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CALLED “PNEUMONIA”
• Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be caused by different types of
microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
• Symptoms of pneumonia include cough with sputum production, fever,
and sharp chest pain on inspiration (breathing in).
• Pneumonia is suspected when a doctor hears abnormal sounds in the
chest, and the diagnosis is confirmed by a chest X-ray.
• Bacteria causing pneumonia can be identified by sputum culture.
• A pleural effusion is a fluid collection around the inflamed lung.
• Bacterial and fungal (but not viral) pneumonia can be treated with
antibiotics.
The alveoli are microscopic air filled sacs in the lungs responsible for gas
exchange. Pneumonia can result from a variety of causes, including infection
with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, and chemical or physical injury to
the lungs. Its cause may also be officially described as unknown when
infectious causes have been excluded.
Once organisms enter the lungs, they usually settle in the air sacs and
passages of the lung where they rapidly grow in number. This area of the
lung then becomes filled with fluid and pus (the body's inflammatory cells) as
the body attempts to fight off the infection.
The only pain fibers in the lung are on the surface of the lung, in the area
known as the pleura. Chest pain may develop if the outer aspects of the lung
close to the pleura are involved. This pain is usually sharp and worsens when
taking a deep breath and is known as pleuritic pain or pleurisy. In other
cases of pneumonia, depending on the causative organism, there can be a
slow onset of symptoms. A worsening cough, headaches, and muscle aches
may be the only symptoms.
Children and babies who develop pneumonia often do not have any specific
signs of a chest infection but develop a fever, appear quite ill, and can
become lethargic. Elderly people may also have few symptoms with
pneumonia.
The more virulent organisms often come from the health-care environment,
either the hospital or nursing homes. These organisms have been exposed to
a variety of the strongest antibiotics that we have available. They tend to
develop resistance to some of these antibiotics. These organisms are
referred to as nosocomial bacteria and can cause what is known as
nosocomial pneumonia when the lungs become infected.