home Diseases Find out if pneumonia is contagious. Is it possible to get pneumonia through airborne droplets?

Find out if pneumonia is contagious. Is it possible to get pneumonia through airborne droplets?

Despite modern developments in the field of medicine and the emergence of new antibacterial drugs Deaths from pneumonia are rising. Most people are afraid of this disease. Let's look at how pneumonia is transmitted and whether you should be afraid of it.

Ways of contracting pneumonia and risk groups

Pneumonia - acute inflammation lungs, which occurs independently or as a result of complications of another disease. Characterized by defeat vascular system lungs, alveoli and bronchioles.

The risk group for pneumonia includes:

Elderly people.
People with weak immune systems.
Patients with heart failure.
Persons with chronic diseases history of lungs.
Patients who have recently undergone abdominal surgery.
People with chest injuries.

The cause of the disease can be bacteria, viruses or fungi.

The pathogen penetrates into lung tissue in several ways.

Ways of contracting pneumonia:

Airborne path. Is the most common. When coughing or sneezing, the patient secretes a large number of microbes A person at risk can become infected with pneumonia by breathing in air that is saturated with pathogens.
By the circulatory system. This route of infection is not common. Pathogenic microbes enter circulatory system from the primary site of infection. This is possible with sepsis.
Through the lymphatic system. It is extremely rare. The pathogen penetrates into lymphatic system and spreads with lymph throughout the body.

Additional factors are vitamin deficiency, hypothermia, smoking, and alcoholism.

Is the disease contagious to other people?

Many people are afraid of pneumonia because they don’t know whether pneumonia is contagious or not. In the case of transmission of infection, much depends on the coincidence of several factors. It is important which pathogen caused the disease, who is sick, how long and in what form one can be in contact with a patient with pneumonia.

There is a small risk of contracting pneumonia. Children and adults with weak immunity, are more susceptible to pathogenic microorganisms. Bedridden patients, as a rule, are more often susceptible to pneumonia, since mucus stagnates in them. respiratory tract. The pathogen accumulates in sputum, and, getting into the lungs with it, begins to multiply there intensively.

The fact that pneumonia is contagious during the period of exacerbation is repeated in almost all school and preschool institutions. This statement has the right to exist, but only half. The likelihood of contracting pneumonia should be investigated strictly on an individual basis.

Types of pneumonia and the likelihood of infection

When faced with pneumonia or a person infected with it, it is important to understand that not every type entails imminent infection. In order to understand whether it is possible to become infected with pneumonia, it is important to know the characteristics of each of the varieties:

. This type It is rarely an independent disease and in most cases occurs as a result of another illness that weakens the immune system. In this case, it is almost impossible to contract pneumonia from a patient. However, it is the underlying disease that may pose a potential danger. Even a doctor with many years of experience cannot say for sure how dangerous its consequences will be. That is why it is advisable to limit communication with a person suffering from bacterial pneumonia until he recovers.
Pneumonia caused by a virus. The likelihood of contracting pneumonia, as in the case of the bacterial subspecies, is reduced to almost a minimum. The only potential danger is the virus, which resulted in pneumonia.
Chemical pneumonia that develops as a result of long-term use medicines. The risk group is mainly for older people, for whom taking medications is a necessity. It is almost impossible for people in contact with a sick person to become infected with chemical pneumonia.
Mycoplasma pneumonia. This disease is considered very dangerous, and the likelihood of infection is quite high. Mycoplasma pneumonia is transmitted by airborne droplets, through dirty hands and in violation of personal hygiene rules. In some cases, the disease is severe and requires immediate hospitalization. The duration of treatment ranges from several weeks to a month, but after discharge even residual effects You can no longer be afraid of illness.

Regardless of whether pneumonia is contagious or not, the body's reaction to various irritants should be taken into account. Contact with the sick is not recommended for pregnant women, pensioners and people with weak immune systems. Klebsiella bacteria can reliably penetrate the body and manifest themselves at the most inopportune moment.

How to protect yourself from pneumonia?

It doesn’t matter at all whether the form of pneumonia knocking on the door is contagious or not, you need to try to fight back.

We are talking about protective measures, the existence of which every person is obliged to remember:

Taking vitamins and products that provide preventive action. It is quite natural that such a complex will not be able to cure pneumonia. However, strengthening the immune system and helping to increase its level of resistance to viruses is thus quite possible.
Daily ventilation of premises. Regardless of whether pneumonia is contagious, important role should pay attention to the microclimate in the house. Every morning you need to ventilate the room for at least 15 minutes. At this moment there should be neither the sick person nor his relatives in the room.
Complete cessation of bad habits. Pneumonia is also contagious for those who are in no hurry to quit smoking. Pneumonia is one of the complications that awaits experienced smokers. In perspective chronic forms, asthma and even oncology. Before this happens, it would be more advisable to give up the harmful attraction to tobacco.
Conditional division of space. For a sick person, regardless of the size of the room, a conditional quarantine zone must be created. It will help, even if slightly, reduce the likelihood of infecting another family member.

Parents will also have to give a short lecture on how pneumonia is transmitted to their own children, who often go to crowded places and are part of the main risk group. The child must understand how to react to the appearance of a sick person in the group and avoid contact with him. After all, the baby must learn to take care of his own health himself, from an early age, without resorting to the help of his parents.

When thinking about whether pneumonia is contagious, you should also not go to extremes, limiting yourself excessively. It is important to start working on your own health gradually, without sudden shocks.

Another effective method of protection is hardening, which should be started in the warm season, gradually lowering the water temperature.

Having succeeded in this matter, a person will significantly strengthen the immune system and, in addition, will receive a significant surge of strength. And to the question of whether it is possible to become infected with pneumonia, he will receive only a negative answer.

To quickly cure cough, bronchitis, pneumonia and strengthen the immune system, you just need...

Pneumonia has infectious nature. At the everyday level, we know that infections are transmitted in one way or another: through the air - respiratory, through food - intestinal, through sexual intercourse - venereal.

Moreover, there is a special vaccine against pneumonia, which only confirms high degree infectiousness of this disease. But on the other hand, any person has at least once been in contact with someone who has pneumonia.

In hospitals, patients with pneumonia are in regular rooms with other patients. And no one gets infected. Why is this so if pneumonia is contagious? So is pneumonia contagious or not? And how can you become infected with pneumonia if the answer is yes? What is the most dangerous species How long must a patient be contagious before he can transmit the disease?

Types of pneumonia and their danger?

The contagiousness of pneumonia is largely determined by its type:

How is pneumonia transmitted?

Microorganisms that cause pneumonia in most cases are the causative agents of all respiratory infections:

Staphylococcus;
Streptococcus;
Pneumococcus;
Haemophilus influenzae.

These bacteria are spread through close contact, through general use objects, by air.

Bacteria that cause pneumonia have wide use in the environment. For example, streptococcus lives on the mucous membranes of the throat, mouth and nose in 99% of people. The body's defense mechanisms do not allow the infection to enter the lower respiratory tract.

Thus, the state of the body's immune system is a key factor in the possible transmission of microorganisms that cause pneumonia.

At-risk groups

You can easily get sick with contagious forms of pneumonia:

People with reduced immunity;
Pregnant women;
Patients taking hormones;
Persons with drug or alcohol addiction;
People suffering from depression, exhausted;
Those who have had acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza and other colds;
Patients with chronic diseases: diabetes, kidney or heart failure, asthma, etc.

Is it possible to get infected from another person?

It is quite possible to become infected with pneumonia from family members. This is how the infection is usually transmitted in children.

Of course, the pathogen is often transmitted in places large cluster people in public transport by airborne droplets. More often, infection occurs from friends and relatives who are sick or are carriers of pneumonia pathogens.

The easiest way to get infected is from loved ones. IN incubation period when they don't appear clinical symptoms, no one realizes the threat of infection to others.

When appearing in adults and children elevated temperature, cough, runny nose, it becomes too late to isolate the source of the disease, since the bacteria are in the airspace of a private house or city apartment.

Is it possible to get infected from others?

The average person can observe the development of respiratory symptoms- fever, intoxication, cough, runny nose - after contact with a person with a cold.

Progressing over several days, the symptoms can become severe, which forces you to call an ambulance and can lead to a diagnosis of pneumonia.

According to everyday logic, the relationship between subsequent pneumonia and contact with someone who has a common cold is obvious. However, in fact, other factors play a leading role in pneumonia.

Adhering exactly to the terminology, a healthy person cannot contract pneumonia from a sick person.

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs caused by bacteria. Very in rare cases, for example, when a person has an immunodeficiency, the cause of the disease may be a fungal infection.

To get into the lungs, bacteria must overcome almost insurmountable obstacles:

The nasopharynx has a curved structure, due to which, during inhalation, air micro-turbulences are observed there, which lead to the settling of dust particles and microorganisms on the nasal mucosa.
The mucous membrane of the nasal cavity, trachea, larynx and bronchi is covered with ciliated epithelium and is rich in secretory glands - such a device isolates and then removes microorganisms that have entered the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract.
Even if pathogenic bacteria managed to overcome these barriers, immunity stands in their way - lymphoid tissue is well represented in the structure of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

Nature formed respiratory organs so that the lungs are maximally protected from microorganisms.

However, it must be remembered that a person suffering from pneumonia releases tens of thousands of pathogenic microorganisms. And if the person nearby has reduced protective functions, he can become infected, for example, with rhinitis, pharyngitis, sore throat.

Is it possible to infect other children?

The child’s immune system is at the stage of intense “training”, and the number of the main immune cells - lymphocytes - in children is maximum, as a result of which the immune response to bacteria is sharp and violent. In a child, a respiratory infection manifests itself with severe symptoms.

On the other hand, children have anatomical feature: The airways are short, making them more vulnerable to infections. Much is determined by the concentration and virulence of microbes. However, often microbes successfully spread through the respiratory tract, managing to settle in lower sections, even despite a strong immune response.

A child may develop pneumonia due to respiratory infection any localization, and this infection plays a key role in the disease process:

Once in the respiratory tract, respiratory virus has an immunosuppressive effect, that is, it suppresses the immune response.
Bacteria from environment, taking advantage of the opportunity, spread throughout the respiratory tract, causing disease up to pneumonia.

Thus, pneumonia in a child is almost always a complication of a viral infection, and contact with a sick person does not necessarily lead to infection.

How to avoid getting pneumonia?

To avoid contracting pneumonia, the following preventive procedures will help:

Ventilate the room and avoid contact with sick people.
If you have a flu, cold or pneumonia in your loved ones, you should take preventive medications – amantadine, rimantadine;
Strengthen the immune system using ginseng tincture or immunal;

The protective capabilities of the immune system are reduced in people who consume drugs, alcohol, and smoke. Inflammation is provoked by both bacterial and viral agents.

If you follow preventive measures, you can significantly reduce the risk or even prevent pneumonia.

Pneumonia is serious inflammatory disease lungs, which is quite common nowadays. Despite the fact that thanks to modern medicine The prognosis for treatment is generally favorable; with pneumonia there is a risk of developing dangerous complications And fatal outcome. It is important to know how to protect yourself from this disease, and what precautions should be taken when in contact with a patient with pneumonia. It is better to prevent any disease than to eliminate the consequences of infection in the future. If it was still not possible to avoid the development of pneumonia, in the Yusupov hospital they carry out quality treatment diseases, which significantly reduces the likelihood of severe consequences.

How does pneumonia occur?

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses and pathogenic fungi. The most common infectious agents include:

Inflammation most often develops against the background of a respiratory infection, bronchitis or influenza, being their complication. There are also frequent cases of pneumonia developing as an independent disease. The development of inflammation is facilitated by a weakened immune system, which occurs as a result chronic diseases, age characteristics (children and the elderly), effects on the body harmful substances(cigarettes, alcohol, various toxins). When the body’s natural defenses are reduced, the infection easily penetrates cells and tissues and begins to actively multiply.

How longer person remains untreated, the greater the extent of lung tissue that will be involved in inflammatory process. Pneumonia is doubly dangerous in that it can develop at lightning speed, worsening the patient’s condition to critical within a few days. Therefore, it is very important to consult a doctor in time and undergo appropriate examination. At the Yusupov Hospital, patients are provided with a full range of medical services: diagnosis, treatment, recovery after illness. The therapy clinic employs qualified therapists and pulmonologists who have extensive experience in treating pneumonia. Doctors at the Yusupov Hospital use effective methods in their work evidence-based medicine and high-tech equipment, which allows you to achieve maximum results even in the most difficult cases.

Is pneumonia transmitted from person to person?

Pneumonia, as a separate disease, is considered non-contagious and is not transmitted from person to person. However, the causative agents of pneumonia (bacteria, viruses, pathogenic fungi) are able to pass from a sick person to a healthy person in various ways:

airborne,
through saliva,
through blood
through amniotic fluid, birth canal.

If we consider the root cause of the development of pneumonia, for example, influenza, then it can become infected healthy man. However, it is not at all necessary that the flu will develop into pneumonia in the future. This will depend on the state of the person's immune system. When pathogenic organisms enter the human body, the immune system begins to actively fight them. If she fails to cope, a complication of the disease occurs. In this case, the flu is complicated by pneumonia.

Bacterial and viral pathogens pneumonia can enter the body through physiological fluids. This does not mean that infection with the pathogen will necessarily lead to the development of pneumonia, but the person is at risk. Any factors that reduce the body's natural defenses ( various diseases, hypothermia, overwork, etc.) can provoke the development of pathology. Therefore, it is better to treat bacterial or viral infections, even if they are in a passive state. This recommendation especially applies to women planning pregnancy. Before conceiving, it is necessary to undergo an examination to determine hidden infections. They may not manifest themselves in any way, but can be transmitted to the fetus during pregnancy or childbirth. In infants, the immune system cannot resist diseases, so they are more likely to develop pneumonia than adults, even if they have the same infectious agents in the body.

Pneumonia: is it airborne?

This issue should be highlighted separately, since it most often worries people who care for a patient with pneumonia. If we consider typical forms pneumonia, then it cannot be transmitted by airborne droplets. Viruses are transmitted through breathing causing pneumonia. A person with a stable immune system will, in most cases, survive the common cold. Bacteria that cause pneumonia are not transmitted by airborne droplets. Pneumonia can only occur if a healthy person has a weak immune system.

If pneumonia is caused by tuberculosis (caseous pneumonia, classified as atypical), then there is a risk of infection through contact with a patient. The causative agent of this type of pneumonia is transmitted by airborne droplets and can cause disease in a weakened body.

For your own safety, when communicating with a patient with pneumonia (especially if you do not know the nature of the disease), you should use a mask. Also, a patient with pneumonia requires his own dishes to prevent transmission of the pathogen through saliva.

Prevention of pneumonia

To protect yourself from pneumonia, you need to regularly perform simple rules which will also help avoid other diseases:

observe the rules of personal hygiene: wash your hands after going outside and using public transport, use hand sanitizers;
exclude bad habits. Smoking, alcohol abuse, and drug use have a detrimental effect on the condition of the entire body, in particular on respiratory system;
in the presence of chronic diseases, regularly visit your doctor to monitor the condition, since the constant presence of pathology negatively affects immune system;
lead healthy image life. Sports activities, healthy eating, normal sleep contribute to the normalization of the functioning of all organs and systems and strengthen the body's defense mechanisms.

When the first signs of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a doctor. At the Yusupov Hospital, patients are provided with all necessary help to eliminate the disease. Effective methods treatments contribute speedy recovery and minimize the risk of developing negative consequences. After suffering from pneumonia, the Yusupov Hospital offers to undergo a course of rehabilitation, which will allow the body to normalize and restore its functions much faster. You can make an appointment with a therapist, pulmonologist or rehabilitation specialist, or get advice from other specialists by phone.

Bibliography

ICD-10 ( International classification diseases)
Yusupov Hospital
"Diseases of the respiratory system." Guide ed. acad. RAMS, prof. N.R. Paleeva. M., Medicine, 2000.
Respiratory failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Ed. V.A. Ignatieva and A.N. Kokosova, 2006, 248 p.
Ilkovich M.M. and others. Diagnosis of diseases and conditions complicated by the development of spontaneous pneumothorax, 2004.

Prices for diagnosing pneumonia

*The information on the site is for informational purposes only. All materials and prices posted on the site are not public offer, determined by the provisions of Art. 437 Civil Code of the Russian Federation. For accurate information, please contact the clinic staff or visit our clinic. List of services provided paid services indicated in the price list of the Yusupov Hospital.

*The information on the site is for informational purposes only. All materials and prices posted on the site are not a public offer, defined by the provisions of Art. 437 Civil Code of the Russian Federation. For accurate information, please contact the clinic staff or visit our clinic.

Pneumonia is contagious infection, called wide range pathogens of bacterial, viral, fungal nature. The risk of infection increases in immunodeficient states and increases in the elderly and children younger age.

WHO considers pneumonia as an infectious disease that is transmitted from person to person or through air when breathing, and is common cause deaths among children and the elderly.

Among the causes of death, pneumonia is second only to heart disease, diabetes, oncological diseases. Mortality increases after 60 years of age, reaching 21% among patients.

How contagious pneumonia is to others, whether it is transmitted from person to person by airborne droplets or contact, depends on the type of pathogen and the degree of its aggressiveness.

Viral pneumonia

If pneumonia is caused by a virus, then there is no doubt whether the disease is transmitted from another person and whether there is a danger of becoming infected, since viral forms are very contagious.

Herpetic

The herpetic form of inflammation caused by the herpes virus is rare and develops against the background of immunodeficiency conditions. The source of infection is a sick person.

The disease has a high (up to 80%) mortality rate and develops when a virus or genital herpes enters the lungs.

Cytomegalovirus

Cytomegalovirus pneumonia is severe and is transmitted both from person to person and through blood transfusions and organ transplants.

But is cytomegalovirus pneumonia contagious for surrounding adults, how does infection occur in children?

A child can become infected with cytomegalovirus from his mother through breast milk. The disease is a common complication during organ transplantation, causes interstitial pneumonia of newborns, severe intrauterine infection lungs, accompanied by damage to the lung tissue.

Respiratory sensitization virus

Respiratory sensitization (RS) virus causes pneumonia mainly in young children. The viral form caused by the RS virus develops especially often in children under 1 year of age.

The virus can be transmitted by contact as it remains viable on human skin for 25 minutes.

Pneumonia caused by the MS virus is highly contagious, causing outbreaks that are epidemic in closed communities, which leaves no doubt whether the disease is transmitted by airborne droplets or not. The main way transmission is through inhaled air, and the only source of infection with the PC virus is humans.

Bacterial pneumonia

Bacteria are characterized by penetration by microaspiration, a method in which reduced pressure is created in the lower respiratory tract and mucus from the pharynx is “sucked” into the lungs.

In a similar way, the contents of the stomach enter the lungs in some patients due to the characteristics of the body, as well as during sleep, during loss of consciousness, and in case of vomiting. Inflammation of the lungs that occurs when stomach contents enter them does not pose a danger to others.

More than 80% of pneumonias are caused by Streptococcus pneumonia. Streptococcal infection It is less aggressive than the viral one, but also poses a danger to others.

And if there are adults in the family who suffer from bacterial pneumonia, is it possible to become infected from the patient, and is the infection transmitted to children or not?

Of course, the streptococcal form of inflammation is contagious; the infection is transmitted by contact, airborne droplets from person to person. For children, the risk of infection is higher than for adults due to the imperfection of children's immunity.

Staphylococcus

Infectious diseases include pneumonia caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus - Staphylococcus aureus. The disease develops when the infection is transmitted through the air when talking, coughing with particles of saliva, mucus.

Contact transmission is possible, especially when infected through dressing, medical instruments. Staphylococcal infection may develop in the lungs when the immune system is weakened, if in the composition normal microflora contains Staphylococcus aureus.

Moraxella catarrhalis

There are nosocomial forms of Legionella pneumonia. The causative agent of the disease in this case circulates in cooling systems, air conditioners, showers, and devices for the treatment of respiratory organs.

Mycoplasma is a contagious respiratory pathogen transmitted by airborne droplets. The source of infection is a patient or a carrier of mycoplasmas.

Infection requires close contact, as the microorganism quickly dies outside the host body. This explains why outbreaks of mycoplasma pneumonia are observed in closed, especially children's institutions, within the same family, and in hospitals.

Chlamydia

Pneumonia is caused by the species Chlamydia pneumoniae, an intracellular microorganism whose natural reservoir is humans. Chlamydia is transmitted by airborne droplets.

The danger is posed by sick and asymptomatic carriers of germs. By old age, antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae are present in 75% of people. The infectious agent can cause not only pneumonia, but also bronchitis.

Fungal pneumonia

Pneumonia is caused by fungi Candida, Aspergillus, Mucor, Coccidioides, Blastomyces. The most common causes of fungal infections of the lungs are Candida and Aspergillus.

Aspergillus

In nature, Aspergillus molds are widely represented and are found in soil, house dust, grain, moldy hay, wool, and products. Adults who cultivate the land and work in weaving are more often infected.

Aspergillus develops in weakened adult patients, but is fungal pneumonia contagious for children or not, and how is it transmitted?

It is impossible to become infected with Aspergillus from humans. The main method of infection is inhalation of dusty air containing particles of the fungus, as well as penetration through wounds on the skin through the blood.

Candida

Candida fungi are opportunistic inhabitants of normal microflora. The transition to a pathogenic state occurs when long-term treatment antibiotics, taking cytostatics, reducing defenses for cancer, diabetes.

Candida enters the lungs through the blood during candidiasis sepsis, characterized by serious condition patient with high fever.