Pneumonia Symptoms and Back Pain

Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs caused either by bacteria, virus or fungi. But, in most of the cases, pneumonia is caused by bacteria known as Streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumonia can be found in people of any age group, and can even be fatal in case of babies and old people. You must be wondering how are lung infection and back pain related to each other. Before taking a look at it, let us know more about pneumonia.

Causes of Pneumonia
Pneumonia occurs when an individual breaths in germs that cause infection. If the immune system of the person is already weak, it cannot fight off the infection and hence, the person contracts pneumonia. On the other hand, there may also be the case that the bacteria already present in the mouth or nose, go into the lungs leading to pneumonia infection. Similarly, a person is at a greater risk of contracting lung infection if he is already weakened from any disease or has recently suffered from viral infection; diseases of the lungs or heart. Cigarette smokers are also at high risk of getting infected with pneumonia. Let us take a look at symptoms of pneumonia.

Symptoms of Pneumonia
Common signs and symptoms of pneumonia, like cold, fever, chills and cough, etc. are similar to that of influenza or flu. However, several other severe symptoms are also observed if a person suffers from pneumonia.

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Back pain
• Fast / Shallow breathing
• Increased heartbeat
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue

These symptoms can also be seen in children. But, apart from these, other symptoms like lack of energy, lack of appetite and low breathing rate are commonly observed in children. Older people may not have all the aforementioned typical symptoms of pneumonia; but, may show other signs like confusion or delirium. If a person is already suffering from any lung disease, he has the highest chance of contracting pneumonia. Walking pneumonia symptoms in adults are similar to those mentioned above, but are quite mild. As signs and symptoms of pneumonia and bronchitis are similar, the two conditions are often mistaken for each other.

Pneumonia Symptoms: Back Pain
As mentioned above, back pain is one of the lesser known symptoms of pneumonia. Tightness of the chest can be seen in case of bronchitis; whereas pneumonia is accompanied by prominent chest and back pain. This is a major distinguishing factor between pneumonia and bronchitis. As lungs are infected in case of pneumonia, one experiences back and chest pain. Back pain is observed only in case of bacterial pneumonia. Most of the time, it is also observed that the chest and back pain aggravates with breathing. When the person breathes deeply, it experiences pain in the back and in the lower chest. Therefore, if a person complains of back pain that worsens while breathing, it is considered as a symptom of pneumonia. However, only back pain without any other symptom of pneumonia may not help in diagnosing the condition.

Treatment of Pneumonia
A chest X-ray helps in diagnosing the cause of back pain while breathing. X-ray report can clearly show infection in the lungs. If the person also experiences other major symptoms of pneumonia, the doctor will ask the person to undertake blood tests. The treatment of pneumonia completely depends upon the cause of it; whether it is caused due to bacteria or virus. Anti-viral medication, or anti-bacterial medication and antibiotics can help in treating pneumonia completely. Back pain can be treated by other prescription medication. On the other hand, if pneumonia is followed by other complications like respiratory system failure, SARS, abscess or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS); it is difficult to control and cure it. Hospitalization with intravenous antibiotic treatment is necessary in this case. Pneumonia, accompanied with other complications, can even result in death of the person. It should be noted that pneumonia can be cured only if it is treated immediately.

When talking about pneumonia prevention, note that taking pneumonia vaccine, maintaining cleanliness and hygiene, and having a healthy diet can prevent the disease to a great extent. Lastly, one should remember that among all pneumonia symptoms, back pain is also a major sign and should not be ignored. Take care!