Pneumonia Complications: Fluid in Lungs

Pneumonia is a health condition in which one or both the lungs get infected, either by a virus, bacteria or a fungus. When a person contracts this infection, the airways and air sacs (known as alveoli) in the lungs become inflamed and get filled with fluid. As a result, the lungs are unable to function properly, making it difficult for oxygen to enter deep in the lungs from where it is normally passed onto the blood. Thus, it can lead to serious consequences considering the fact that both these conditions lead to a deficiency of oxygen in the blood. It is observed that people whose immune system is weak, are above the age of sixty-five, who smoke or drink in excess or who suffer from illnesses such as cancer, HIV/AIDS are much more likely to get pneumonia compared to other healthy individuals. To understand this health condition better, below are the symptoms and causes explained in detail, followed by the treatment options for the same.

Causes

• A person can catch bacterial pneumonia if he gets infected by the bacteria present in the environment such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae and Klebsiella pneumoniae
• Another cause is when a person breathes in organisms such as Legionella pneumophila from the environment, resulting in Legionnaire's disease
• Certain viruses such as the adenoviruses, rhinovirus, influenza (flu) virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus can cause viral pneumonia.
• Allergies such as farmers lung can produce the symptoms.
• Inhalation of substances such as smoke or certain hazardous chemicals.
• Fungal infections like histoplasmosis, blastomycosis, coccidiomycosis, cryptococcosis and aspergillosis can lead to pneumonia.

Usually, it is seen that the various microorganisms are already present in the body before a person actually falls ill. However, there are many instances where a person breathes in droplets which are present in the air by other people's coughing or sneezing.

Symptoms

• A persistent cough, which is dry initially but later is experienced with yellow/green/rust colored, smelly phlegm
• Pain in the chest
• Other symptoms in adults include fever, breathlessness and night sweats
• People above the age of sixty may experience confusion and difficulty in balancing
• The symptoms of fluid in lungs, also known as pleural effusion, accompanied by difficulty in breathing, is seen in patients if their condition deteriorates further
• If the infection spreads to the blood or other body parts, blood infection known as septicemia occurs in patients

Treatment

To diagnose pneumonia, the doctor examines the patient for its signs and symptoms. He uses the stethoscope to check breathing sounds, checks the oxygen amount in the blood through a device and may recommend an X-ray to find the exact location of the infection as well as its severity. Sometimes, samples of phlegm/blood are sent for testing to a laboratory too. All these tests are done to ascertain which microorganism has caused pneumonia so that treatment for the same can be undertaken.

For treating pneumonia, antibiotics are given. If the condition of the patient is very serious, he is given antibiotics through a drip. Patients who are facing severe breathing problems are put on ventilators. Usually, after taking antibiotics, people get well within a week, still the recovery time may sometimes stretch to two months if the infection is severe or if the immune system is really weak. Along with the treatment, complete bed rest and increasing the intake of fluids is recommended. If the pain in chest is unbearable, then to minimize it, paracetamol can be taken but only after consulting the doctor.

Fluid in lungs, besides being caused by pneumonia, can result from cardiac pulmonary edema, also known as congestive heart failure. It happens when the left ventricle of the heart is not able to pump out enough blood, which it gets from the lungs, resulting in an increased pressure in the left atrium, pulmonary veins and capillaries. This causes the fluid to push from the capillary walls in the air sacs. Thus, fluid in lungs, and heart conditions, such as congestive heart failure are inter-related. Fluid in lungs after heart surgery, especially that which involves valve replacement, is a common occurrence too and is not considered something serious. As can be seen, besides pneumonia, there are many other causes behind fluid filled lungs. Timely treatment for the same should be undertaken or it can become life-threatening.