What is pneumonia?
What causes pneumonia?
What happens to your patients body when they get pneumonia?
Who gets pneumonia and how common is it?
What are the common symptoms of pneumonia?
What do you recommend for your patient suffering from symptoms of pneumonia?
What happens if pneumonia is not treated?
What are the treatment options for pneumonia?
Is pneumonia preventable?
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is inflammation of the lung tissue that usually occurs as a result of an infection. If a patient has pneumonia, the infection causes the airways in their lungs to become inflamed and fill with fluid, making it difficult to breathe.
What causes pneumonia?
Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Infection usually occurs when these micro-organisms are breathed in. Most pneumonia cases are caused by bacteria, with the main cause being Streptococcus pneumoniae.
What happens to your patients body when they get pneumonia?
Micro-organisms such as bacteria and viruses can get past the body’s defences to end up in the alveoli (air sacs in the lungs responsible for the absorption of oxygen). The presence of foreign organisms in the alveoli causes the body’s immune system to respond, and they are attacked by white blood cells. The increasing number of micro-organisms, white blood cells and immune protein cause the alveoli to become inflamed and filled with fluid, making it difficult to breathe – a common characteristic of pneumonia.
Who gets pneumonia and how common is it?
Anyone can develop pneumonia, even healthy people. However it is more common and can be more serious in young infants and children, older adults including over 65’s classifed as ‘at risk’ by the Department of Health. The clinical 'at risk' groups include anyone weakened by long-term illness, especially if the illness interferes with the body’s normal defences against infection.
What are the common symptoms of pneumonia?
Symptoms may differ according to age. However the most common symptoms include a cough, which is dry at first but becomes sticky with phlegm that is often greenish yellow or rust coloured and may smell. Additional symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, shivering, vomiting and fatigue. Feeling confused is also a common feature in older adults, while loss of appetite and poor feeding is common in young children and infants.
What do you recommend for your patient suffering from symptoms of pneumonia?
If you suspect that your patient has pneumonia, commence an appropriate course of treatment (e.g. antibiotics), or refer to a hospital depending on the degree of the illness.
What happens if pneumonia is not treated?
Most patients who have mild pneumonia get better over time, but pneumonia can be serious and even fatal. This is why it is crucial they see a doctor when symptoms of pneumonia are present.
What are the treatment options for pneumonia?
GPs usually treat patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) according to the British Thoracic Society guidelines for either infants or adults. Most patients will probably be treated at home with antibiotics. If they are very ill, they may be referred to hospital and treated with intravenous antibiotics and oxygen.
Is pneumonia preventable?
As pneumonia is a common complication of influenza, people who are at increased risk of influenza should have the influenza vaccine every year. Children, as part of the national childhood immunisation programme, and adults over 65 years of age, are entitled to receive a pneumococcal vaccination.
Click here for further information on ways to help protect your patients against pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.