How To Treat Pneumonia Cough

When Does A Cough Turn Into Pneumonia

If you prefer to listen to this article, click on the SoundCloud player below.

So youve been coughing for a while, and instead of getting better, it seems like your cough is getting worse. Maybe youve even started coughing up phlegm or have pain in your chest when you cough. Those are signs your cough might actually be pneumonia.

Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs that can range from mild to life-threatening, which causes your lungs to fill up with fluid or pus. You may experience difficulty breathing or have a fever. If youre a healthy young adult, pneumonia might not be as serious as it is for very young kids or adults over age 65.

Whether youve had your cough for three days or three weeks, knowing the symptoms of pneumonia and when to go to the doctor can help put your mind at ease.

Considering Kids And Cough Medications

The FDA does not recommend using over-the-counter medications for cough and cold symptoms in children younger than age two. As a result of this decision, many manufacturers relabeled their products to state that they should not be given to children younger than age four. Be aware that many of these products contain multiple ingredients, which can lead to accidental overdosing, says the FDA.

The FDA advises that over-the-counter cold and cough products can be harmful to children if they take:

• Doses too often
• More than one product containing the same drug
• More than the recommended amount
• Medicines that are intended for adults

Check out this sample Drug Facts label for an over-the-counter cough and cold medication, provided as an example on the FDAs Website. Notice the drug names in the Active Ingredients section and the Warnings section, and read them carefully.

Take Something For The Aches

If aches or fever are wearing you down, a pain reliever might help, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Be sure you follow the instructions on the label for how much to take and how often. Speaking of taking medicine: If your doctor gives you an antibiotic, take every dose of it, even if you start to feel good again before you use it up. When you quit too soon, the pneumonia could come back.

Also Check: What Can I Do To Get Over Pneumonia Fast

What Are The Treatments For Walking Pneumonia

The treatment of walking pneumonia mainly depends on the cause of the disease. Some of the common treatment options applied in the treatment of walking pneumonia include:

• Antibiotics
• Strengthening the weak immune system
• Immunization for children and adults
• Pneumococcal vaccine
• Giving influenza vaccine for preventing flu also works

It is always recommended to stay away from people who have acquired walking pneumonia so that lesser chances of catching up the disease are there.

Read Also: Pneumonia Vaccine Booster How Often

Drink A Cup Of Ginger Tea

Ginger has also demonstrated anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties in recent research . As with turmeric, current research on ginger hasnt looked at whether it helps specifically with chest pain, but its a harmless, hydrating way to try and soothe the uncomfortable effects of pneumonia.

You can find loose or bagged ginger teas at your local grocery or online. Or, you can use raw ginger to make your own ginger tea.

Your fever may develop suddenly or over the course of a few days. With treatment, it should subside within the week.

You May Like: Can Pneumonia Cause An Enlarged Heart

Will My Child Need To Go To Hospital

Your doctor will assess if you child should be looked after in hospital based on their symptoms and other factors, including their age. Babies under 6 months old are more likely to be admitted to hospital.

Your doctor will take into account if your child:

• has difficulty breathing
• is dehydrated because they wont feed or drink
• cant take antibiotics through their mouth
• is breathing very fast
• has low oxygen levels in their blood
• is not responding to the prescribed antibiotics
• has another lung, heart or immune deficiency condition

In hospital your child may be given antibiotics through a drip. If they need it, they may be given oxygen to help them breathe more easily. If they are dehydrated, they may also be given fluids through a drip.

What Can I Do At Home To Feel Better

In addition to taking any antibiotics and/or medicine your doctor prescribes, you should also:

• Get lots of rest. Rest will help your body fight the infection.
• Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids will keep you hydrated. They can help loosen the mucus in your lungs. Try water, warm tea, and clear soups.
• Stop smoking if you smoke and avoid secondhand smoke. Smoke can make your symptoms worse. Smoking also increases your risk of developing pneumonia and other lung problems in the future. You should also avoid lit fireplaces or other areas where the air may not be clean.
• Stay home from school or work until your symptoms go away. This usually means waiting until your fever breaks and you arent coughing up mucus. Ask your doctor when its okay for you to return to school or work.
• Use a cool-mist humidifier or take a warm bath. This will help clear your lungs and make it easier for you to breathe.

Read Also: Do You Get A Fever When You Have Pneumonia

How To Calm That Cough Down

Fortunately, there are things you can do to treat a cough while you recover from COVID-19 at home. It can help to elevate yourself when sleeping by slipping a wedge under your pillow, says Klitzman.

She adds, Over-the-counter cough suppressants antitussives taken before bed can be very helpful. So can cough suppressants with codeine. They make you sleepy, so are good to use at night, but you dont want to become reliant on that.

For Searight, who is off prescription cough medicine, drinking lots of herbal tea and taking lozenges help, she says.

Be sure to let your physician know if you have a cough that wont quit or another stubborn COVID-19 issue. This can affect your quality of life, says Klitzman.

Klitzman also points out that the best way to ease a symptom of any illness is to treat the underlying disease. If you have mild or moderate COVID-19 and are at high risk for becoming severely ill, antiviral pills and certain monoclonal antibody infusions may help you heal and that means less coughing.

Relief For Your Symptoms

Pneumonia wonât go away overnight. You might need anywhere from a week to a month to get better. Depending on the kind of pneumonia you have, your doctor may prescribe a drug that fights bacteria or a drug that fights viruses to help you get better. While youâre waiting for that to work, there are a bunch of ways you can ease the coughing, aches, and fever.

Read Also: Stage 4 Lung Cancer And Pneumonia

Warning About Cough Medicine

If you’ve seen your healthcare provider, they’ve likely recommended a cough medicine to be used while you’re sleeping. Even though cough medicine can help minimize the coughing, it’s not wise to rely on it full-time.

Some home remedies for alleviating cough include:

• Gargling saltwater: Many times the mucus sitting in the throat will tickle the throat and cause you to cough more. By gargling warm salt water, this mucus breaks up, slightly helps with dehydration, and may get rid of some germs along the way.
• Using honey: Sweetening your tea with some honey may not be a bad ideait may even help your recovery. In fact, adding honey to the peppermint tea recommended above could provide a double whammy. It is believed peppermint can provide pain relief in your throat by numbing nerve endings. At the same time, early research is showing honey has the potential to be a natural antimicrobial treatment. While more research is done on both peppermint and honey, the early results sound promising for those suffering from a cough.

Natural Treatment For Walking Pneumonia: Causes And Symptoms

Walking pneumonia is a not a clinical term, but a form of pneumonia which is atypical from the pneumonia that we are aware of. In short it is a milder form of pneumonia with much subdued symptoms where the patient does not need hospitalization or bed rest. In fact the sufferer walks around freely as if he is not ill. Hence the term used walking pneumonia.

This condition is more common in children although anyone can be affected. Walking pneumonia is contagious just like typical serious pneumonia that we know. People who live or work in crowded place, children attending school, are at greater risk of contracting the infection.

The symptoms are similar to pneumonia but the intensity is mild. Runny nose, cough, lethargy, sore throat, are some of its symptoms. A course of antibiotics is mainline treatment for walking pneumonia.

Also Check: Does Pneumonia Cause Scarring Of The Lungs

Have A Cup Of Tea Made With Turmeric

According to a trusted source, a compound in turmeric called curcumin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties that can help your body fight off pneumonia.

Another review from 2018 confirmed that curcumin can help with the pain. This means that it might help with the sometimes intense chest pain that comes with pneumonia, even though the research didnt focus directly on chest pain.

You can get turmeric tea at the store near you or online. The powder can also be used to make your own tea.

the suggestions below dont help and if your breathing gets worse, you should see a doctor right away.

Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Pneumonia Symptoms

Even though home remedies cant cure pneumonia, they can help you deal with its symptoms well.

They dont replace the treatment plan your doctor has given you, though. Its important to do what your doctor tells you to do when using these alternative treatments.

Find out how to use home remedies to treat a cough, chest pain, and other problems. If your symptoms get worse or dont get better no matter what you do, you should see a doctor.

Don’t Miss: How Often To Get Pneumonia Vaccine After 65

Signs Of Pneumonia In Children

Pneumonia typically spreads from person to person. Because children spend more time indoors in cooler or cold weather, they may be more exposed to the illness during fall, winter, and early spring. The clothes your child wears or the temperature outside do not stop them from getting pneumonia.

The symptoms of pneumonia can vary from child to child. Your childâs symptoms and their severity can depend on whether bacteria or a virus caused the illness. Children infected by bacteria typically present symptoms like:

• Fever
• Lack of appetite
• Unusual tiredness

Itâs often hard to tell whether bacteria or a virus causes your childâs pneumonia. If the cause is a virus, then breathing problems may come on more slowly. Your child may start wheezing and develop a worsening cough. Symptoms that often show up with viral pneumonia include:

• Rapid or harsh breathing
• Chills
• General fussiness

Some parents mistake the initial signs of pneumonia as a cold or other illness. If your childâs symptoms get worse, take them in for medical treatment.

Can Breathing Vicks Vaporub Cause Pneumonia

The research paper, Exogenous lipid pneumonia related to long-term use of Vicks VapoRub® by an adult patient: a case report, was published in BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders. ELP is a rare condition that results from the aspiration or inhalation of material of animal, vegetable or mineral origin.

You May Like: Do You Get A Cough With Pneumonia

Drink Hot Peppermint Tea

Peppermint can also helpalleviate irritation and expel mucus. Research suggests that it can be an effective decongestant, anti-inflammatory, and painkiller.

If you dont already have peppermint tea, you can pick up loose or bagged teas at your local grocery or online. And if you have fresh peppermint, you can easily make your own tea.

You may wish to deeply inhale the aroma of the peppermint tea while the tea is steeping. This might help clear your nasal pathways.

Drink A Cup Of Turmeric Tea

A 2020 review suggests that a compound called curcumin in turmeric has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial qualities that can help your body defend itself against pneumonia.

Another review from 2018 supported curcumins activity against pain, meaning that it might provide some relief for pneumonias sometimes intense chest pain .

You can buy turmeric tea at your local grocery or online. You can also make your own tea using turmeric powder.

Also Check: How Do I Know If Have Pneumonia

Will My Child Be Given Antibiotics

That depends on whether their pneumonia is caused by bacteria or a virus.

If it is likely that your child has bacterial pneumonia, they will be given antibiotic tablets or liquid to fight the bacteria. They will usually improve a lot within the first 48 hours – but theyll probably continue to cough for longer. Its important to finish the whole course of antibiotics, even if your child seems better.

If your childs pneumonia is caused by a virus then antibiotics wont work.

Its not always easy to tell if pneumonia is caused by bacteria or a virus. To be on the safe side, your doctor may decide to give antibiotics if they cant be sure of the cause.

Based On How It Was Acquired

• Aspiration Pneumonia: If you happen to develop pneumonia by inhaling bacteria from foods, drinks or saliva, it is called aspiration pneumonia. This type usually occurs when the infected individual has difficulty in swallowing.

• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Individuals using a ventilator can also develop pneumonia.

Now that you are familiar with the types of pneumonia, understanding its causes is a lot easier.

Don’t Miss: Community Acquired Pneumonia Risk Factors

What Is Walking Pneumonia: How Long Does It Last & Is It Contagious

Walking pneumonia is a generic term for mild pneumonia which is caused by lung infection. This is also known as atypical pneumonia and is not counted in the category of serious ailments. Let us understand what walking pneumonia is, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and recovery. There are many queries regarding walking pneumonia, about how long does it last and whether it is contagious. Let us understand about these in detail.

Dont Miss: Pneumonia With Blood Clots In Lungs

What Are The Types Of Pneumonia

Sometimes, types of pneumonia are referred to by the type of organism that causes the inflammation, such as bacterial pneumonia, viral pneumonia, or fungal pneumonia. The specific organism name may also be used to describe the types of pneumonia, such as pneumococcal pneumonia or Legionella pneumonia.

Other types of pneumonia that are commonly referenced include the following:

• Aspiration pneumonia develops as a result of inhaling food or drink, saliva, or vomit into the lungs. This occurs when the swallowing reflex is impaired, such as with brain injury or in an intoxicated person.
• Several types of bacteria, including Legionella pneumophila, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Chlamydophila pneumoniae, cause atypical pneumonia. It is sometimes called “walking pneumonia” and is referred to as atypical because its symptoms differ from those of other types of bacterial pneumonia.
• Pneumonia that arises from being on a ventilator for respiratory support in the intensive care setting is known as ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Read Also: How Long Does Pneumonia Stay In Your Lungs

What’s The Link Between Covid

A quick refresher first: COVID-19 is a serious respiratory illness caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. It can lead to a range of intense symptoms, including a cough, fever, trouble breathing, and loss of taste or smell, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Pneumonia is an infection of the tiny air sacs in the lungs that can cause mild to severe illness in people, the CDC says.

Some patients with COVID-19 develop pneumoniain fact, the World Health Organization first called the virus -infected pneumonia , before shortening the name to COVID-19. The SARS-CoV-2 virus was also first identified in Wuhan, China due to cases of “pneumonia of unknown etiology,” or unknown cause, the WHO reported in January 2020.

It’s not uncommon to develop pneumonia as the result of any virus, Raymond Casciari, MD, a pulmonologist at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California, tells Health. In the case of COVID-19, the virus can damage your alveoli and cause fluid to build in your lungs as your body fights the infection, he explains. That can also lead to the development of acute respiratory distress syndrome , which is a serious form of respiratory failure that makes the alveoli fill with fluid. “The immune system starts attacking the lung itself, which results in ARDS,” Dr. Casciari says.

RELATED: Why Do Some People Die From Pneumonia?

What Tests Diagnose Pneumonia

The diagnosis of pneumonia always begins with taking a medical history and performing a physical examination to look for characteristic signs. In particular, listening to the lungs may reveal areas where sound is diminished, wheezing, or crackling sounds in affected areas. Some commonly performed diagnostic tests are as follows:

• A chest X-ray is able to illustrate whether or not pneumonia is present, but it does not provide information about the organism responsible for the infection.
• In some cases, a chest CT scan may be performed. This will reveal more detail than the chest X-ray.
• Pulse oximetry measures the amount of oxygen in the bloodstream. The test involves a painless sensor attached to the finger or ear. Blood levels of oxygen may be reduced in pneumonia.
• Microbiology tests to identify the causative organism. Tests may be performed on blood or sputum. Rapid urine tests are available to identify Streptococcus pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila. Cultures of blood or sputum not only identify the responsible organism but can also be examined to determine which antibiotics are effective against a particular bacterial strain.
• Bronchoscopy is a procedure in which a thin, lighted tube is inserted into the trachea and major airways. This allows the doctor to visualize the inside of the airways and take tissue samples if needed. Bronchoscopy may be performed in patients with severe pneumonia or if pneumonia worsens despite antibiotic treatment.

Read Also: What Medication Is Used To Treat Pneumonia