Pneumonia
By: Yuliana Martinez
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can make you very sick.
Causative Agent
Infectious- Bacteria (streptococcus pneumonia)
-virus
-fungi
Non-infectious
-inhalation on toxic gases, like chemicals
-secondary to other existing disease
-aspiration of foreign substances
Diagnosis
Doctors usually listen to the patients lungs and listen for wheezing and if the hear wheezing they order for a chest x-ray to see if it is pneumonia
-Sputum examination
-Chest x-ray
How it is transmitted
Pneumonia can be spread easily to another person by either touching a contaminated place or sneezing or coughing.
Relative frequency of the disease
Pneumonia is a disease that is always around and people can always get it.
Disease course
Symptoms:
-fever with chills
-cough characterized by rusty sputum
-chest pain
-symptoms of respiratory distress
Possible complications
- Bacteria in the bloodstream (bacteremia). Bacteria that enter the bloodstream from your lungs can spread the infection to other organs, potentially causing organ failure.
- Lung abscess. An abscess occurs if pus forms in a cavity in the lung. An abscess is usually treated with antibiotics. Sometimes, surgery or drainage with a long needle or tube placed into the abscess is needed to remove the pus.
- Fluid accumulation around your lungs (pleural effusion).Pneumonia may cause fluid to build up in the thin space between layers of tissue that line the lungs and chest cavity (pleura). If the fluid becomes infected, you may need to have it drained through a chest tube or removed with surgery.
- Difficulty breathing. If your pneumonia is severe or you have chronic underlying lung diseases, you may have trouble breathing in enough oxygen. You may need to be hospitalized and use a mechanical ventilator while your lung heal
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pneumonia/basics/complications/con-20020032
Target audience
Anyone could get pneumonia but people who are more likely to get it are infants of the age 2 and younger or older people over the age of 65.