Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an abnormal inflammation of a lung. It often includes the inflammation of the alveoli (spherical outcroppings of the respiratory sites of gas exchange with the blood) and abnormal alveolar filling up with fluid.
People who are infected with pneumonia often cough and produce greenish or yellow phlegm and have a high fever that may be accompanied by shaking chills. Shortness of breath is common, as is chest pain.
People with pneumonia may also cough up blood, experience headaches, or develop sweaty and clammy skin. Other possible symptoms are loss of appetite, fatigue, blueness of the skin, nausea, vomiting, mood swings, and joint pains or muscle aches. Rare forms of pneumonia can cause other symptoms; for such as abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
In the elderly, symptoms of pneumonia are generally atypical. A new or worsening state of delirium can develop or unsteadiness leading to falls may be experienced. Infants with pneumonia may have many of the above symptoms, but in many cases, they are simply sleepy or have a decreased appetite.
Pneumonia does not have one cause but rather a number of them. Each cause also creates a slightly different version of the disease. There is a viral, bacterial, fungal, parasitical and idiopathic forms of pneumonia.
Most cases of pneumonia can be treated without hospitalization. Typically, oral antibiotics, rest, fluids, and home care are sufficient for complete resolution. However, people with pneumonia who are having trouble breathing, people with other medical problems and the elderly may need treatment that's more advanced. If the symptoms get worse, the pneumonia does not improve with home treatment, or complications occur, the person will often have to be hospitalized.
