Types of pneumonia
There are various bacteria that cause bacterial pneumonia. The streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterium that causes bacterial pneumonia. This is a usual condition that occurs when the body is mostly weakened by the illness malnutrition or old age factors. This allows the bacteria to find their way to lungs, bacterial pneumonia affects all ages but people with alcoholic habits and post operative and patients with respiratory diseases are mostly prone to this kind of disease. This happens due to the less effective immune system of an individual.
The symptoms include chilly shivers, severe chest pain, shaking and rapid pulse rate. This state can also cause mental disorder and or production of rust colored mucous. There are other symptoms too like discoloration of nail beds and even rapid breathing in the individual, chattering of teeth and even bluish reddish appearance of the lips are a part of the symptoms of these diseases.
Viral mucous is caused mainly by the viruses and it is the main cause of pneumonia in human beings. The symptoms are quite same as the bacterial pneumonia. These are followed by increased breathlessness and worsening cough. Viral pneumonia gives way to bacterial pneumonia in human beings.
Mycoplasma pneumonia has a different physical symptoms and signs. Caused by Mycoplasma the smallest living pathogen (not a bacteria or a virus) that causes disease in human beings. They cause widespread and mild pneumonia affecting all the age groups around the globe. Cough that produce mucus is a common symptom of this type of infection. Mycoplasma pneumonia is often associated with symptoms that are outside lungs and causes neurological syndromes. Several forms have been described mostly in all age groups.
People who are mostly affected with these kinds of infection those who eventually have a weaker immune system than others. Those who are elderly aged people, people with alcoholic habits, chain smokers and even people who have chronic diseases are persons whose immunity are less than others. There are people who take immuno suppressants to suppress the body immunity these are also prone to such infections.
Chlamydophila pneumonia is a throughout year occurring disease and causes 5-15% of the total pneumonias. It is mild and has low mortality rate. On the other hand a typical pneumonia due to Legionella accounts for 2-6% of the pneumonias but has a high mortality rate.
Aspiration pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs and bronchial tubes caused by inhalation of foreign material, or through food, drinking or secretions through mouth. This may cause in collection of pocket of pus near lungs of the individual. This causes mainly swallowing disorders that affects the esophagus, and causes other swallowing disorders. Old age, use of drugs and excessive alcohol consumption are the common causes of this disorder. The lungs respond accordingly to the amount of aspirated substance. The increase in acidity of the material taken increases the effect of lung injury. It is not necessary that this might lead to pneumonia.
Bacteria like Mycoplasma pneumonia, Chlamydophila pneumonia; Legionella pneumophila causes the atypical pneumonia in human beings. There are mostly mild but sometime can really turn severe causing lot of problems and high mortality rate. The symptoms of atypical pneumonia is same as that of other types of pneumonia but they are less drawn out and usually come late as compared in the other types of pneumonia.
Cytomegalovirus virus CMV is a virus that causes lung infection in immune suppressed people. This is common in people who are about to undergo transplant of bone marrow or any heart transplant surgery. CMV is very common among these people and can cause infection in blood. There are no set common symptoms of CMV; even patients who are undergoing chemotherapy can acquire this infection easily. People who are undergoing chemotherapy can also expect to get this infection. It is common among people that are undergoing surgery. 20% of the bone marrow patients suffer from this infection. Decreased levels of oxygen in blood in association with CMV cause a fatal result.
The hospital acquired pneumonia mainly occurs in people who have been hospitalized due to some diseases; these people have a low immunity power so they tend to fall prey to this infection. Pneumonia is a very common type of infection. This is a mild lung infection but can turn serious and can become life threatening. Risk factors are more to people that are hospitalized due to alcohol related habits and people who are of much older age. They can get these infections quite easily due to the weakness that occurs in their immunity levels.
CAP or the community acquired pneumoniae is very serious illness, it is the 4th most common disease in UK and 6th most common disease In the U.S. Bacterial pathogens cause nearly 85% of these types of infections. The pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae cause most of this type of disease. Other bacteria and pathogens include Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae. Rests 15% of these diseases are caused by atypical pathogens like the aerobic gram negative bacilli. But these are rare causing pathogens. Proper care needs to be taken from preventing oneself from this kind of infection; this is because this disease is considered to be a high mortality rate causing infection.
Legionnaire's disease is a respiratory infection of acute type caused by bacterium legionella pneumophila; this causes a broad spectrum of diseases from mild cough to fever and even pneumonia. This bacterium is found in the water delivery systems of buildings and hospitals even. These are mainly diseases affecting the respiratory tract but there is no proven evidence of people to people spreading of this infection. The bacteria causing this disease mainly shows effects in the first 4-5 days then after another 4-5 days the condition of the person starts improving a lot. These infections also occur in people who have less developed immune system like the old aged people or children.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia is an infection that is caused by Pneumocystis carinii a fungus. It is quite widely spread in the environment as it is not a pathogen. Pneumocystis carinii may lead to a lung infection but not in healthy individuals it is found in those individuals who have a weak immune system. People with HIV AIDS and people who are undergoing organ transplantation also get prone to this disease easily. People that have advanced AIDS become easily prone to this infection. According to a recent study in US nearly 70% of the people who have advanced AIDS are developing PCP
Pneumonia in immuno compromised host is mainly a lung infection that occurs in a person whose immune system has become weak. They are easily susceptible to disease because their immune system is not properly able to resist the action of bacteria due to their defective immune system. This phenomenon of immuno suppression can occur due to AIDS, HIV or Leukemia, even organ transplant like the bone marrow transplant and during chemotherapy too the immune system becomes weak.
Talking about the viral pneumonia as the name suggest is caused by a virus, and occurs due to infection in the lungs. This basically causes the inflammation in the lungs so due to this factor it can really affect the person. It affects 1 out of every 100 people present. Several viruses are responsible for the spread of this type of pneumonia like adenovirus, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex virus and also Hantavirus. Most of the cases of viral pneumonia are mild but some may turn severe, the mild pneumonia gets better at home and doesn’t need a medication. Serious risk can occur to people who have less effective immune system. There are people who take medicines for autoimmune diseases they become susceptible to these infection due to the drop in their immune system so they are not able to resist these bacteria. People who are heavy drinkers or smokers and even people that go for transplant in organs or heart transplant surgery also become susceptible to these infections.