Pneumonia

Definition:
Pneumonia is infection in the lungs, the most common cause of infection are viruses and bacteria’s. In pneumonia the air sacks of the lungs are filled up with fluid making it difficult to breathe and this reduces the oxygen saturation level in the blood.
Epidemiology:
In UK alone Pneumonia affects every 11 individuals out of 1000 adults, and the rate is very high in developing countries. Pneumonia is the commonest infection occurring in immune suppressed individual, like
People who are on immune suppressive drugs.
People who smoke, smoking reduces local immunity of the respiratory tract.
People suffering from AIDS
Babies and old people.
Causes of pneumonia.
As explained earlier, pneumonia can be caused by viruses and bacteria. The most devastating type of pneumonia is caused by bacteria. However in the immune compromised people it can be caused by fungi too.
The mode of spread of pneumonia is through air, the bacteria are inhaled by breathing they then colonise the lung and an inflammation reaction occurs which results in fluid in the lungs.
Risk factors
There are multiple risk factors which contribute to the occurrence of pneumonia.
Lung conditions like cancer of lungs, or fibrosis of lungs or silicosis.
Any cardiac condition.
Immune suppression
Illness like bird flu
Smoking
Conditions like HIV
People on chemotherapy.
Types of pneumonia.
Community acquired.
This is the most common type of pneumonia; the disease is contracted by the person when he is leading a normal life. This is due to inhalation of the microbes when the person is working and leading a normal life.
Hospital acquired pneumonia
In this type the cause is due to inhalation of the microbes when the person is undergoing any treatment in the hospital, this is the most dangerous type as the bacteria could be resistant to the drugs.
Types of pneumonia due to causes.
Viral pneumonia
Pneumonia due to infection caused by viruses, the most common type of viruses casing pneumonia is influenza virus both type A & type B and the chickenpox virus.
Bacterial pneumonia
Pneumonia caused by bacterial infection, this again can be divide into two types Typical and atypical. Most common type of bacteria leading to pneumonia are:
Staphylo coccus aureus.
Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Chlamydia pneumonia.
Legionella pneumophila
Influenza haemophilus.
Aspiration pneumonia
It is caused by aspiration of substance into respiratory tract. The most common causes are:
Smoke or certain chemicals.
Food substances, like peanuts.
Vomit, most common in unconscious patients.
Allergic pneumonia
Inflammation of lung due to certain allergic substances like, fungi, dust, spores might result in pneumonia. Most common type of allergic pneumonia are:
Cheese washer lungs.
Farmers lungs
Malt worker lungs.
Symptoms.
They include
Cough with sputum production.
Rapid breathing.
Fever
Wheezing
Pain in chest.
Loss of appetite
Treatment:
Once the cause of pneumonia is identified it can be treated accordingly. The main treatment lies in using broad spectrum antibiotics targeted against the bacteria.