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PneumoniaIntroduction Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, usually caused by an infection. You can get pneumonia in just one lung, or in both. Normally, your lungs filter the air that you breathe in, getting rid of any germs and harmful substances so that they don't get into your body. The germs that cause pneumonia include bacteria, viruses, and occasionally fungi and yeasts. If germs do get past your lungs defences they can cause an infection, which can lead to the inflammation of pneumonia. The same thing can happen if you breathe in a harmful substance such as smoke, vomit, poison, or a chemical. Pneumonia is common, affecting about 1 in 100 people in the UK each year. It can affect people of any age, but is most common in those over the age of 70. Although pneumonia can be treated, it is a serious condition and can be life-threatening, particularly for the elderly, or those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms Most cases of pneumonia develop quickly, over about 24 hours. The most common symptoms are: cough, chest pain from coughing, difficult or painful breathing sweating and shivering, nausea and vomiting, muscle aches and pains, and headache. If you have pneumonia you will usually feel very ill. You probably won't feel like eating or drinking and will usually feel weak and tired. You may find it difficult to catch your breath after doing any form of physical activity, and sometimes even when resting. This is because when you get an infection in your lungs, the tiny air sacs within them become inflamed, making it more difficult for your lungs to take in the oxygen you need to breathe easily. The cough that pneumonia causes may be dry at first, but after a few days you will normally start to cough up phlegm (thick fluid produced by your lungs). The phlegm is often yellow/green or bloodstained. The symptoms of pneumonia can vary in seriousness from mild to life-threatening. Causes Germs entering your lungs and causing an infection usually cause pneumonia. In most cases this happens when you breathe in these germs, but occasionally bacteria from an infection in another part of your body can travel through your bloodstream to your lungs. When an infection gets into your lungs, your body tries to fight it and releases chemicals that make more blood flow to the infected area. Although this helps fight the infection, it also irritates the airways in your lungs, inflaming them. At the end of the airways are clusters of tiny air sacs. Fluid made by the inflamed tissue builds up in these air sacs, causing the cough or breathing problems of pneumonia. The germs that cause pneumonia include bacteria, viruses, and occasionally fungi and yeasts. Bacteria cause half of all pneumonia cases. A streptococcus bacteria known as pneumococcus is the most common cause of pneumonia. Different types of germs cause different pneumonia symptoms, with some making you more ill than others. In about a third of cases, your doctor may be unable to tell what type of germ caused your pneumonia. Breathing in a substance that irritates and inflames your lungs - such as vomit, smoke, poison or a chemical - can also cause pneumonia. This type of pneumonia is called aspiration pneumonia. Some pneumonias are caused by allergies to work-related materials. This type of pneumonia is often known by the name of the profession that it usually affects. It includes: farmers lung, pigeons fanciers lung, wool-sorters lung, malt-workers lung, and cheese-handlers lung. Risk factors You are more at risk of pneumonia if: you are over 65, you smoke, you are a heavy drinker, you already have a lung disease, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis, you have, or have recently had, an illness that has made your body's natural defences against infection weaker, such as flu, you take medicine for an illness such as AIDS or cancer, which has made it harder for your body to fight off infection, or you are an intravenous drug user. Children under the age of 2 are also at increased risk of pneumonia. Diagnosis To diagnose pneumonia, your doctor will ask you questions about your illness. The questions will check whether you have: a cough that hasn't gone away after a few days, shallow breathing or breathlessness, and pain in your chest that gets worse when you breathe in or out. Your doctor may give you a physical examination to check whether one side of your chest is a different shape from the other, and listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If your doctor hears bubbles or crackling noises it can be a sign that your lungs are inflamed or blocked. A chest x-ray can usually confirm a diagnosis of pneumonia and show exactly where the inflammation is located and how far it has spread. A sample of your phlegm may be sent for examination, to identify the germ that has caused your infection. This information can help your doctor decide which is the best treatment for you. Treatment The treatment of pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia you have and the severity of your symptoms. Bacterial pneumonia is usually treated with antibiotics, which fight the bacterial infection. Treatment with antibiotics will either cure bacterial pneumonia, or improve its symptoms, in 9 out of 10 people. Viral pneumonia can't be treated with antibiotics. If you have viral pneumonia your body has to fight the infection on its own. The recommended treatment is the same as for flu - rest and drinking plenty of fluids. Aspiration pneumonia is normally treated at first by giving oxygen. The oxygen will be delivered through a face-mask linked to an oxygen tank by a tube. If this does not raise your oxygen levels enough then you may be put on a ventilator (breathing machine). A ventilator delivers oxygen-rich air through a tube inserted into your mouth, down your throat and into your lungs. For all types of pneumonia, painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can help to ease the pain and fever caused by the pneumonia. Ibuprofen is not recommended if you have a history of asthma, kidney, or liver disease. Make sure that you have plenty to drink to avoid dehydration. Most people with pneumonia do not need to be admitted to hospital and can be treated at home. However, if your symptoms are severe, or if the symptoms of bacterial pneumonia do not improve after you have been prescribed antibiotics, you may be admitted to hospital. The very young or old, and those with an existing lung disease such as cystic fibrosis are also more likely to need hospital care. Once in hospital you can be given antibiotics intravenously if necessary. If your symptoms are severe you may also need to be given oxygen to raise the oxygen levels in your blood, or be given fluids intravenously to prevent you from becoming dehydrated. Prevention There are vaccines that can help protect against pneumococcal pneumonia - the most common form of pneumonia. Your doctor may recommend that you are vaccinated if you are at a higher risk of pneumonia, or if pneumonia would be likely to cause you dangerous complications. You doctor is likely to recommend that you be vaccinated if you: are elderly, have a chronic heart, lung, liver or kidney disease, have diabetes, have a weakened immune system due to a disease, or treatment for a disease, have had your spleen removed, or have a spleen that is not working correctly, or have cochlear implants. As pneumonia can be a complication of flu, having a flu vaccination can also help prevent pneumonia. If you already have pneumonia there are precautions you can take to avoid spreading it to other people: Cover your nose and mouth when you cough or sneeze. Throw away any used tissues - don't leave them lying around. Wash your hands thoroughly and regularly. Avoid contact with anyone who is at increased risk of getting pneumonia, such as the elderly or anyone who has a weakened immune system. Not smoking can help prevent pneumonia. Smoking damages the airways of your lungs making your lungs more vulnerable to infection. Essential oils can sometimes help and the most effective of these are Eucalyptus, Lavender, Pine and Tea Tree as well as Cajeput and Niaouli. If the patient can sit up and take steam inhalations these would be the most effective help. Also using 2-3 out of the above list of essential oils diluted in a carrier oil gently rub the patient’s chest and back at regular intervals. Also if the person is well enough to take a bath then put a few drops into the bath. |
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