By Gabriela Arevalo

 Pneumonia is a breathing condition in which there is an infection of the lung. It invades the lungs and the bloodstream to cause disease. An infection of one or both lungs, spreading from the bronchial airways, pneumonia may develop as a complication of a viral infection in the upper respiratory tract, such as a common cold.

 Pneumonia is spread by coughing, sneezing, or close contact; it invades the lungs and the bloodstream to cause disease. In some cases, pneumonia is due to other organisms, such as fungi and protozoa. The bacteria known as Legionella pneumophila causes a form of pneumonia called Legionnaires’ disease, which can be spread through air-conditioning systems

 Symptoms of pneumonia are severe chills, a high fever, headache, cough, and chest pain.. Red blood cells leaking into the air sacs of the lungs causes a rust- colored sputum that may be a sure sign of pneumococcal infection. As the disease continues, sputum may become thicker and have pus. The patient may have painful attacks of coughing. Breathing often becomes painful, shallow, and rapid. The pulse rate goes up, often more than 120 beats a minute. Other signs may be heavy sweating and bluish skin.

 If your doctor suspects pneumonia, the diagnosis may be confirmed by a chest X-ray, which will show the extent of infection in the lung. A sample of sputum may be collected and tested to identify the organism that has caused the infection. The doctor may also arrange for blood tests to be done to help reach a precise diagnosis.  If you are otherwise healthy and have a mild form of pneumonia, you can probably be treated at home. Analgesics should help reduce your fever and chest pain. If a bacterial infection is the cause of the pneumonia, your doctor will treat it with antibiotics. If the pneumonia is caused by a fungus, antifungal drugs may be prescribed. No drug treatment is usually needed for mild viral pneumonia.

 Young people who are in good health are generally able to recover from most types of pneumonia within 2–3 weeks, and there is no permanent damage to the lung tissue. Recovery from bacterial pneumonia usually begins within a few hours of starting treatment with antibiotics. However, some severe types of pneumonia, such as Legionnaires’ disease, may be fatal, especially in people whose immune systems are weakened

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