Friday 3 July 2020

Are you aware about the types of Pneumonia?




Pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, fungus or viruses, most often it is bacterial infection caused by a bacteria named Streptococcus pneumoniae. Haemophilus influenzae and Staphylococcus aureus are the other bacteria that cause Pneumonia in human beings. It is a lung disease and causes inflammation in the air sacs (alveoli). It takes about 24 to 48 hours for the symptoms to show. Fungal Pneumonia is less common in the UK and people who are affected usually have a very weak immune system. 

The other types of Pneumonia are Hospital-Pneumonia: this happens when people have been breathing through machines or have been in the hospital for long. Aspiration Pneumonia is when a foreign object or smoke lodges itself into the lungs. Symptoms include a dry cough with yellow phlegm, breathing difficulty even while you are resting and chest pain especially while coughing, high fever with shivering and sweating, wheezing or coughing up blood is also seen in certain cases. Each year approximately 1% people are affected by pneumonia.

Treating Pneumonia:

For the Pneumonia treatment to begin, first a proper diagnosis is required, which is tricky because the symptoms are similar to common cold, influenza, asthma or bronchitis. For contagious diseases such as Pneumonia, doctors strongly advice all their patients to go for the Pneumonia Vaccination jab. Once affected by Pneumonia, it takes up to 6 months for a person to get back to normal, which is a colossal waste of time and health. Instead, the Pneumonia Vaccination should be administered especially to those who are at a higher risk such as babies, elderly people especially above 65 years of age and older, adults and kids who have been diagnosed with long term illnesses. Babies can be vaccinated at 12 weeks and again at 12 months age. The elderly need only one dose of the Pneumonia Vaccination, while the patients with long term illness can be given a single vaccine or one every five years as directed by the physician. In case your child has had a bad allergy to any of the vaccines in the past make sure to inform your physician or GP. Certain side effects of the vaccine as seen with every vaccine include redness in the area where the vaccine was administered, swelling and/or a slight fever.