What are the first signs of pneumonia?

The first signs of pneumonia need to be able to recognize in order to take effective measures for treatment. The difficulty lies in the fact that in some cases pneumonia occurs without specific symptoms, especially when affected by lower and distant from the major Airways of the lung lobe.

Late diagnosis slows recovery and can lead to complications in the course of the disease. Pneumonia is a life threatening condition especially urgent assistance is required for newborns and the elderly.

Symptoms of pneumonia

There are several varieties of microorganisms causing pneumonia. Depending on the type of infection, location of the main source of infection and age of the victim signs of the onset of the disease will vary.

For pneumonia, the most typical are the following:

1. A sharp increase in temperature to 37-39° C. In most cases, victims pay attention to this manifestation, but take the heat for the manifestation of colds.
2. Intoxication. Appear pain and heaviness in the head, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, weakness, sometimes pain in muscles, joints, bones. Newborns and the elderly pneumonia can occur without elevated temperature, but in all cases will be accompanied by a decrease in activity and appetite.
3. Shortness of breath. First, shortness of breath, and after a while starts coughing with sputum, pain develops on the breath, the victim could not breathe. Such a trend is more characteristic of bacterial pneumonia. Mycotic, as a rule is dry cough without sputum, pain and discomfort in the throat. Some people at an early stage no other symptoms from the respiratory system, apart from reducing the depth of breath.
4. Blood in the sputum. If pneumonia is caused by bacteria or viruses, resulting in the expectoration can be damaged blood vessels. In this case, observed in the sputum bloody streaks. The symptom is disturbing, it is advisable to immediately seek medical help.

Can pneumonia occur without symptoms? Yes, this is possible, but the weakness, decline in the quality of breath and fatigue will manifest itself in any case. The best results give rapid detection of microorganisms that cause inflammation, and conduct, depending on their type:

• treatment with antibiotics;
• antiviral therapy.

The measures taken in the first 8 hours of infection, are the mosteffective.

When there is pneumonia?

Pneumonia may occur in the form of an independent disease, or it can be a complication of another acute or chronic problems. In time to see the first signs of pneumonia, you need to know the factors which have an increased risk of its occurrence. To inflammation of the lungs cause by the following reasons:

1. The presence of an active focus of infection in the nasopharynx. It can be any chronic or acute disease of the respiratory tract, e.g., bronchitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, otitis even.
2. Constant inhalation of harmful substances. Smoking or working in hazardous industries are at risk for pneumonia.
3. Newborns prerequisites for pneumonia are congenital malformations of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, birth injury, leading to suffocation, hypoxia, asphyxia, cystic fibrosis and hypothermia.
4. Adults to pneumonia may cause decline of the immune system as a result of HIV infection, hepatitis, TB and chemical dependency. Vulnerable to pneumonia of bedridden patients and those who recently underwent surgery.
5. Elderly people are very hard to tolerate the pneumonia, especially if it occurs on a background of asthma, heart disease or endocrine system.

To prevent complications after surgery is always assigned a course of anti-inflammatory drugs, however, despite this, pneumonia in the postoperative period is quite common.

With a weakened immune system is very important to be vigilant and seek medical help immediately if you have any problems with breathing.

Pneumonia and Smoking

In smokers there is a difficulty in definition of pneumonia at an early stage. Many long-term smokers (more than 10 years) have certain disorders of the respiratory system, against which the first symptoms of pneumonia are not as noticeable as in humans without dependence on nicotine. The main chronic diseases in smokers reminiscent of the beginning of the inflammatory process in the lungs, in addition to this weakening of the mucosa of the nasopharynx and upper respiratory tract contributes to the development of pneumonia. Smokers are frequently observed:

• chronic rhinitis;
• chronic cough;
• the separation of a small amount of sputum from the bronchi;
• shallow breathing and shortness of breath, especially during physical exertion;
• shortness of breath;
• rales in the lungs.

The elderly orsmokers with the experience of more than 15 years developing the so-called smoker's bronchitis, is a chronic inflammatory process in the upper respiratory tract, which has a sluggish current and gives you the aggravation on the background of the changing brands of cigarettes or weather conditions. The main differences from the ordinary pneumonia of disorders of respiration in smokers include the following:

• pain on breathing in;
• weakness, headache and fever;
• the appearance of blood in sputum;
• increased cough, and rhinitis.

If the inflammation affects the pleura, the intensity of pain while breathing increases. In older smokers, in some cases, pneumonia asymptomatic until until begins to pose a threat to life.

In this case, the body temperature rises to 39° C, there are confusion and cyanosis, change the color of the lips cyanotic.

Potentially pneumonia can cause death from respiratory and heart failure, so the elderly should immediately contact the medical facility for prompt diagnosis.

Complications after pneumonia and a medical emergency

Because the respiratory system are actively washed by blood, the location of the source of infection in the lungs may contribute to the ingress of pathogenic organisms into the blood stream. This can lead to:

• sepsis, blood poisoning;
• meningitis, inflammation of the brain;
• endocarditis and pericarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle.

Pneumonia is dangerous for elderly people after surgical operations, so the medical staff pays special attention to the health of these patients. In pregnant pneumonia can potentially cause spread of the infection throughout the body can lead to infection of the fetus staphylococcal, pneumococcal or fungal infection and may cause miscarriage. Therefore, the decline in the quality of breath pregnant women should immediately consult to a medical facility to diagnose disorders and to exclude the possibility of pneumonia.

Independently at home pneumonia not treated traditional medicine does not help to cope with this disease. To diagnose need special equipment, so without proper research it is impossible to assert the presence or absence in humans of pneumonia. Pneumonia is diagnosed by the following methods:

• an x-ray or computed tomography of the chest;
• sputum smear;
• blood tests;
• urine;
• bronchoscopy.

After this is the selection of drugs depending on the type of agentdisease. If the patient self-medicates and responds quickly to the first signs of pneumonia, the prognosis for recovery is very favorable. If recourse is untimely, pneumonia may be fatal.

Difficult the disease occurs in young children, especially infants, and elderly people, so if you suspect pneumonia, you should immediately contact the doctor.