What is Pneumonia? A Preventable and Treatable Killer

Everyday more than 2,500 children under years of age die of Pneumonia worldwide. This is nearly 1 in 6 of the deaths in that age group. Sub Saharan and South Asian countries including India, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Congo constitute almost 50% of total Pneumonia child deaths. There is a dire need to address preventable deaths from pneumonia and other infectious disease.

What is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia_a Lung infection disease. (Photo credit Bruce Blaus)

Pneumonia is a Lung infection disease that causes inflammation of air sacs in Lungs. It is commonly caused by bacteria, viruses, Fungi or Mycoplasma. The austerity of disease can range from slight to very severe. It is a foremost reason of death worldwide.

Types of Pneumonia

There are four types of Pneumonia:

•    Community acquired Pneumonia (CAP)
•    Hospital acquired Pneumonia (HAP)
•    Health care associated Pneumonia
•    Aspiration Pneumonia

Risk Factors

Pneumonia is more common in people with following risk factors:

Age younger than 2 years or older than 65 years

Asthma

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Heart disease

Diabetes

Mechanical ventilation

Smoking

Immunocompromised conditions such as HIV, Cancer, organ transplant, chemotherapy usage, and steroids usage.

Pneumonia Symptoms and Complications

The most common symptoms of pneumonia include:

•    Cough
•    Thick mucus
•    Shortness of breath
•    Fever
•    Chest pain
•    Muscle aches
•    Rapid heart rate
•    Confusion

Spread of Bacteria into Blood (Bacteremia)

• Formation of a pocket of pus (Lung abscess)
• Accumulation of infected fluid in lining around the Lung (Pleural effusion)

Pneumonia Diagnosis

Diagnosis of Pneumonia is based on following investigations:

•    Chest X Ray
•    Blood cultures
•    Sputum examination
•    Pulse oximetry
•    Pleural fluid samples
•    Chest Computerized Tomography (CT)

Pneumonia Treatment

Bacterial Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics:

• Viral Pneumonia is treated with antiviral medication, symptoms generally improve in 1-3 weeks.
• Fungal Pneumonia is treated with anti-fungal drugs.

How to Prevent Pneumonia?

Follow these measures to prevent Pneumonia:

In case of HAP and HACP, hands of healthcare staff often spread the organisms to the patients.

Hand washing and good hygiene practices must be performed to spread infection.

Pneumococcal vaccine prevents Pneumonia caused by Streptococcus Pneumonia.

Vaccination against Influenza Type ‘B’ prevents other forms of Pneumonia.

Smokers develop Pneumonia more often than non-smokers.

Health education for good hygienic practices, hand washing and vaccination of young children along with emphasis on balanced diet and healthy lifestyles could be extremely helpful. A persistent and integrated approach towards this preventable and treatable killer of children is the requirement of today.