Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lungs causing consolidation or for the lung tissue to contract in on itself. The lung tissue that is infected has harder time moving oxygen to the bloodstream causing the increased shortness of breath associated with this condition. Symptoms of pneumonia are an increased in temperature, a cough with sputum that is colored possibly yellow or green. Laboratory tests on the blood may show an increase in white blood count if the infection is bacterial. The consolidation of the lung tissue will show up on chest x-ray as a white area. Children may also have a decrease in appetite or decrease in the amount that they feed. An increase in respiratory rate is an important symptom of pneumonia and may be the only symptom that children show.
Pneumonia can be caused by several different organisms. Symptoms for different types of pneumonia show up differently. Bacterial pneumonia has symptoms which show up quickly and are more acute than viral pneumonia. Pneumonia is normally caused by one of four bacteria or by a couple common viruses such as influenza or RSV certain fungi can cause pneumonia. The type of fungus that causes pneumonia depends on where the person lives. Children are good for spreading the virus that can cause pneumonia. These bugs can be spread by coughing or sneezing or by getting the virus on their hands and then touching their eyes, mouths or nose.
Pneumonia in infants is a serious illness. Small lungs have less of their capacity to loose before problems begin to occur. Treatments for the pneumonia depend on the type and severity of the disease and the age of the patient. Things a doctor will look at before deciding that a patient should be placed in a hospital include knowledge of a patients health history, oxygen saturation or capillary gas analysis, chest x-ray, and blood tests that show an increased white blood count. A large majority of this illness is viral in origin. Most childhood viral pneumonia is caused by RSV, parainfluenza or influenza A and B. Symptoms are less severe for viral pneumonia and may not require hospitalization.
In a hospital, treatments may include hydration with IV fluids, supplemental oxygen to help the patient get more oxygen in the blood stream, antibiotics in IV form, and possibly breathing treatments. If the treatments are not successful and the patient is very ill it may be necessary for them to be intubated and placed on a ventilator.
From Foundations in Respiratory Care pg 99 and 161Kenneth A. Wyka MS RRT, Paul J. Mathews, PHD RRT FCCM FCCP, William F. Clark PhD, RRT published by Delmar Thomson Learning
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Last Updated 11/30/2008 7:49:26 PM
