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The pneumonia is the acute inflammation of the pulmonary tissue, which get swollen, red and causes great pain. It is caused by a mycobacterial infection, bacteria, viruses or fungi, and also by the inhalation of caustic or abrasive liquids or poison gas. |
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The pneumonia is the acute inflammation of the pulmonary tissue, which get swollen, red and causes great pain. It is caused by a mycobacterial infection, bacteria, viruses or fungi, and also by the inhalation of caustic or abrasive liquids or poison gas. Its most common manifestations are fever, pain on the affected side when breathing, cough and phlegm and respiratory difficulties.
In the past, this severe disease generally leaded to death, but currently, thanks to new treatments and antibiotics, the risk has been reduced. However, pneumonia is the most frequent lethal infection, and is in the sixth place between the most common dead causes. People who suffer from weakening diseases, old people, people ill with congenital pneumopathies and cardiopathies are more likely to suffer from it.
The respiratory structure starts at the trachea, which is divided in two branches or main bronchial tubes. These are subdivided in three secondary bronchi for the right lung-which lead to three pulmonary lobes- and in two secondary bronchi for the left lung. They have only two pulmonary lobes so as to make space for the heart. The bronchi, in each pulmonary lobe, are divided in bronchioles and in smaller branches (alveolar ducts), which allow the interchange of gases (oxygen and carbonic dioxide) with the blood.
A kind of atypical pneumonia is the “Legionary’s disease”, caused by the "Legionella neumophilia”, characterised for being epidemic and have a high mortality rate.
Other types of Pneumonia
Although any kind of pneumonia can be classified in one of the previous categories, there are variations in the causing agent or in the complications. For that reason, they have different names. The “double pneumonia” affects the two pulmonary lobules. The “atypical pneumonia” is the one caused by micro-organisms that are very similar to bacteria. The “Q fever” is a pulmonary infection caused by rickettsias, and the “Psittacosis” is the pneumonia caused by chlamydia, and is transmitted by domestic birds.
It’s also important to remember that viral infections, such as a regular cold and influenza, ease the bacterial infection of the lungs. Pneumonia can complicate the prognosis of patients who suffer from asthma and their respiratory difficulties can be seriously aggravated.
Causing Agents
There are different agents that can cause pneumonia: bacteria are, generally, the cause of lobar pneumonia; the cause of bronchopneumonia frequently is the Haemophilus influenzae bacteria; and pneumonia complicated by pulmonary abscess is caused by Staphylococcus.
The pneumonia which is not caused by bacteria, is generally caused by viruses. The infection in the upper respiratory tract, both nose and throat disorders as well as a regular cold, favour viral infections in the lungs.
Aspiration pneumonia is caused by aspirating oral or gastric contents while eating or after vomiting.
Complications
Although pneumonia is not a common disease, statistics show that it affects one out of 300 people in one year. The death rate reaches the 3% and, generally, it affects old people who suffer from bronchial diseases or patients ill with weakening diseases that reduce their defences.
Pneumonia can have several complications. The most frequent one is pleuritis, which can cause a pleural spillage of the infected liquid. Another possible complication are pulmonary abscesses, although they only appear in severe cases.
Treatment
The basic treatment is based on the use of antibiotics that fight against the causing agent: penicillin for lobar pneumonia; tetracycline for Psittacosis and another specific antibiotics for the other forms of pneumonia. The exception is the viral pneumonia, since it is not treated with antibiotics.
The use of expectorants is also recommendable, so that the patient can expel the secretions and the use of analgesics to ease the thoracic pain.
Although neither oxygenotherapy nor inhalations of bronchodilators can cure pneumonia, they help to ease the nuisances caused by respiratory difficulties. |
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