Is Coughing A Sign Of Pneumonia

What Is The Treatment For Pneumonia

Pneumonia treatment depends on the type of pneumonia, how sick the patient is, the patients age, and if other underlying medical conditions are present.

Mild cases of pneumonia may go away own their own with adequate rest and symptom management. Home treatment for pneumonia may include:

• Getting plenty of rest
• Warm beverages may help open airways

How Is Pneumonia Spread From Person To Person

Pneumonia is spread when droplets of fluid containing the pneumonia bacteria or virus are launched in the air when someone coughs or sneezes and then inhaled by others. You can also get pneumonia from touching an object previously touched by the person with pneumonia or touching a tissue used by the infected person and then touching your mouth or nose.

How Do You Treat Pneumonia

Treatment for pneumonia depends on the cause. If pneumonia is caused bya bacterial infection, antibiotics will be prescribed to kill the harmfulbacteria. If pneumonia is caused by a viral infection, time and restare best for recovery. Fever reducing medications and cough medicationscan help relieve symptoms and aid sleep.

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When To Call The Doctor

You should call your childs doctor if your child:

• Has trouble breathing or is breathing much faster than usual
• Has a bluish or gray color to the fingernails or lips
• Is older than 6 months and has a fever over 102°F
• Is younger than 6 months and has a temperature over 100.4°F.
• Has a fever for more than a few days after taking antibiotics

When your child should stay home and return to school or childcare

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Pneumonia In Children

The signs and symptoms of pneumonia in children vary from child to child and also depend on your childs age, cause of the infection, and severity of their illness.

Usual symptoms include:

• Cry more than usual. Are restless or more fussy.

Adolescents have the same symptoms as adults, including:

• Cough.
• Difficulty breathing/shortness of breath.
• Chest pain.

Newborns are at greater risk of pneumonia caused by bacteria present in the birth canal. In young children, viruses are the main cause of pneumonia.

Pneumonia caused by bacteria tends to happen suddenly, starting with fever and fast breathing. Symptoms appear more slowly and tend to be less severe when pneumonia is caused by viruses.

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Trouble In Breathing Due To Inflammed Air Sacs Or Alveoli

You may experience a steady drop in your breathing rate or an unexplained rise in your breathing counts. One may also notice that there is sudden trouble which one may notice every time he/she breathes. This condition is also known as laboured breathing. “The patient may notice that the breathing rate post-COVID recovery has drastically changed. It is either rapid or shallow. One can also find him/herself becoming breathless even while resting,” Dr. Mukherjee told TheHealthSite.com.

Can Pneumonia Be Prevented

Check with your healthcare provider about getting immunizations. The flu is a common cause of pneumonia. Because of that, getting a flu shot every year can help prevent both the flu and pneumonia.

There is also a pneumococcal vaccine. It will protect you from a common form of bacterial pneumonia. Children younger than age 5 and adults ages 65 and older should get this shot.

The pneumococcal shot is also recommended for all children and adults who are at increased risk of pneumococcal disease due to other health conditions.

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Warning Signs Your Lungs Are Trying To Give You Post

Your lungs can give you some signs which may signal that something is wrong within your body. Especially when it comes to pneumonia, there are certain signs which may help you spot the condition fast and start the treatment before it is too late for you to save your lungs. According to the experts, the onset of pneumonia can be quite sudden, as in without any prior signals. This is why it is important for you to track the actions of your lungs and understand the abnormalities going on inside your system. COVID-19 wrecks havoc on the lungs, and these conditions thereafter can lead to symptoms such as a phlegm-producing cough. Check out for these subtle, yet warning symptoms of pneumonia post-COVID recovery.

More Severe Cases May Also Cause:

• quick breathing
• rapid heartbeat
• nausea and vomiting

Some people get a sharp pain in their chest when they breathe in and out. This may be because the thin lining between the lung and ribcage, called the pleura, is infected and inflamed. This inflammation, called pleurisy, stops your lungs moving smoothly as you breathe.

The symptoms of pneumonia are often very similar to those of other chest infections, such as bronchitis, COPD flare-ups or bronchiectasis flare-ups. To get a proper diagnosis youll need to visit your GP.

If you feel unwell with these symptoms, see your GP or call 111. If you have chest pain, a rapid heartbeat, quick breathing, shivers or confusion, get urgent advice from your GP or call 999. Take extra care if youre over 65.

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S To Prevent Walking Pneumonia

Since walking pneumonia is often spread by coughing and sneezing, you can help prevent the transmission of germs by covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing, whether with a tissue or your upper sleeve.

In order to stay healthy, you should also:

• Wash your hands regularly with soap and water or use hand sanitizer.
• Dont smoke .
• Take steps to help boost your immune system by getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, and exercising regularly.
• Avoid exposure to others who are sick.

In particular, people who have underlying lung disease should be careful and have a heightened awareness of what steps to take to prevent walking pneumonia. Don’t downplay a cough. If you need expert care, we are here for you at your neighborhood ER.

Signs Of Pneumonia You Should Never Ignore

Youre coughing and sneezing and aching all over is it the common cold or something more serious, like pneumonia? There are 4 signs of pneumonia you should never ignore or dismiss as a common cold.

Pneumonia is inflammation and a build up of fluids in the alveoli, which are microscopic air sacs in the lung. One or both lungs may be impacted. Virus or bacteria generally provoke pneumonia, but in rare cases other microorganisms, drugs or autoimmune diseases may be the related cause. This is why people are often diagnosed with pneumonia while recovering from a different illness.

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What Can I Do To Feel Better If I Have Pneumonia

• Finish all medications and therapies prescribed by your doctor. Do not stop taking antibiotics when you start feeling better. Continue taking them until no pills remain. If you dont take all your antibiotics, your pneumonia may come back.
• If over-the-counter medicines to reduce fever have been recommended , take as directed on the label. Never give aspirin to children.
• Drink plenty of fluids to help loosen phlegm.
• Quit smoking if you smoke. Dont be around others who smoke or vape. Surround yourself with as much clean, chemical-free air as possible.
• Use a humidifier, take a steamy shower or bath to make it easier for you to breathe.
• Get lots of rest. Dont rush your recovery. It can take weeks to get your full strength back.

If at any time you start to feel worse, call your doctor right away.

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.

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Treatment Options For Pneumonia

There is a wide range of treatment options available for patients with pneumonia. Since pneumonia may be caused by a bacteria or virus, there are several different options depending on what sparked your particular case. Only a doctor will know what type of pneumonia you have as well as the appropriate treatment.

In most cases your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. Different antibiotics used to treat pneumonia include:

• Levofloxacin
• Erythromycin
• Cefadroxil

Your age, symptoms, and type of pneumonia will influence the right antibiotic for you. You must take the antibiotic until it is finished, even if your symptoms completely disappear. Otherwise, it may come back stronger and be resistant to the same antibiotic.

It is not unheard of for the same virus that causes chickenpox to cause pneumonia. If this is the case, there are antiviral medications available.

Bacterial Vs Viral Pneumonia Symptoms

Bacteria and viruses are the most common causes of pneumonia. Fungi and parasites can sometimes cause it.

When the cause is bacteria, the illness can come on either slowly or quickly. It tends to be more serious than other types.

When a virus causes your pneumonia, youâre more likely to notice symptoms over several days. Early signs will look like the flu — such as fever, dry cough, headache, and weakness — but get worse in a day or two.

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It Happened To My Elderly Mother

My mothers only symptom of her second bout of pneumonia was, indeed, just coughing.

• She reported no feverish feeling.
• She reported no decline in energy or increase in fatigue.
• She felt fine and was up and about as she normally always was.
• There were no aches or pains anywhere.
• Her throat was not sore or scratchy.
• All she had was a cough.

However, I did not like the sound of the cough, and it just seemed like a different animal than what would be caused by a typical common cold.

It didnt sound like her usual cough from a cold or from acid reflux.

There was something about the way it sounded that made me highly suspicious that it was pneumonia, which was easily confirmed with an X-ray. The treatment was antibiotics.

Pneumonia as it appears on an X-ray. James Heilman, MD, CreativeCommons

Dr. Coz continues, It is important to mention that pneumonia tends to be more common in patients with pre-existing lung disease like emphysema .

Those patients typically have cough on a regular basis. However, any change in the intensity of the cough or in the characteristics of the phlegm should alert the patient that a different process is occurring and that medical attention should be sought immediately.

When a person over age 65 is diagnosed in the ER with pneumonia, even when the only symptom is a cough , its not uncommon for the doctor to recommend an overnight stay in the ER observation wing just as an extra layer of medical security.

Back Pain From Pneumonia

Back pain is a common symptom of pneumonia. In the last 15 years, I have personally treated thousands of patients hospitalized with pneumonia. Many of them had back pain. I am writing this article based on my personal experience as well as a review of relevant medical journals.

In this article, I will describe:

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When Should You Call Your Doctor

The faster you get treatment, the faster you will get over pneumonia. This is especially true for the very young, for people older than 65, and for anyone with other long-lasting health problems, such as asthma.

911 or other emergency services immediately if you:

• Have chest pain that is crushing or squeezing, is increasing in intensity, or occurs with any other symptoms of a heart attack.
• Have such bad trouble breathing that you are worried you will not have the strength or ability to keep breathing.
• Cough up large amounts of blood.
• Feel that you may faint when you sit up or stand.

if you have:

• A cough that produces blood-tinged or rust-coloured mucus from the lungs.
• A fever with shaking chills.
• Difficult, shallow, fast breathing with shortness of breath or wheezing.

• Frequently brings up yellow or green mucus from the lungs and lasts longer than 2 days. Do not confuse mucus from your lungs with mucus running down the back of your throat from your nasal passages . Post-nasal drainage is not a worry.
• Occurs with a fever of 38.3°C or higher and brings up yellow or green mucus from the lungs .
• Causes you to vomit a lot.
• Continues longer than 4 weeks.

Also call your doctor if you have new chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing and if you have other symptoms of pneumonia, such as shortness of breath, cough, and fever.

What Health Complications Can Pneumonia Lead To

If you have flu-like symptoms that persist or worsen despite treatment, talk to your doctor.

Your doctor can monitor your lungs while you inhale, listening for crackling sounds that are audible only with a stethoscope.

In order to confirm the diagnosis and identify the specific germ causing the illness, you may get a chest X-ray as well as a blood test, depending on your medical history and physical exam, if your doctor suspects that you have pneumonia.

If left untreated, pneumonia can become severe.

People with severe pneumonia experience higher fevers along with GI symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea, as well as:

• Difficulty breathing

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How Is Pneumonia Treated

Treatment depends on the type of pneumonia you have. Most of the time, pneumonia is treated at home, but severe cases may be treated in the hospital. Antibiotics are used for bacterial pneumonia. Antibiotics may also speed recovery from mycoplasma pneumonia and some special cases. Most viral pneumonias dont have specific treatment. They usually get better on their own.

Other treatment may include eating well, increasing fluid intake, getting rest, oxygen therapy, pain medicine, fever control, and maybe cough-relief medicine if cough is severe.

Things That You Can Do To Help Your Child At Home Are

• Control the fever with the proper medicine and right strength for the age of your child. Fevers lower than 101° F do not need to be treated unless the child is uncomfortable .
• Give your child plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration.
• See that your child gets lots of rest.
• Do not give over-the-counter cough medicines or other OTC medicines without asking the health provider first. The child needs to cough and bring up the phlegm. Coughing is the bodys way of clearing the infection from the lungs.
• Avoid exposing your child to tobacco smoke or other irritants in the air.

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What Increases Your Risk Factors For Walking Pneumonia

Like pneumonia, the risk for developing walking pneumonia is higher if you are:

• over age of 65 years old
• 2 years old or younger
• immunocompromised

• blood culture

Since walking pneumonia tends to be mild, some people with the illness choose not to get a formal diagnosis. But other serious diseases can cause symptoms that look like walking pneumonia. If symptoms continue to worsen after a few days, consider checking in with a healthcare professional for a diagnosis and treatment.

Treatment for walking pneumonia depends on whats causing the disease. Walking pneumonia from bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. A healthcare professional may use antiviral medications to treat cases caused by viruses.

For very mild cases of walking pneumonia, treatment may simply involve managing symptoms at home and resting.

What Is Bacterial Pneumonia

Bacteria are the most common cause of pneumonia in adults.

Bacterial pneumonia may follow a viral infection, like a cold or the flu . This type of pneumonia usually affects one area of the lung and is referred to as lobar pneumonia.

Types of bacteria that cause pneumonia include:

• Streptococcus pneumoniae
• Chlamydophila pneumoniae
• Haemophilus influenzae type B

Streptococcus pneumoniae, also known as pneumococcus, is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in adults, called pneumococcal pneumonia.

It may be prevented by a vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends two pneumonia vaccines for adults 65 years and older: pneumococcal conjugate vaccine, or Prevnar 13 , and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, or Pneumovax 23 .

According to the CDC:

• You should receive a dose of the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine first, followed at least one year later by a dose of the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine .
• If you’ve already received any doses of PPSV23, the dose of PCV13 should be given at least one year after the most recent PPSV23 dose.
• If you’ve already received a dose of the PCV13 at a younger age, another dose is not recommended.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae usually infects younger adults who work in crowded areas, such as schools, homeless shelters, or prisons.

Chlamydophila pneumoniae causes a mild pneumonia infection that usually affects people older than 60.

Other bacterial pneumonia symptoms include:

• High fever

• Diarrhea
• Sore throat

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