About the diseases
Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. The infection leads to inflammation in the air sacs of the lungs, which are called alveoli. The alveoli fill with fluid or pus, making it difficult to breathe. It is caused by infectious agents and are contagious and can spread from one person to another. Once a person is infected with such agents how severe the pneumonia will be depends on multiple factors like immunity of the individual, comorbities like diabetes, cancer, other drugs etc.
Symptoms
- Fever (with or without sweating and chills)
- Cough (with or without sputum production)
- Breathlessness
- Respiratory failure (at times needing oxygen / NIV / Mechanical Ventilation)
- Reduced appetite
- Chest pain
Diagnosis
- History where your symptoms progressed in a quick manner.
- Depending on the severity of your symptoms and your risk of complications, we may also order one or more of these tests:
- Chest X-ray
- Blood culture
- Sputum culture, sputum biofire
- CT scan
- Bronchoscopy
Advice for the patients
Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics or anti-viral or antifungals, based on what organism has caused your infection.
The choice of antibiotics depend on the severity of illness, patients communication and the type of pneumonia eg Community acquired (CAP) / Hospital acquired (HAP) or Ventilator acquired (VAP).
Mild infections can be managed at home with oral medication and rest with nutrition.
Decision on where the treatment will occur will depend on severity of the disease and clinical condition of the patient.