, it should be used only after the sensitivity of bacteria to the drug has been confirmed.
Pneumonia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae is treated with II and III generation cephalosporins, Amoxicillin.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is treated with macrolides (erythromycin, clarithromycin, and azithromycin) and fluoroquinolones.
Pneumonia caused by Legionella pneumoniae can also be treated with fluoroquinlones.
Viral pneumonia usually cannot be treated with antibiotics, so treatment methods are prescribed individually by a doctor.
Fungal pneumonia requires treatment with antibiotics, including Amphotericin B, Fluconazole (Diflucan), Penicillin and Sulfonamides.

Video - Signs of pneumonia

So, if you have pneumonia, you should definitely see a doctor and describe to him all the symptoms that the patient feels. Since pneumonia in an adult can occur without fever, it is very important to identify signs of the disease in time.

Or pneumonia, a viral disease that can lead to serious consequences and death. To identify in time pneumonia and begin treatment, it is necessary to promptly recognize its symptoms and undergo appropriate diagnosis. What signs indicate the development of pneumonia, and how to distinguish it from other diseases of the respiratory organs?

Pneumonia is infectious in nature and develops as a result of pathogenic microorganisms entering the lungs - most often bacteria, sometimes viruses and fungi. They cause an inflammatory process, which is characterized by the accumulation of fluid in the lumens of the alveoli and the appearance of certain symptoms.

The most common route for pathogens to enter the body is airborne when bacteria and viruses are released when the wearer coughs or sneezes and enters the nasopharynx of a healthy person. Less common is infection through the hematogenous route (during blood poisoning and other infectious diseases) and endogenous - microorganisms living in the nasopharynx are activated and become the cause of the inflammatory process.

REFERENCE! As a rule, the causative agents of pathological processes in the lungs in adults are streptococci and mycoplasmas, which are present on the skin and in the respiratory tract; in elderly people, the streptococcal form of the disease is most often diagnosed; in patients with kidney damage, pneumonia is caused by enterobacteria; in smokers, it is caused by Haemophilus influenzae.

The severity of symptoms and signs of pneumonia at the initial stage depends on the pathogen, health status, age and characteristics of the human body. Sometimes pneumonia begins acutely, with a sharp deterioration in health, and in some cases in adults it can develop over several days or weeks. Typically, pneumonia begins with the following symptoms:

of any nature (frequent, rare, dry, wet), which does not disappear and intensifies over several days;
an increase in temperature to any number - it can be a high fever (39-40 degrees) or a prolonged low-grade fever (37-37.5 degrees);
feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath;
decreased performance, feeling tired and weak;
hoarseness of voice;
runny nose and throat discomfort;
confusion;
loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea.

Incubation period pneumonia at an early stage is 2-4 days, during which the first signs develop - immediately after their appearance you should consult a doctor to avoid unpleasant consequences.

How does it manifest in an adult?

Pneumonia in adults, as a rule, develops as a result of hypothermia, decreased immunity, or against the background of other infectious diseases (flu, bronchitis, etc.).

The main symptom of the disease in adults in this case is intense cough, sometimes dry, but most often productive, with sputum. The sputum is thick, pus-like or brown in color, sometimes streaked with blood or streaked with blood.

Other symptoms occur along with the cough or appear a little later - these include fever, chest pain, chills, shallow breathing, increased heart rate, etc.

Pneumonia in adults can manifest itself in different ways, but doctors identify 4 main scenarios.

Pneumonia begins with the manifestation of a common acute respiratory infection or flu - high fever, weakness and weakness, after which a cough is added, first dry, and then with sputum. The patient feels severe chills, pain in the sternum or right side, shortness of breath and lack of air.
The onset of the disease is characterized by a slight increase in temperature (up to 37-37.5 degrees), cough with sputum, which is accompanied by wheezing in the chest, weakness, and headache.
With asymptomatic pneumonia, there is no cough, fever and other similar symptoms - you may feel a slight malaise, which is mistaken for signs of fatigue. The disease is detected by chance, during a routine examination of the body and fluorography.
In the case of a protracted nature of the disease, periods of remission alternate with relapses - during remissions, patients experience only a dry cough, and with exacerbation of pneumonia, fever, cough with sputum and chest pain appear.

It is quite difficult to distinguish pneumonia from other diseases of the respiratory system, but it can be suspected when a severe cough with sputum appears, which constantly gets worse and is accompanied by fever, chills, weakness and other symptoms. A specific sign of incipient pathology– inability to take a deep breath (when trying to breathe deeply, a person feels pain or has a coughing attack). It is impossible to make a diagnosis solely based on external signs - to identify the inflammatory process, you must undergo appropriate diagnostics.

IMPORTANT! The manifestations of pneumonia are largely influenced by the type of pathogen: the most complex forms of the disease are caused by the H1N1 influenza virus and Legionella, which are characterized by a severe course and serious complications.

In older people

Pneumonia in people of mature age is a common phenomenon, since with age the functioning of the respiratory and immune systems deteriorates, and the body becomes vulnerable to infectious and viral diseases.

The disease is usually starts with a cough, but in this case it is not wet, but dry, sometimes with the release of a small amount of sputum.

In patients with concomitant pathologies (Alzheimer's disease, disorders after a stroke) or a severely weakened body, the cough reflex is often suppressed, so this symptom is often absent.

One of the characteristic signs of pneumonia in older people is severe shortness of breath, which manifests itself after minor exertion or at rest. Fever in this case occurs in 75-80%, but sometimes pneumonia occurs against the background of normal or low temperature.

Sometimes the disease begins with disorders of the nervous system - apathy, constant fatigue and drowsiness, loss of appetite and interest in the outside world, and urinary incontinence, which are mistakenly taken as signs of age-related dementia. Another manifestation of pneumonia in the elderly is the exacerbation of certain chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart failure, etc.

The absence of the classic picture of pneumonia (productive cough, high fever) in elderly patients is a prognostically unfavorable sign, makes diagnosis difficult and often leads to serious complications.

IMPORTANT! Pneumonia in adulthood is especially dangerous in cases where it develops in bedridden patients, people with cardiovascular pathologies, pulmonary emphysema, and signs of COPD, since there is a high risk of pulmonary edema.

In teenagers

The reasons for the development of pneumonia in adolescence do not differ from the reasons why the disease occurs in adults - the entry of pathogenic microorganisms into the respiratory tract, hypothermia, decreased immunity, etc.

Symptoms to watch out for include: cough usually dry, or with a small amount of rusty sputum;

sudden deterioration in health;
a sharp increase in temperature to 38-39 degrees;
the appearance of difficulty breathing, shortness of breath;
pain in the chest area, which increases with coughing and deep breaths;
feeling of apathy, fatigue and powerlessness;
heavy sweating, especially at night.

Symptoms of pneumonia in adolescents largely depend on pathogen– streptococcal and staphylococcal forms cause severe cough, low-grade fever, weakness and pain in the chest area. Inflammation of the lungs of viral etiology is characterized by sudden fever (temperature rise to 39 degrees and above), debilitating cough with foamy sputum and bloody streaks, weakness.

(caused by legionella, chlamydia, mycoplasma) are accompanied by slight fever and chills, muscle and joint pain, severe sweating, and pale skin.

REFERENCE! Pneumonia in adolescents (13, 14, 15, 16, 17 years old) occurs in a less severe form with mild symptoms than in adults and older people, and in most cases has a favorable prognosis. The exception is pneumonia in children with seriously weakened bodies and immunodeficiency conditions.

Features of different types of disease

There are several forms of pneumonia, each of which is characterized by a specific clinical picture and severity of symptoms.

What are the differences from bronchitis?

Pneumonia and bronchitis are diseases of the respiratory system that have a similar clinical picture, and it can be very difficult to distinguish them from each other based solely on symptoms. What is the difference between bronchitis and pneumonia:

in 90% of cases, bronchitis has a viral etiology, and pneumonia has a bacterial etiology;
with bronchitis there is a slight increase in temperature, and with pneumonia - severe fever (up to 38-39 degrees);
sputum with bronchitis usually has a light tint, and with pneumonia it is greenish or rusty, streaks of blood may appear;
When listening to the chest, dry wheezing is heard in patients with bronchitis, and wet wheezing is heard in people with pneumonia.

IMPORTANT! Only a doctor can distinguish one form of the disease from another, as well as prescribe the correct therapy, so if symptoms develop, you should contact a medical facility as soon as possible.

In case of an atypical course of the first or second disease, it is possible to distinguish them from each other only with the help of complex diagnostics.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic measures for suspected pneumonia in adults include:

External examination of the patient, collecting anamnesis and complaints, listening to the chest;
chest– the most informative way to identify inflammatory processes in the lungs (characteristic darkening in places of tissue damage and other signs of the disease appear in the pictures);
Blood, urine and sputum tests are carried out to determine the inflammatory process in the body (increased levels of leukocytes and ESR), as well as the causative agent of pneumonia and its sensitivity to antibiotics;
Fiberoptic bronchoscopy, CT and MRI of the chest are necessary when it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis of pneumonia based on the above methods based on the signs.

IMPORTANT! Only a doctor can make a diagnosis based on a comprehensive diagnosis, since the clinical course of pneumonia can resemble not only bronchitis, but also other diseases of the respiratory system (inflammation of the pleura of the lungs, bronchopneumonia, COPD, etc.).

Treatment

Uncomplicated pneumonia in adults and adolescents can be treated on an outpatient basis (at home), but elderly patients, as well as those whose disease is accompanied by severe symptoms and concomitant pathologies, subject to hospitalization.

Most often, pneumonia is caused by bacterial origin, therefore it is treated

Content

This disease is an acute inflammation of the lungs, which is provoked by an infection. The diagnosis is usually made after an x-ray, but there are ways to identify pneumonia before visiting a doctor. They are not 100% accurate, but may prompt a hospital visit and necessary tests.

How to determine pneumonia yourself

This disease can pose a threat to human life if it is not diagnosed in time. Young parents must be able to recognize the first signs of pneumonia, because a baby will not be able to tell you what it hurts and where, unlike adults. The cause of development may be a fungal, viral or bacterial infection. The disease becomes a complication after acute ARVI or bronchitis, so adults have time to recognize the development of pneumonia in a child.

First, the hot flash stage develops, the person experiences a headache and severe chills. When you try to draw in more air, obvious pain appears in the area of the affected lung, in the case of bilateral pneumonia - on both sides. The patient constantly coughs, which also causes discomfort. Over time, the temperature begins to rise, a wet cough turns into a dry one, and shortness of breath appears.

If treatment is not carried out at the first stage, then by the end of this period herpes rashes and “rusty” sputum may appear. The main symptoms of a person who has pneumonia include:

First there is a cough, which then turns into a cough, usually dry and painful. In most cases, sputum begins to disappear on the 4th day, and pain decreases. The nature of the discharge can be purulent or mucous, streaked with blood, of a “rusty” hue (a sign of lobar pneumonia). Such symptoms should be a clear signal to consult a doctor.

Medical signs of pneumonia

The disease can be caused by different pathogens, which affects the choice of the optimal treatment regimen. Symptoms of pneumonia occur when the respiratory tract of the lungs is damaged by pathogenic pathogens. The type of disease will depend on these organisms. Medical signs will depend on:

macroorganism resistance;
how severe the disease will be;
the presence of other ailments;
what volume of lung tissue was affected;
patient's age.

Community-acquired pneumonia

For this type of disease, the most likely factors are intracellular pathogens, pneumococci, and Haemophilus influenzae. In 30% of cases, the etiology cannot be determined. When analyzing the type of pathogen, the results often contain:

Mycoplasma pneumoniae;
Streptococcus pneumoniae;
Moraxella catarrhalis;
Chlamydia pneumoniae;

In-hospital

The pathogens of this type of disease are more often found in nursing homes and other public places; they rarely appear in a person’s home. The main problem in the fight against these microorganisms is their resistance to various types of drugs, which greatly complicates therapy. As a rule, the following microorganisms are found in analyses:

In persons with immunodeficiency

The symptoms of the disease are typical; the disease can be caused by pathogenic fungi, cytomegalovirus, atypical mycobacteria or other microorganisms. Pneumocystis carinii, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycobacterium tuberculosis cause the development of pneumonia in HIV patients. It should be taken into account that the main pulmonary marker of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Aspiration

Symptoms of pneumonia caused by anaerobes often occur when large volumes of vomit are aspirated or in the presence of virulent anaerobic microflora. If the cough reflex is impaired, the risk of developing pneumonia increases. This is also affected by dysfunction of alveolar macrophages and impaired mucociliary clearance. The accumulation of anaerobic pathogens occurs in the crevices between the gums, teeth, and dental plaque.

How does pneumonia of varying severity manifest?

The disease can occur with varying degrees of severity. This determines what symptoms of pneumonia will appear and their severity. There are three main stages: mild, moderate, severe. Each severity level has a specific set of symptoms:

Easy. There is no shortness of breath, the initial stage of intoxication. The pulse is not rapid, and the temperature does not exceed 38 degrees. It is still difficult to recognize pneumonia on your own; more often these signs are attributed to influenza, ARVI, or a cold. An adult tries to cure these symptoms on their own, but a child or newborn should be taken to a doctor immediately in any case.
Average. Moderate intoxication, general weakness, cough, shortness of breath appear, the pulse quickens, the temperature can reach 39 degrees.
Heavy. Very high temperature, pronounced intoxication. The weakness is more significant, it becomes difficult for the patient to move, even at rest there is severe shortness of breath. In some cases, severe tachycardia and impaired consciousness are observed.

Symptoms of pneumonia by type of disease

There is a special clinical classification of the disease. There are interstitial, focal, lobar pneumonia, which demonstrate different intensities of the processes occurring in the lungs and the affected area. The main signs of these types of illness:

Focal. The process covers individual areas of the lung tissue (alveoli, adjacent bronchi).
Croupous. There is a rapid involvement of the entire lobe of the lung, the adjacent area of the pleura. A high fibrin content in the alveolar exudate is diagnosed.
Interstitial. As a rule, damage to the connective tissue of the lungs occurs.

Typical pneumonia

The term typical pneumonia characterizes a wide group of types of this disease, which have different etiologies. The causative agents are various bacilli and cocci. For this reason, it is impossible to say exactly what signs of pneumonia appear in the atypical form. This term in the diagnosis indicates that a certain treatment regimen will be used, which will help you recover faster and avoid complications.

The disease is characterized by distinct shadow contours, which appear on X-ray examination, with strict localization. All symptoms of this group of pneumonia have certain, similar symptoms:

left-sided, right-sided or bilateral chest pain;
temperature;
dyspnea;
cough with wheezing, sputum.

SARS

This type is the second largest group, which contains cases of pneumonia with different principles of development of the disease. There are no clear dark contours on the x-ray; symptoms manifest themselves differently, usually depending on the pathogen. In a small child, it can be confused with signs of a common cold. Even when analyzing blood, its composition does not always raise suspicions.

There are differences between these two groups, but in many ways they are similar, which ultimately provokes typical pneumonia. Symptoms of atypical pneumonia:

inflammation of the mucous membranes of the throat;
the first signs of pneumonia are similar to tracheobronchitis;
acute intoxication at the initial stage;
in severe cases, cardiovascular failure is observed;
painful cough, fever.

Congestive pneumonia

This is the last type of disease that is provoked by accumulations in the bronchi. For example, congestion can cause obstructive bronchitis. Sputum accumulates in the bronchi and becomes a breeding ground for the reproduction and development of pathogenic microbes, which is the main condition for pneumonia. The disease does not always have clear manifestations. At the first stage, it can be asymptomatic, masquerading as another chronic illness. The temperature remains virtually unchanged; the main symptom is a severe cough with copious sputum.

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The lungs and, in general, the entire respiratory system catch infections quite easily. The upper respiratory organs have the function of protecting against viruses, therefore, when the immune system is weakened and the activity of microbes increases, the infectious process spreads downwards. Often it stops at the bronchial mucosa and causes bronchitis, and sometimes it goes further, inflaming the lung tissue and causing pneumonia. This diagnosis covers many ailments. Each of them has its own pathogenesis, etiology, X-ray indicators, test results unique to this disease, its own symptoms and treatment of pneumonia.

Infectious diseases that occur in the lungs are usually referred to as pneumonitis. If the respiratory parts of the lungs were affected to a greater extent, this disease is referred to as “alveolitis.”

In parallel with aseptic inflammation, one can often observe the development of pneumonia caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.

Having noticed the first signs of pneumonia, it is necessary to take an x-ray of the lungs and sputum analysis as quickly as possible, but the main method of treatment is to prescribe antibacterial procedures. If you do not pay attention to the symptoms of pneumonia and start therapy too late, this can lead to an extremely dangerous development of the disease. There are also cases of death.

Causes of the disease

There are many reasons for the development of pneumonia:

low standard of living;
difficult working conditions (high dust content in the air, working with toxic substances);
possible contacts with animals carrying pathogens;
trips;
smoking and other bad habits (especially for those who smoke regularly);
individual characteristics of individual people, predisposition to various kinds of diseases, transmitted at the genetic level;
pneumonia due to pneumonia can cause direct communication and other forms of contact with sick (infected with infectious diseases) people;
geography of the spread of the disease in a given period.

Classification

focal (bronchopneumonia) – damage is observed only in certain areas of the lung tissue (the bronchi and tissues of the human respiratory system become inflamed);
segmental - the pathogen affects one or more parts of the lung tissue;
lobar - the pulmonary lobe is affected (a striking example is lobar pneumonia, in which there is predominantly damage to the alveoli and parts of the pleura located next to it);
drain - a combination of several small centers of influence of the pathogen;
total - affects the entire lungs, is the most severe form of the disease.

In addition, the disease is also divided into types depending on the place of acquisition:

community-acquired;
in-hospital;
treatment-related (hemodialysis, medications, regular hospitalizations, residents of nursing homes).

Symptoms

The first symptoms of pneumonia are similar to a cold. Based on the etiology of the disease, they may differ from each other. For example, a bacterial species can manifest either abruptly or gradually. Pneumonia has the property of both gradual and sudden manifestations.

What symptoms of pneumonia are typical for each patient? A constant symptom is shortness of breath, the severity of which depends on the severity and stage of inflammation. With concomitant pathologies of the bronchopulmonary and cardiovascular systems, an even greater complication of respiratory failure is observed, which is especially common in the elderly. The first symptoms of pulmonary pneumonia in this case are bluishness of the skin on the abdomen, in the area of the nasolabial triangle, and on the upper extremities.

The main symptoms of pneumonia also include cough. As a rule, at first it is constant dry, and after some time it is wet, accompanied by the release of yellow-green mucopurulent sputum.

Other characteristic signs of pneumonia:

trembling of limbs;
fever;
severe and acute pain in the chest;
increased discharge from the sweat glands;
cough with sputum of a special color (red, greenish) of a thick consistency;
accelerated heart rate and breathing.

Viral pneumonia is manifested by the following symptoms:

increased body temperature;
dry cough;
excessive fatigue;
muscle pain;
headache;
general weakness and drowsiness;
shortness of breath even from minor and short-term physical activity of low intensity.

The onset of inflammation in the lower respiratory tract during a cold is indicated by a sharp deterioration of the condition 4-7 days after the onset of acute respiratory viral infection (). Body temperature can rise to 39-40 degrees Celsius or remain at 37.1-37.5C. Knowing what symptoms are characteristic of the disease and having identified them in oneself, a person should immediately consult a doctor. Signs of existing inflammation are also the ineffectiveness of antipyretic drugs and a repeated jump in temperature during the treatment of the infection.

The first symptoms of pulmonary pneumonia caused by mycoplasma repeat the symptoms of bacterial and viral forms, but in a weaker manifestation.

Diagnostics

In order to confirm the presence of the disease, the patient is sent for an X-ray of the lungs. The pathogen itself (the source of the disease) is found by examining sputum from the respiratory tract and blood.

Diagnostic methods are divided into primary and secondary:

X-rays of light;
microscopic analysis of discharge with Gram stain;
sowing respiratory secretions (sputum) into a nutrient medium and analyzing their subsequent development in it;
biochemical and general examination of blood samples;
blood gas analysis;
CT scan of the chest;
analysis of a piece of pleura;
bronchoscopy;
finding characteristic antibodies;
lung tissue biopsy;
urine test and others.

Treatment

Antibiotics are widely used in the treatment of pneumonia. Their choice depends on the causative agent of the infection. Medicines that dilate the bronchi and make sputum less thick (inhalations or tablets) are also used. In addition, treatment of pneumonia is carried out by administering corticosteroids and saline solutions through a vein. From time to time, pleural puncture and bronchoscopy are performed.

In particularly advanced cases, pneumonia is treated in a hospital. In the presence of severe respiratory failure, the patient is prescribed oxygen treatments.

There are also frequent cases of using physiotherapy, which includes:

irradiation with ultraviolet rays;
massages using vibration;
therapeutic physical exercises and so on.

If it is not possible to determine the type of pathogen, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. During the normal course of treatment, on the third day from its start, the temperature stabilizes to a physiological level. An x-ray is taken and an objective analysis of the patient’s condition is carried out.

Prevention

Based on data from the RRO (Russian Respiratory Society), vaccination of the population is the only and most effective method of preventing the development of the disease. At the moment, the Russian Federation uses a tested and proven pneumococcal vaccine produced in the United States.

Prevention of pneumonia also consists of creating normal working conditions at work, the absence of bad habits (especially smoking), proper nutrition, and the absence of stress. It is necessary to limit contact with sick patients and avoid visiting places where there are large crowds of people (during epidemic periods). People caring for patients must carefully follow all recommended precautions - wash their hands immediately after contact, work exclusively with gloves, wear gauze masks. Prevention of pneumonia also requires isolating infectious patients in separate rooms.