The season of cold and dry air has arrived and with that, we need to be more careful of respiratory diseases. Winters not only result in dry skin, dandruff and runny nose but also increase the risk of diseases like Pneumonia, an infection that inflames the lung's air sacs known as alveoli. These air sacs can be filled up with some fluids like pus due to infection and cause symptoms like cough, fever, chills and trouble breathing.
Pneumonia can occur due to a variety of reasons depending on the environment and comorbid conditions. According to medicinenet.com Pneumonia is caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi or in some cases parasites.
Pneumonia is one such infection that seems like normal flu initially but once the infection spreads in your lungs, the condition worsens. Therefore do not ignore your health and below mentioned signs which could be Pneumonia.
Although signs of Pneumonia can vary from person to person, there can be mild to severe depending on the age, surroundings, and extent of the infection:
Cough: During Pneumonia, a person produces greenish, dark yellow or even bloody mucus in some cases.
According to lung.org, an individual can experience fever, sweating and chills.
Pain in chest: when you breathe deeply or cough, you can experience sharp stabbing pain in your chest. It can also feel like pinching pins.
Breathing issues: shortness of breath, rapid or shallow breathing are other symptoms that direct you towards infection in the lungs.
Fatigue: you may feel listless, have headaches, lose appetite and get nausea.
Children may experience pain in coughing, diarrhoea, fever, and tiredness if they are infected with pneumonia.
Medicinenet.com says that people can also develop a blue colour in skin and fingertips in some cases.
Confusion is one of the symptoms generally noticed in older people during the infection.
You may have heard someone saying "he/she got infected from hospital or ventilator", this is because you can get phenomena from different surroundings. Know about the types of pneumonia which will help doctors to find accurate cures for the patient.
Aspiration Pneumonia: when a person inhales food, liquid or vomit inside their lungs mistakenly, the system cleans it up automatically. But in some cases the biological system is failed at cleaning it then an individual can develop aspiration pneumonia.
Hospital-acquired Pneumonia: this type of pneumonia can occur when a patient is hospitalised or you are in nursing care centres and you may catch it from the environment after 48 hours of admission.
Community-acquired Pneumonia: this type of pneumonia develops in a space other than a hospital, nursing home, rehabilitation centre.
Ventilator-associated Pneumonia: This type of pneumonia can occur when a patient is on a ventilator. It occurs at least 48 hours after the ventilator tube is placed in the airway to assist with breathing.