Pneumonia is a serious inflammation of the lungs usually caused by an infection. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The cough might be dry at the beginning of the illness but tends to be productive, with phlegm that is often green, yellow or rust colored and may give a foul odor. Pneumonia makes you sick, with fever, loss of appetite for food, aches, and chest pains that can make breathing so shallow and coughing uncomfortable. This is due to the inflammation of the air sacs and narrowing of the bronchioles caused by the infection. A chest X-ray will help confirm the diagnosis.
If pneumonia disease is not treated on time, the patient becomes drowsy, shocky, manifests a mottled skin, and the patient suffers a respiratory and renal system failure and may die eventually.
Causes
Pneumonia is caused by a so called bacteria streptococcus pneumoniae. Pneumonia, however, is not only a single disease. It can have 30 different causes, to name a few:
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Mycoplasma
- Fungi, including pneumocystis
- Various chemicals
Individuals Susceptible to Pneumonia
Pneumonia disease makes no excuse. Anybody can be a victim, it includes: children from six months to three years of age, elderly persons, cigarette smokers, HIV patients are high risk of pneumonia and may strike anybody with a suppressed immune system.
Preventive Measure Against Pneumonia
The pneumonia causing bacteria—streptococcus pneumoniae could be prevented if a vaccine had been given as a preventive measure against exposure to the disease.
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