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How Do You Know if You Have Pneumonia After the Flu

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Pneumonia

Likewise called: Bronchopneumonia

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Summary

What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection in 1 or both of the lungs. Information technology causes the air sacs of the lungs to fill up with fluid or pus. It can range from balmy to severe, depending on the type of germ causing the infection, your age, and your overall health.

What causes pneumonia?

Bacterial, viral, and fungal infections tin can cause pneumonia.

Leaner are the most common cause. Bacterial pneumonia can occur on its ain. It can as well develop subsequently yous've had sure viral infections such as a cold or the flu. Several dissimilar types of bacteria can crusade pneumonia, including:

  • Streptococcus pneumoniae
  • Legionella pneumophila; this pneumonia is often called Legionnaires' disease
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae
  • Chlamydia pneumoniae
  • Haemophilus influenzae

Viruses that infect the respiratory tract may cause pneumonia. Viral pneumonia is often mild and goes away on its own inside a few weeks. Simply sometimes it is serious enough that you need to get treatment in a hospital. If y'all take viral pneumonia, you are at take chances of also getting bacterial pneumonia. The dissimilar viruses that can cause pneumonia include:

  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  • Some common common cold and flu viruses
  • SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19

Fungal pneumonia is more mutual in people who take chronic health problems or weakened immune systems. Some of the types include:

  • Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP)
  • Coccidioidomycosis, which causes valley fever
  • Histoplasmosis
  • Cryptococcus

Who is at risk for pneumonia?

Anyone can get pneumonia, but certain factors tin increase your risk:

  • Age; the run a risk is higher for children who are age two and under and adults historic period 65 and older
  • Exposure to certain chemicals, pollutants, or toxic fumes
  • Lifestyle habits, such as smoking, heavy alcohol use, and malnourishment
  • Beingness in a infirmary, especially if you are in the ICU. Being sedated and/or on a ventilator raises the chance even more.
  • Having a lung disease
  • Having a weakened immune arrangement
  • Have problem coughing or swallowing, from a stroke or other condition
  • Recently beingness sick with a common cold or the flu

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

The symptoms of pneumonia tin range from balmy to severe and include:

  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Cough, usually with phlegm (a slimy substance from deep in your lungs)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain when you breathe or cough
  • Nausea and/or vomiting
  • Diarrhea

The symptoms tin vary for different groups. Newborns and infants may not testify any signs of the infection. Others may vomit and accept a fever and cough. They might seem sick, with no energy, or be restless.

Older adults and people who take serious illnesses or weak allowed systems may have fewer and milder symptoms. They may even have a lower than normal temperature. Older adults who accept pneumonia sometimes have sudden changes in mental awareness.

What other issues can pneumonia crusade?

Sometimes pneumonia can crusade serious complications such equally:

  • Bacteremia, which happens when the bacteria move into the bloodstream. It is serious and can lead to septic shock.
  • Lung abscesses, which are collections of pus in cavities of the lungs
  • Pleural disorders, which are conditions that bear upon the pleura. The pleura is the tissue that covers the outside of the lungs and lines the inside of your breast cavity.
  • Kidney failure
  • Respiratory failure

How is pneumonia diagnosed?

Sometimes pneumonia can be hard to diagnose. This is because it tin can cause some of the same symptoms as a cold or the flu. Information technology may accept time for you lot to realize that you lot have a more serious condition.

Your health care provider may use many tools to make a diagnosis:

  • A medical history, which includes request virtually your symptoms
  • A concrete exam, including listening to your lungs with a stethoscope
  • Various tests, such as
    • A breast x-ray
    • Blood tests such as a complete claret count (CBC) to run across if your allowed system is actively fighting an infection
    • A Blood culture to find out whether you have a bacterial infection that has spread to your bloodstream

If you are in the hospital, accept serious symptoms, are older, or have other health problems, you may besides have more tests, such as:

  • Sputum examination, which checks for leaner in a sample of your sputum (spit) or phlegm (slimy substance from deep in your lungs).
  • Breast CT scan to see how much of your lungs is affected. It may also evidence if you lot have complications such as lung abscesses or pleural effusions.
  • Pleural fluid culture, which checks for bacteria in a fluid sample that was taken from the pleural space
  • Pulse oximetry or claret oxygen level examination, to check how much oxygen is in your blood
  • Bronchoscopy, a procedure used to look inside your lungs' airways

What are the treatments for pneumonia?

Treatment for pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia, which germ is causing information technology, and how severe it is:

  • Antibiotics treat bacterial pneumonia and some types of fungal pneumonia. They do not work for viral pneumonia.
  • In some cases, your provider may prescribe antiviral medicines for viral pneumonia
  • Antifungal medicines treat other types of fungal pneumonia

You lot may need to be treated in a hospital if your symptoms are severe or if you are at take chances for complications. While there, you may go additional treatments. For example, if your claret oxygen level is low, you may receive oxygen therapy.

It may have time to recover from pneumonia. Some people feel better within a week. For other people, it can take a month or more.

Tin can pneumonia exist prevented?

Vaccines can assist forbid pneumonia caused by pneumococcal bacteria or the flu virus. Having good hygiene, non smoking, and having a healthy lifestyle may also help prevent pneumonia.

NIH: National Centre, Lung, and Blood Institute

  • Sputum Culture From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Too in Spanish
  • FastStats: Pneumonia (National Eye for Health Statistics)
  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pneumonia From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)
  • How the Lungs Work From the National Institutes of Health (National Center, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
  • Chlamydia Pneumoniae Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) As well in Spanish
  • Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infections (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Castilian
  • Pneumonia (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
  • Pneumonia (Nemours Foundation) Also in Castilian

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Source: https://medlineplus.gov/pneumonia.html

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