Detecting Pneumonia

Pneumonia is the disease causing acute inflammation in lungs of the infected person. It is mainly caused due to the infection from bacteria, viruses, fungus and other micro organisms. It is the inflammatory condition of lungs in which the alveoli gets completely filled with fluid thus causing the inflammation in lungs. Alveoli are the air sacs present in lungs that are responsible for air exchange. When these sacs are filled with pus like fluid, the air exchange becomes difficult resulting in the inflammation of lungs. The general pneumonia symptoms include chest pain, difficulty in breathing, fever and cough. The diagnosis of pneumonia is done with X rays and by examining the sputum.

It is the common disease suffered by people of all age groups. If it is not treated in time, it may lead to death. It is the second most prominent cause of death all over the world. It can be treated with the use of antibiotics; however, the treatment for pneumonia depends on the type of cause of the disease and health of the person.

Pneumonia Symptoms:

The people suffering from pneumonia display typical symptoms like cough, fever, headache, sudden chills, chest pain, etc. Person may have cough with generation of yellow or greenish sputum along with high fever. Shortness of breath is most common in pneumonia. This is due to the alveolar sacs filled with the fluid causing difficulty in breathing.

The other symptoms observed in the person are coughing out blood, extreme sweat, headaches, sticky skin, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, pain in muscles, joint pains, etc. These symptoms are not observed in every pneumonia sufferer. Pneumonia caused by bacteria may result in diarrhea and abdominal pain. Pneumonia in elders may cause unsteadiness and unconsciousness

Diagnosis of Pneumonia:

Pneumonia is diagnosed by the use of X-rays. You can visit your health care professional for this purpose. Doctors will examine your fever, breath and lung condition. Following are somediagnostic tools for detecting pneumonia:

 

Chest X-Ray

Blood test

Test of sputum

The recovery from pneumonia depends on the type of cause of pneumonia and the treatment given to the patient. The bacterial pneumonia is easier to treat with the use of antibiotics. In case of viral pneumonia, patient has to take plenty of rest along with the use of antibiotics and proper diet.

The diagnosis of pneumonia solely depends on the knowledge of medical history and physical examination of the patient. Many times it is difficult to detect pneumonia even after test of X-rays and blood test. This is because; in hospitals many patients display similar symptoms of fever and abnormal X-rays. The test of sputum or blood test usually shows the existence of bacteria in the blood, but it may not resemble pneumonia.

Physical examination is also beneficial in diagnosing pneumonia. The saliva test is also another test carried out for detecting the existence of pneumonia disease. It is important to treat pneumonia in time or it may lead to fatality. It is the sixth leading cause of death inUnited States.

After you are affected by pneumonia, you can follow necessary precautions to take care of yourself.

Follow the treatment completely as prescribed by the doctor

Take rest until you feel completely normal and you are not suffering from fever, headache and chest pain

Increase the intake of fluid to cough out mucus more easily

Use heating pads to reduce chest pains

Follow all the instructions given by the doctor and for the prescribed period of time.