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Pneumonia: Causes and Symptoms
Pneumonia occurs when your lungs acquire an infection. There are a variety of germs that can cause this infection, including bacteria, different types of viruses and even fungi.
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As you breathe in these substances, they settle into the air sacs �
called alveoli � of your lungs. Here
they grow and overtake your system�s normal defenses.
The air sacs
of your lungs then fill with pus and mucus in an attempt to fight the
infection. Unfortunately, this
proves futile. The inflammation
only makes these sacs less elastic. And
this prevents oxygen from properly reaching your blood stream.
As you try
harder to breathe, in an attempt to provide your body with the oxygen it
needs, you feel short of breath. The
accompanying swelling also causes many of the other symptoms of pneumonia,
especially the characteristic cough, the chest pain and fever.
This may be
difficult to believe, but pneumonia is not a single disease. Because it can be caused by different germs, there are
different types of pneumonia. In
fact, this disease has over 30 different causes!
Some of the least likely causes include breathing in dust, chemicals,
even food or liquid.
Just as there
are a variety of causes for pneumonia, various parts of your lungs may be
affected. Lobar pneumonia, for
example, only affects a single lobe or section of the lungs.
Bronchial pneumonia, by contrast, involves the tubes or bronchi
around the lungs which are responsible for brining the air into the organ.
The symptoms
of pneumonia are as diverse as the various types of the illness. How severe your set of symptoms may be depends on your age
and the type of pneumonia that you�ve developed.
All types of pneumonia share a cough, as well as the expelling of a
yellow-greenish phlegm or mucus.
Also
characteristic of pneumonia is a shortness of breath, chest pain and a
fever. Many of those
individuals who are afflicted with pneumonia describe a feeling of being
extremely tired and not feeling well at all.
There are
several ways for your personal health care practitioner to confirm whether
you have pneumonia. He�ll
first take his stethoscope and listen for any abnormal bubbling, crackling
or even rumblings from your chest. These
unusual and inappropriate sounds indicate the presence of a thick liquid in
your lungs. They may also indicate the presence of an inflammation.
You�ll more
than likely have to undergo a chest x-ray.
This will confirm the presence of the infection as well as determine
the extent and the location of the infection. This is the only way to
definitively diagnosis a case of pneumonia.
But, the
chances are your health care practitioner won�t stop with the x-ray.
No doubt, she�ll have you undergo several blood tests.
At least one of these will check on the level of your white cell
count. Others may search for
the presence of viruses and bacteria.
In another
attempt to identify the microorganism that�s at the root of your
pneumonia, she may also examine a sample of your phlegm.
How extensive
this testing is depends on how ill you are as well as your underlying risk
factors. Another consideration
in the testing depends on whether your system is responding to the therapy
she�s providing you.
Note: Some statements in this article may not be
approved by the FDA. This article is for informational purposes only and
should not be taken as professional medical advice.
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