Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue, causing the air sacs in the lungs to become inflamed and fill with fluid or pus, so less oxygen passes into the blood. It can be caused by both bacteria and viruses, and sometimes follows a cold or influenza that spreads down into the lungs. Severity ranges from mild to the point of needing hospital treatment.
Symptoms of pneumonia
Symptoms often start like a cold, then worsen faster than an ordinary cold. The most common include:
- Fever, often high, with chills
- Cough with phlegm, sometimes thick yellow-green phlegm or phlegm streaked with blood
- Rapid breathing, breathlessness, not being able to breathe fully
- Chest pain when breathing in deeply or when coughing
- Fatigue and loss of appetite; in older adults there may be confusion or drowsiness
Who is at risk and should be especially careful
Young children, older adults and people with chronic conditions — such as diabetes, lung disease, heart disease — or those with weakened immunity have a greater chance of developing severe pneumonia and complications. This group should therefore pay particular attention to prevention and vaccination.
Treatment
The doctor will make a diagnosis based on symptoms, a physical examination, and may take a chest X-ray or a blood test to assess severity and find the cause. Treatment depends on the type of germ.
- Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics — you should complete the full course as directed by the doctor, even after you feel better
- Drink plenty of fluids, rest fully, and use fever reducers / symptom relief as advised by the doctor
- Come for follow-up as scheduled; if symptoms do not improve or get worse, return to see the doctor promptly
At Doctor Chat Clinic, we examine and treat patients with a doctor, offering nebuliser treatment to relieve symptoms, blood tests to assess the condition, and preventive vaccines — both the pneumococcal vaccine (IPD) and the influenza vaccine — which help reduce the risk and severity of pneumonia.
Prevention
Pneumonia can largely be prevented with vaccines, especially the pneumococcal vaccine and the influenza vaccine, which are recommended for young children, older adults and people with chronic conditions, together with washing your hands often, not smoking and avoiding cigarette smoke, getting enough rest, eating a balanced diet, and treating colds promptly so they do not spread down into the lungs.
See a doctor or go to hospital immediately if you have these symptoms
- Severe breathlessness, rapid breathing, or the ribs pulling in
- Bluish lips or fingertips
- Drowsiness, confusion, difficulty waking — especially in children and older adults
- A persistent high fever that does not come down, or being unable to drink or take medication