Pneumonia can be acquired anywhere: at school or at work – community based pneumonia – or in hospitals or nursing homes – nosocomial pneumonia. in this chapter we will talk about the community based pneumonia.
Pneumonia is caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites (rarely) or other microorganisms. The most common cause is the streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium. However, specialists can't usually identify the exact organism that produced the infection.
A cold or a flu, which are infections of the upper respiratory tract, make more difficult for the lungs to fight any possible infection. Because of this, it is likely for pneumonia to appear after a milder infection like flu or cold. Pneumonia appears when a person breathes in his or her lungs infected air particles.
In the recovery from pneumonia, an important role is played by the home recovery period. Here are a few measures meant to help people recover and avoid further complications like pleural effusion.
While at home:
Check the daily allowed dose of acetaminophen and ask the doctor which is it. Make sure that you don't exceed the allowed dose by taking over-the-counter medicines for cold or cough.
The doctor may solicit another appointment a week after the treatment was started to check op on the state of the patient. In case the overall state of health hasn't improved or the symptoms have worsened, consult a doctor immediately.
Usually, antibiotics are prescribed by the doctors for the bacterial pneumonia, the most common forms encountered. This treatment is taken in 5-14 days or even more if the patient has an affected immune system.
The doctor will establish what antibiotics the patient will take considering the age of the patient, the symptoms, the severity of the condition or on the necessity for hospitalization.
The first choice of antibiotic for a treatment is usually a broad – spectrum one, an antibiotic that works against a wide range of bacteria. Doctors' opinions may differ on the antibiotics prescribed for the treatments. It is good to know that all antibiotics have a high cure rate for pneumonia.
If the hospitalization is not required, one of the following antibiotics may be recommended:
In the year 2004, another antibiotic was approved for the treatment of mild to moderate pneumonia: ketolides (telithromycin).
Improvement should be seen within 2 or 3 days from the beginning of the treatment. Antibiotics should have a positive effect on young people with a good immune system. The treatment isn't changed unless the condition worsens or shows no improve, in which case, the doctor may order culture and sensitivity tests to determine the exact type of bacteria that caused the condition and to determine whether it is an antibiotic – resistant strain of bacteria.
Hospitalization is required only in the next cases:
Additional tests for identifying the bacteria that caused the condition are only taken by those patients who require hospitalization.
An early start on antibiotics treatment will result in better recovery, especially for persons aging more than 65 years and show severe symptoms.
Usually, pneumonia is a condition that is treated on short term. But when the condition repeats itself frequently, it can produce serious long term complications like COPD. If a person suffers from a severe, chronic disease, the newly acquired pneumonia may be difficult to treat or may chose not to treat it. This is conversation that the patient should have with his doctor and should also include the possibility of creating an advance directive.