Pneumonia Signs and Symptoms

Pneumonia is a respiratory disease caused by lung inflammation.The inflammation is caused by bacteria, fungi or other parasites. The area of the lung affected by them is the alveoli which are tiny pockets in your lungs used for air storage. The air stored over here is then converted into oxygen which is absorbed by the blood stream. If this area is infected, the respiratory system function may be compromised and one may face difficulty breathing. The air sacs in lungs fill with fluid and pus causing pneumonia.

Pneumonia is a serious condition as it can attack the young as well as the old. Elderly above 65 and infants and kids below 3 years of age are at a higher risk of contagion. It also arises as a complication of other ailments like influenza when your body is already in a weakened state. Pneumonia, if identified correctly, can be treated and cured.

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia?

Pneumonia signs and symptoms are sometimes deceptively simple and herein lies the danger; they tend to get ignored. Most symptoms of pneumonia are flu-like. Here's a list of the common signs and symptoms of pneumonia.

Initial Symptoms of Pneumonia

• Cough (In some cases, patients cough up blood.)
• Fever
• Fatigue or weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headaches

Notice how similar these symptoms are to influenza or colds. With such symptoms even a doctor has difficulty diagnosing if the patient is suffering from pneumonia. At such at the initial stage, antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines are prescribed to reduce the fever and relieve the cough. Patients may be tempted to use cough suppressants, to completely eradicate the cough but this should be avoided as coughing helps in clearing the lungs of congestion.

These initial symptoms are usually indicative of walking pneumonia (also called community acquired pneumonia) which is a mild form of pneumonia. The patient does not require bed rest or hospitalization and rarely sees a doctor since the signs and symptoms of walking pneumonia are not severe. The research paper "Community Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia" written by Anevlavis S (MD) and Bouros D (MD PHD) of Democritus University of Thrace shows that, in the US, 80% of community acquired pneumonia cases are solved without hospitalization.

Severe Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia

• Reddish, green or yellow sputum or phlegm coughed up from lungs
• Sharp chest pains that occur with inhaling deeply (a.k.a pleuritic pain)
• Delirium and confusion
• Sweating
• Shaking chills
• In some cases pneumonia can cause diarrhea and abdominal pain
• Purplish or blue-tinged skin (cyanosis)

These symptoms are an indication that medical attention is required. Usually, an X-ray and a blood test are carried out to understand the extent of the infection.

Pneumonia symptoms in children are slightly confusing. Infants may display some of the initial symptoms but in most cases it's a false alarm, the infant is simply sleepy or shows lack of appetite. However care must be taken as infants have an under-developed immune system and hence are more vulnerable to germs.

And now, let's move to understanding the signs and symptoms in adults. The symptoms of pneumonia in adults above 65 are difficult to detect because they are rarely typical. Ironically, symptoms in individuals belonging to this age group and those with a weakened immune system are less in number and milder than in individuals who are healthier and have greater germ resistance. So it's more obvious when a twenty year old is suffering from pneumonia than when a sixty year old is. It has been noted that older adults have a lower than normal temperature instead of the high fever symptom of pneumonia seen otherwise.

Now that you know about the pneumonia signs and symptoms, in both adults and children, here's a little about the prevention and treatment of pneumonia. Pneumonia vaccines are available for infants and young children. In the US, a pneumonia vaccine is also available for adults above the age of 65. In severe cases, hospitalization may be required and intravenous antibiotics are prescribed. With pneumonia, one must complete the treatment course and attend follow-up appointments to ensure that pneumonia are completely cured.