Bacterial Pneumonia Symptoms

Pneumonia is an infection or inflammation of the lungs that causes the air sacs in the lungs to be filled with pus and other fluids. This causes a lot of difficulty for the oxygen to reach the blood. Pneumonia can affect the lungs in two ways, lobar pneumonia that affects the lung lobe and bronchial pneumonia that affects the patches of the lungs. There are different causes of pneumonia that include bacteria, viruses, fungi, mycoplasmas and chemical agents.

What is Bacterial Pneumonia
Bacteria pneumonia causes as the name suggests, is caused by bacteria. One comes in contact with millions of bacteria all the time, either by breathing infected air droplets, touching contaminated objects. Bacteria pneumonia symptoms are mainly seen in patients with a weakened immune system, like those who are recovering from a bout of flu or common cold. There are many bacterial agents that can cause bacterial pneumonia symptoms. These bacteria include:

• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Chlamydia trachomatis
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Legionella pneumophila
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae

Symptoms in Adults
The symptoms in adults can occur gradually or may have a sudden onset. The following are some of them:

• Cough with rust or green colored phlegm (mucus)
• Blue tint on lips or under the nails (in severe cases)
• Chest pain
• Chills
• Clammy skin
• Drowsiness
• Fast breathing and heartbeat
• Fatigue
• Feeling very tired
• Headache
• High fever (up to 105 degrees)
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle pain
• Rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Teeth chattering

Symptoms in Elderly
The symptoms in elderly are a bit different from the symptoms in children and adults. Bacterial pneumonia in elderly develops gradually and is not very noticeable. The symptoms of pneumonia in elderly are not very specific. An elderly may feel weak and dizzy and just fall down. They may lose their appetite and become more sleepy. Some of the symptoms in elderly include:

• Malaise
• Persistent cough
• Green or yellow phlegm
• Chest pain
• Mental confusion
• Fever
• Chills
• Shortness of breath

Bacterial Pneumonia Treatment
The treatment generally consists of antibiotics, like penicillin, in case of pneumococcal pneumonia. Other treatments include hospitalization, oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, analgesics to reduce fever, acetaminophen to reduce fever, etc. Bacterial pneumonia recovery time is about 24 to 48 hours after receiving proper treatment.

Bacterial pneumonia infection does not happen by getting soaking wet in a rain storm. Anyone can become infected with bacterial pneumonia, under any circumstances. Bacterial pneumonia in infants and young children not as common as viral pneumonia. Those who are cigarette smokers tend to become susceptible to bacteria pneumonia due to damage to their lungs. Alcoholism also increases the risk of bacterial pneumonia symptoms. People with compromised immune system like the elderly and patients in the hospital are also at risk of falling prey to bacterial pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonia is extrememly contagious and can spread through sneeze, cough or phlegm.

If you suspect any signs of bacterial pneumonia, please speak to your health care provider. Bacterial pneumonia can lead to many serious health complications, if not treated as early as possible. Thus, early detection and prompt treatment will help save one from the various health conditions related to bacterial pneumonia.