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Pneumonia is a focal-infiltrative disease in which destructuring of the lung tissue occurs. It can be caused by viruses, fungi and bacteria. Both the upper and lower segments of the main organ of the respiratory system are in the affected area. When the form is advanced, the disease captures the entire lung. It is quite difficult to determine pneumonia at home.

In the clinical picture of adults and children (regardless of the etiology of pneumonia), there are pulmonary and extrapulmonary symptoms. If they are ignored, infants, adolescents and other patients develop irreversible pathological changes. To confirm the differential diagnosis in a hospital, the patient is prescribed additional clinical studies.

Through them, the type of causative agent of pneumonia, the rate of sedimentation of red blood cells, darkening in the lung tissue are determined. An obligatory stage of the diagnostic examination is the consultation of the therapist and pulmonologist. In SARS, it is difficult to identify the exact cause.

Is it possible to detect pneumonia at home

The symptoms that appear with pneumonia are similar to those of other colds. The clinical picture directly depends on the pathogen. Bacterial pneumonia can be acute and gradual. If the disease was provoked by mycoplasma, its manifestations are of low intensity.

Through differential diagnosis, the likelihood of developing acute bronchitis, SARS, tuberculosis, influenza, laryngitis and other infectious pathologies of the respiratory system is excluded. Despite the similarity, each of them has its own characteristics. With the progression of bronchitis, moderate fever, a strong cough (first dry, then wet), seizures, as a result of which viscous sputum is separated, are observed. Bronchial obstruction is often accompanied by perspiration and sore throat, runny nose.

Tuberculosis provokes hemoptysis, excessive sweating, weight loss, general weakness. Often fix an increase in lymph nodes. Symptoms of laryngitis include hoarseness and a barking cough. To eliminate the inflammatory process that occurs with pneumonia, medicines, physiotherapy procedures and folk methods are used. Infusion therapy is prescribed in especially severe cases.

Differential diagnosis is a necessary step. Thanks to her, the prescribed treatment will give the maximum effect. When passing a clinical study, the doctor step by step excludes catarrhal pathologies, the signs of which have not been identified. The doctor takes into account the information indicated in the card, listens to the patient's complaints.

In the hospital, pneumonia is determined by X-ray, ultrasound and computed tomography. With pneumonia, the interstitial pattern on the surface of the lungs changes. Violations of this type are absent only at the initial stage of pneumonia. In this case, there is a need for additional research.

Finding out if pneumonia is present at home without an instrumental examination will not work. When working with portable equipment, special skills are required. Without a doctor, it is impossible to conduct a full diagnosis. With the progression of infiltrative deviations, the patient's condition worsens significantly. An increase in the intensity of clinical manifestations indicates the absence of effective therapy.

Home diagnostic methods

To recognize pneumonia at home, you must follow the diagnostic algorithm. The patient should pay attention to all the symptoms that have arisen. With inflammation of the lungs in a patient, the clinical picture contains:

There are several types of pneumonia. With a focal form, the disease develops slowly. The affected area is limited to certain segments. The temperature usually does not exceed 38 degrees. The sputum contains blood and pus. Discomfort occurs when inhaling and during bouts of coughing.

Croupous pneumonia means bilateral lung damage. This type of disease is considered the most dangerous. Infectious disease can also be right-sided, left-sided, congestive, lobar, aspiration and atypical. The latter form is distinguished by the appearance of specific clinical manifestations. Aspiration pneumonia is hidden, so it is strictly forbidden to detect it at home. The severity of pneumonia is determined based on the intensity of the symptoms. Therefore, one should not refuse the help of highly specialized specialists.

Pathogenic microorganisms give impetus to the development of the inflammatory process. The situation is aggravated by the negative impact of external and internal factors, among them:

At home, a patient suffering from pneumonia can use only two diagnostic methods. Physical examination reveals:

• respiratory failure from the affected organ;
• strong trembling in the voice;
• wheezing in the lungs;
• signs of fever;
• shortening of percussion sound in damaged segments;
• toxic shock;
• pleural noises;
• heavy shallow breathing.

In juvenile patients, pneumonia is caused by pneumococci and chlamydia. Atypical pneumonia causes swollen lymph nodes and muscle discomfort. Percussion and auscultation should be carried out in full accordance with the standard rules. In the absence of knowledge and experience, it is strictly forbidden to conduct them independently.

Wheezing occurs during breathing. Their blistering depends on the lumen of the affected bronchi. Wet cough develops due to the accumulation of bronchial secretions. In healthy people, when listening to the lungs, only clear sounds can be detected.

Even at the initial stages of the inflammatory process in the respiratory tract, the diagnostic scheme consists of several stages. Among them are the collection of anamnesis, physical examination, laboratory tests, instrumental examination. Therefore, if alarming symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a medical facility.

Pneumonia is a dangerous disease accompanied by crepitus. This is the name of the process, as a result of which a liquid substance appears in the alveoli. Because of this, gas exchange worsens, oxygen starvation occurs. Partial dysfunction of the lungs causes disturbances in the work of other vital organs.

To make a diagnosis, there is not enough data that is obtained using physical methods of examination and external examination. A medical examination is a prerequisite, if it is not observed, it is impossible to determine the exact cause of the ailment. A complete diagnosis can only be carried out in a hospital with the necessary equipment.

More precisely, inflammation of the lung tissue, in the medical environment is called pneumonia. Most often, the disease is infectious in nature and affects all structures of the respiratory organ. If you ignore the signs of pneumonia for a long time, this can lead to complications, there are known cases of death of this pathology.

General information about the disease

The human respiratory system, including the lungs, is susceptible to attack by various infections and viruses. If the immune system is weakened, then the inflammation takes root perfectly in the body, leading to the appearance of bronchitis, and going down below - to the diagnosis of "pneumonia".

Under this name in medicine means a number of diseases. Each of them has its own nature of action and the risk of complications. A professional examination and testing will allow you to determine the exact type of pathology.

Signs of pneumonia most often appear in young children and in people of advanced age, when the immune system is most vulnerable. Moreover, this type of pathology is widespread and, judging by the statistics, is diagnosed in 15 cases out of 1000.

Despite the large selection of modern antibiotics, which are constantly expanding the range of their action, it is not possible to exclude the possibility of developing pneumonia.

The reasons

The inflammatory process in the lung tissues can be both infectious and non-infectious. In medicine, a number of bacteria and viruses are isolated that can cause pneumonia:

• Pneumococcus.
• Streptococci.
• Mycoplasma.
• Influenza, herpes viruses.
• Adenoviruses.
• Mushrooms (for example, candida).

If the disease is non-infectious in nature, then most often it is provoked by other factors:

• Poisonous substances inhaled by a person.
• Trauma in the chest area.
• Respiratory burn.
• Treatment with radiation therapy.

Often, the disease can develop against the background of another dangerous pathology. In this case, the cause of pneumonia can be measles, anthrax, scarlet fever.

Risk factors

Long-term studies of the disease have made it possible to identify a number of factors that have a direct impact on the human body and can catalyze the development of pneumonia.

These include:

• The standard of living is below average.
• Constant smoking.
• Unsuitable working conditions, inhalation of toxic substances and dust.
• Frequent contact with animals (may serve as carriers).
• Contact with a sick person.
• Heredity, genetic predisposition of the respiratory system.

If there is a suspicion of lung damage, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner in order to prevent the development of complications of pneumonia.

How is the disease classified?

In accordance with the existing classification, pneumonia is divided by type, form, and stages.

The etiology of the disease divides pneumonia into the following types:

• Fungal.
• Viral.
• Bacterial.
• Mixed.
• Mycoplasma.

The disease is divided according to the nature and form of the course:

• Acute (croupous).
• Atypical.
• Protracted acute.

To select the necessary course of treatment, it is important to determine the lesion. The pulmonary system can be affected either partially or completely. It is customary to distinguish the following types of pneumonia:

• Focal, implies the development of the disease in a separate part of the lung tissue.
• Segmental, the disease develops in several parts of the lung tissue.
• Lobar, the entire lung lobe is affected.
• Drain, characterized by the association of several foci of the disease.
• Total or bilateral pneumonia, affects the lungs as a whole (the most severe type of pathology).

There are mild, moderate and severe degrees of development of the inflammatory process in pneumonia.

Symptoms of the disease

Depending on the type of pneumonia, the disease can be accompanied by various symptoms. In some cases, it can be mistaken for a banal catarrhal disease and not pay due attention to the inflammatory process.

How to define pneumonia? First you need to know the general symptoms of this disease and not miss their appearance:

1. Shortness of breath of varying severity, which directly depends on the severity of the inflammatory process.
2. In the elderly or in the presence of cardiovascular pathologies, cyanosis appears in the abdomen and nasolabial part of the face.
3. first appears as dry. After a few days it becomes wet, with purulent sputum.
4. Elevated body temperature indicates an inflammatory process.
5. Constant feeling of fatigue, weakness, overwork.
6. Pneumonia is characterized by muscle pain, frequent headaches.

The listed signs may indicate other diseases, but regardless of this, they require a visit to the doctor and a thorough diagnosis.

Signs of focal pneumonia

This type of disease at the initial stage develops quite imperceptibly. The temperature is kept at 38 degrees, there is increased sweating and difficulty in breathing. With the development of the inflammatory process, the patient feels pain when breathing, the temperature begins to rise. If the disease is left untreated, pronounced wheezing appears in the respiratory process, the condition rapidly worsens.

Bilateral pneumonia and its symptoms

It is considered the most dangerous type of disease. According to statistics, this form of pneumonia claims up to 1.5 million lives a year.

The most dangerous is that the disease can go unnoticed, pneumonia without symptoms does not allow timely diagnosis and treatment. The absence of obvious signs is fraught with the development of serious complications, the risk of death increases.

The above looks intimidating, but you should not panic. The imperceptible course of the disease does not always occur, and total pneumonia in most cases is accompanied by common characteristic symptoms. Moreover, with a strong inflammatory process, their intensity increases significantly.

Cough with pneumonia with bilateral lung damage quickly turns into a wet one, accompanied by pain and copious sputum.

Diagnosis of an inflammatory disease

With intense symptoms, it is not difficult to determine the disease even at home. This helps to independently understand that a serious medical examination is required.

If the body does not show signs of the development of an internal inflammatory process, then the risk of detecting an already severe stage of pneumonia increases.

When contacting a doctor with complaints of malaise, it is necessary to state in detail the history of your own feelings. Only with a complete picture, the specialist will identify signs of pneumonia and direct you to undergo an examination and take tests.

The main diagnostic methods include:

1. The delivery of a blood test (clinical and biochemical), which allows you to determine the presence of an inflammatory process in the body.
2. X-rays of light. It is considered the most important step in the definition and further monitoring of the disease. Allows you to see the main foci of damage to the lung tissue.
3. Bacteriological culture of sputum to determine the main causative agent of the disease and select the antibiotics necessary for pneumonia.
4. A blood gas test is also done, the degree of oxygen saturation of the blood is determined.
5. Sputum microscopy is performed, which allows removing suspicions of tuberculosis.

A person must clearly understand that even the absence of vivid symptoms in the form of a cough does not exclude the development of the disease. Any inflammatory process can be accompanied by a slight temperature, especially with pneumonia, and you can’t turn a blind eye to this. Self-medication at home can remove the primary symptoms and hide the underlying disease, but over time, the inflammatory process will return with renewed vigor.

There are a number of auxiliary (additional) studies and tests for pneumonia, which are aimed at clarifying the diagnosis. They are prescribed in cases where the main examination did not give a clear result and the patient's pathological condition requires a more detailed study.

The only true advice is not to be shy and not to be afraid to consult a doctor. The stage of pneumonia at which it is detected plays a large role in the speed of its treatment.

Methods for the treatment of pneumonia

A course of competent treatment should be selected only by a doctor after the patient undergoes a course of examinations and passes certain tests for pneumonia. Moderate and severe disease is treated in a hospital under the constant supervision of medical personnel.

Milder forms of the disease can be treated at home by constantly visiting the attending physician or by organizing a medical consultation at home.

The main recommendation for the patient is to comply with bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids, which allows you to better cope with the temperature in case of pneumonia. The room in which the patient is located should be regularly ventilated, and in no case should a person be exposed to a draft.

The main course of treatment is aimed at the destruction of the causative agent of the disease and is called etiotropic therapy. The most commonly used antibacterial treatment using antibiotics. The dosage, frequency and duration of taking antibiotics for pneumonia is determined by a specialist, taking into account the patient's age, individual health characteristics and the nature of the disease.

For the treatment of inflammatory pathology of the lungs, drugs of various pharmacological actions are used:

• Semi-synthetic penicillins ("Oxycillin", "Ampicillin", "Ampioks").
• Lincosamides ("Lincomycin").
• Macrolides ("Sumamed").
• Cephalosporins ("Ceftriaxone").
• Fluoroquinolones (Avelox).
• Aminoglycosides ("Gentamicin").
• Carbapenems ("Meronem", "Tienam").

The standard duration of an antibiotic course can last from seven days to two weeks, it is possible that in the process the doctor will replace one drug with another.

If the nature of the disease is fungal or viral, then appropriate antifungal and antiviral drugs are selected.

The main course of treatment can last about a month or even more, a lot depends on the severity of the inflammation and the individual response of the body to the drugs. If during all this time the situation does not improve, then additional diagnostics are carried out to exclude the development of oncology under the guise of pneumonia.

Symptom relief and recovery

In combination with the main course of treatment, the treatment of the main symptoms is used. The interaction between different types of drugs is under the control of the doctor and should not bring additional discomfort to the patient.

Treatment of symptoms:

1. Antipyretics are prescribed to reduce fever.
2. It is recommended to use agents to thin sputum and remove it from the lungs as soon as possible.
3. The expansion of the bronchi with the help of bronchodilators can reduce shortness of breath.
4. Immunomodulating drugs will help restore and strengthen the body's natural defenses.
5. A complex of vitamins is selected to maintain weakened health.

Drug treatment will effectively eliminate the causes of the disease and prevent pneumonia from developing into more severe complications. However, in order for the body to fully recover, and the results of examinations and tests return to normal, it is recommended to resort to physiotherapeutic methods.

Physiotherapy is not prescribed until the temperature subsides. They resort to the following methods:

• Inhalations.
• Electrophoresis.
• microwave and UHF.
• Pneumomassage.
• Paraffin therapy.
• Physiotherapy.

The duration of trips to such procedures is limited by the complete recovery of the patient, which is confirmed by the results of the next examination, including x-rays of the lungs.

How to protect yourself from pneumonia

Having figured out how to identify pneumonia, it is equally important to learn how to avoid it.

According to the results of medical research, it can be concluded that the best way is to vaccinate the population. In Russia, an American-made vaccine is currently used, which has been fully tested and has shown good efficacy in the prevention of pneumonia. This approach is usually referred to as specific and applied to population groups that are at increased risk:

• Age over 50 years.
• Living in nursing homes.
• The presence of chronic heart disease, lung disease, as well as diabetes, kidney disease, HIV.
• Medical workers.
• Women during pregnancy, in the second and third trimesters.

If you do not find yourself in high-risk groups, then for the prevention of pneumonia it will be enough to follow simple rules, make changes to your usual lifestyle:

1. Boost your immune system in every possible way.
2. Avoid sudden changes in temperature, especially hypothermia.
3. Timely visit the dentist and heal carious formations.
4. To refuse from bad habits.
5. Avoid contact with sick people whenever possible.
6. If the job is related to toxic production, then it is best to change it.

The best way to take care of your own health is to be vigilant about it. If you do not start the disease, then it will not be difficult to cure it.

Possible complications

Complications of pneumonia are possible either in the absence of treatment, or with inconsistent application of the doctor's recommendations.

While in the hospital, the risk of getting unpleasant consequences is reduced due to the constant monitoring of indicators by doctors. If the treatment takes place at home, then much depends on the personal responsibility of the patient.

The lack of competent regular treatment can provoke:

• Lung tissue abscess.
• Accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity.
• Accumulation of pus in the pleural cavity.
• Acute respiratory failure, provoked by the severe development of inflammation.
• The transition of inflammatory bacterial foci to other organs.

If purulent complications are allowed to appear, then a long and serious antibiotic treatment will be required, which will deal a significant blow to the entire body. In extremely severe cases, resort to the drainage procedure.

Predictions for pneumonia

Every person who is faced with pneumonia naturally wants to know what forecasts await him, what risks he is exposed to.

Predicting any disease is not easy and depends on a number of factors:

1. The patient's age.
2. The main causative agent of the inflammatory process.
3. Possible concomitant diseases that complicate the course of drug therapy.
4. Weakened immunity.
5. The quality and literacy of the prescribed treatment.

The most dangerous period for pneumonia is considered to be infancy, somewhere up to one year. Unfortunately, the percentage of deaths in this case varies from 10 to 30 percent.

If the patient's immunity is severely weakened, then the effectiveness of the treatment may be questioned, but modern medicine continues to improve and produce more and more effective medicines.

The best guarantee of a happy recovery is the timely start of treatment. If you do not delay the visit to the doctor, then the correct therapy leads to an inevitable recovery.

Symptoms are signals from the body that it needs help. Such things should not go unnoticed.

Inflammation of the lungs or pneumonia is a fairly common complex disease. It can occur both in one and in two lungs, and lead to many complications, including death.

So how to determine pneumonia? To answer this question, you need to learn more about the disease. And let's start by finding out the causes of the disease.

1. Thermal or chemical lungs;
2. flowing in the respiratory tract;
3. Congenital defects in the development of the respiratory system;
4. Vomit that has entered the lungs.
5. The impetus for the development of the disease can be a transferred ARVI or flu, or rather an infection or bacteria that have entered the respiratory tract during these diseases.

Why is pneumonia dangerous?

Pneumonia is a rapidly developing disease that requires immediate treatment. However, the primary task is to make an accurate diagnosis. You can determine the inflammation yourself, knowing exactly the symptoms of the disease.

The first signs of pneumonia in adults and children

1. Pneumonia is always accompanied very much, which is difficult to bring down with the help of antipyretic drugs, but even if this can be done, it will soon rise to its previous high rates.
2. , which accompanies a lot of diseases, with pneumonia can be different, depending on the cause of the disease. As a rule, it is accompanied by expectoration of sputum, sometimes even with blood. However, there are exceptions: if the lungs are affected by a viral infection, then the cough can be dry and quite rare. It must be remembered that very young children up to six months may not cough at all, because they do not have a reflex.
3. Pneumonia is often given by the pallor of the skin around the nose and lips.
4. Pneumonia involves blockage of the lung alveoli, which makes it difficult to breathe. For this reason, auxiliary respiratory muscles are included in the respiratory process: on inspiration, retraction of the ribs and characteristic fluttering of the nasal wings are observed, for men, breathing is characteristic of the stomach.
5. The inflammation is accompanied by wheezing. They can be both in a specific area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lungs, and along the entire surface of the back. The latter speaks of the neglect of the disease. Wheezing can be heard with your ear or with a stethoscope. For the average layman, wheezing will resemble the sounds of bursting bubbles. When diagnosing severe pneumonia, you should definitely consult a doctor.
6. Pneumonia is accompanied by shortness of breath, loss of strength, chills, weakness, drowsiness and lack of appetite.
7. In some cases, pain in the chest area may be present, but this symptom is not mandatory.

First aid for pneumonia

If a disease is detected, the patient must observe an increased drinking regimen and follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor. Along the way, you can use the advice of traditional medicine, which can be easily applied at home. An effective treatment is to take decoctions and teas that promote sputum discharge and inhalations based on essential oils.

Folk methods of treatment

Folk remedies for pneumonia are used at the first signs of the disease and as additional methods of treatment, in parallel with traditional methods.

Homemade sweet medicine for children

With inflammation of the lungs in a child, you can prepare an effective mixture that will help cope with the disease. To prepare such a medicine, you will need radish and beet juice, as well as a little.

You should thoroughly wash fresh beets, then boil and grate the finest fraction. Juice is squeezed out of the resulting porridge. To exclude the ingress of the fibers of the beet itself, it is recommended to use gauze in several layers. In the same way, get juice from black radish, but not boiled, but raw. The final stage in the preparation of the medicine is the mixing of all three components (juices and honey) in equal proportions.

The mixture should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day. It is taken several times a day ten minutes before eating or drinking, in a state warmed to room temperature.

The resulting medicine is sweet enough and children take it with pleasure. In addition to inflammation, the mixture will also help cure a common cough if consumed in a teaspoon before meals for a week. A further course of treatment is to take a teaspoon per day.

chestnut compress

Chronic inflammation of the lungs can be cured with compresses based on an alcohol tincture of chestnuts. To do this, 30 chestnuts are put into a liter jar and filled with half a liter of alcohol, after which they are infused for three weeks in a dark place.

It should be noted that only brown, ripe chestnuts harvested in autumn should be used to prepare the tincture.

After the tincture is fully prepared, gauze is moistened with it and applied to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lungs, covered with cellophane. The compress can be fixed by tying it with a scarf, which will also warm. This "linkage" is left for the whole night.

The compress is covered with cellophane as tightly as possible, since the tincture, hitting the linen, will leave stains.

Pneumonia in adults (pneumonia) is an inflammation of the lower respiratory tract of various etiologies, occurring with intraalveolar exudation and accompanied by characteristic clinical and radiological signs. The main cause of the development of the disease is a pulmonary infection that affects all structures of the lungs. There are many types of pneumonia, ranging in severity from mild to severe, or even those that can be fatal.

What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia (pneumonia) is a predominantly acute pathological condition caused by an infectious and inflammatory lesion of the pulmonary parenchyma. In this disease, the lower respiratory tract (bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli) is involved in the process.

This is a fairly common disease, diagnosed in about 12-14 adults out of 1000, and in older people whose age has exceeded 50-55 years, the ratio is 17:1000. In terms of the frequency of deaths, pneumonia ranks first among all infectious diseases.

• ICD-10 code: J12, J13, J14, J15, J16, J17, J18, P23

The duration of the disease depends on the effectiveness of the prescribed treatment and the reactivity of the body. Before the advent of antibiotics, the high temperature dropped by 7-9 days.

The degree of contagiousness directly depends on the form and type of pneumonia. But one thing is for sure - yes, almost all types of pneumonia are contagious. Most often, the disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. Thus, being in poorly ventilated rooms with a carrier of the pneumonia virus (collective), a person is easily susceptible to infection.

The reasons

Treatment of pneumonia

General practitioners, pediatricians, family physicians, and general practitioners can treat uncomplicated forms of pneumonia.

For non-severe pneumonia in adults, inpatient treatment is performed. It consists of the following measures:

1. taking drugs that dilate the bronchi for sputum discharge;
2. taking antibiotics, antiviral drugs to combat the causative agent of pneumonia;
3. undergoing a course of physiotherapy;
4. performance of physiotherapy exercises;
5. diet, drinking plenty of water.

Moderate and severe course requires hospitalization in a therapeutic or pulmonological department. Uncomplicated mild pneumonia can be treated on an outpatient basis under the supervision of a local therapist or a pulmonologist visiting the patient at home.

It is preferable to treat in a hospital in the following situations:

• patient over 60 years of age;
• the presence of chronic lung disease, diabetes, malignant tumors, severe heart or kidney failure, low body weight, alcoholism or drug addiction;
• failure of initial antibiotic therapy;
• pregnancy;
• desire of the patient or his relatives.

Antibiotics

In pneumonia of the lungs, it is advisable to use antibiotics in adults after the disease has been confirmed by at least one diagnostic method.

• With a mild course, preference is given to protected penicillins, macrolides, cephalosporins.
• Severe forms require a combination of several antibiotics: macrolides, fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins.
• Efficiency is evaluated after 2-3 days. If the condition has not improved, this is a direct indication to change the group of drugs.

Other drugs

In addition to antibiotic therapy, antipyretic therapy is also prescribed. Antipyretics are prescribed when the temperature rises from 38.5 degrees:

• ibuprofen;
• Paracetamol;
• Ibuklin;
• Aspirin.

Mucolytics are used to thin sputum:

• Ambrohexal;
• Lazolvan;
• Ambrobene;
• Fluimucil;
• Fluditec.

Physiotherapy treatment of pneumonia in adults

There are a number of procedures that are used in the treatment of pathology, the most effective are:

• ultrasonic aerosol inhalation using mucolytics and antibiotics;
• electrophoresis with the use of antibiotics and expectorants;
• decimeter wave treatment of lungs;
• UHF therapy;
• magnetophoresis;
• UV radiation;
• chest massage.

Therapeutic measures are carried out until the patient's recovery, which is confirmed by objective methods - auscultation, normalization of laboratory and X-ray studies.

The prognosis for pneumonia in an adult directly depends on the degree of virulence and pathogenicity of the pathogen, the presence of a background disease, as well as the normal functioning of the human immune apparatus. In most situations, pneumonia proceeds favorably and ends with a complete clinical and laboratory recovery of the patient.

Compliance with the regime

1. During the entire period of illness, the patient must comply with bed rest.
2. You need a nutritious diet rich in vitamins. If there are no signs of heart failure, it is useful to drink plenty of fluids up to 3 liters per day.
3. The room should have fresh air, light, temperature +18C. When cleaning the room, you should exclude products containing chlorine, do not use heaters with an open coil, as they dry the air a lot.

During the period of resorption of the inflammatory focus, physiotherapy is prescribed:

• inductothermy;
• microwave therapy;
• electrophoresis of lidase, heparin, calcium chloride;
• thermal procedures (paraffin compresses).

Diet and nutrition

Diet for pneumonia during an exacerbation:

• lean meat, chicken, meat and chicken broth;
• lean fish;
• milk and dairy products;
• vegetables (cabbage, carrots, potatoes, herbs, onions, garlic);
• fresh fruits (apples, pears, citrus fruits, grapes, watermelon), dried fruits (raisins, dried apricots);
• fruit, berry and vegetable juices, fruit drinks;
• cereals and pasta;
• tea, rosehip broth;
• honey, jam.

Avoid foods such as: alcohol, smoked foods, fried, spicy and fatty foods, sausages, marinades, canned food, store-bought sweets, foods with carcinogens.

Recovery and rehabilitation

After pneumonia, a very important point is rehabilitation, which is aimed at bringing all the functions and systems of the body back to normal. Rehabilitation after pneumonia also has a beneficial effect on overall health in the future, which minimizes the risk of developing and recurring not only pneumonia, but also other diseases.

Recovery implies taking medications, physiotherapy, diet, tempering procedures. This stage can last up to 3-6 months, depending on the severity of the disease.

Prevention

The best prevention is to lead a rational lifestyle:

1. Proper nutrition (fruits, vegetables, juices), outdoor walks, avoiding stress.
2. In winter and spring, to avoid a decrease in immunity, you can take a multivitamin complex, for example, Vitrum.
3. To give up smoking.
4. Treatment of chronic diseases, moderate alcohol consumption.

Pneumonia is a dangerous and unpleasant disease of the respiratory tract, which is accompanied by the manifestation of specific symptoms. It is worth paying attention to these symptoms in order to maintain good health and maintain the health of the body.

Despite modern scientific achievements in the field of medicine, pneumonia remains one of the most dangerous diseases. High mortality in this disease is observed in young children - up to two years old and in the elderly - over 65-70 years old. But it is necessary for every person to be able to raise the alarm in time, to know how to determine pneumonia, because the situation from moderate to severe can at any moment go into a critical stage, when the clock goes to the clock, and it will not be so easy to find an effective medicine.

Inflammation of the lungs, or pneumonia, is an inflammation of the lung tissues as a result of the penetration of pathogenic bacteria, strains of viruses into the cells of an organ. Less common are forms caused by protozoal infections - protozoa, mold spores.

A symptom complex characteristic of pneumonia becomes a reaction to the penetration of pathogens. It can be difficult for a person without medical education to distinguish the disease from pleurisy, bronchitis, so the final diagnosis should be made by an experienced specialist.

Causes of inflammation of the lungs

Every child and adult faces banal infections of the upper respiratory tract, almost every year. However, in the course of common colds lies the risk of complications. Inflammation of the lungs can develop for the following reasons.

1. Complication of acute respiratory viral infections. For whatever reason, the human immune system is unable to defeat the virus, and he "descends" down the respiratory tract. Often, the "chain" begins with a sore throat or rhinitis, then turns into pharyngitis, then comes the turn of bronchitis, and only after that the lung tissue becomes inflamed.
2. Infection with characteristic pathogens - most often these are bacteria from the genus Streptococcus pneumoniae. The disease can be transmitted by airborne droplets, household way.
3. Accession of a bacterial infection on the background of a viral one. In this case, pneumonia develops a few days after ARVI or tonsillitis. Secondary infection is especially dangerous for people with initially weakened immunity.
4. Congestive pneumonia. Typical for bedridden patients. A specific risk group is old people who have suffered a hip fracture, and other people who are forced to stay in one position for a long time. The lack of proper ventilation in the lungs contributes to the development of pathogenic microflora.
5. Hospital infections. This type of pneumonia is recognized as the most dangerous, since pathogens, as a rule, are superinfection and are difficult to treat with antibiotics.

It must be remembered that, regardless of the type, the disease is severe. The first signs may begin to appear already a few days after infection, and sometimes the disease develops over a longer time. To avoid serious consequences, you need to take measures and know the symptoms of pneumonia.

The classification of the types of disease is used by doctors in order to determine the source of the infection, the pathogen, the method of development and the degree of damage to the lung tissue. Important data are the nature of the course, associated complications. The severity of the disease affects the choice of treatment methods, the prognosis for a particular patient.

All together allows doctors to most effectively approach the treatment of each specific case of pneumonia.

Based on epidemiological data

This classification is necessary to determine the source of infection. These data are important from the point of view of the possible resistance of the pathogen to drugs. Classification based on epidemiological data indicates the following types of pneumonia.

1. Community-acquired infections - occur outside of the hospital. Doctors are recognized, as a rule, for relatively "light" cases.
2. Nosocomial infections. They are dangerous because the pathogen is almost always a superinfection. Such bacteria are not susceptible to common antibiotics because the strains develop protection against the main active ingredients. Modern areas of medical science suggest the use of bacteriophages.
3. Provoked by immunodeficiency states. In risk groups for the development of pneumonia in adults are bedridden patients, HIV-infected patients, patients with oncological diagnoses. Pneumonia in immunodeficiency always implies a cautious prognosis.
4. atypical pneumonia. They occur with an altered clinical picture, provoked by insufficiently studied pathogens.

By pathogen

Identification of the type of pathogen affects the choice of drugs. The following types of infections are distinguished:

• bacterial - the most common type;
• viral;
• fungal;
• protozoan;
• mixed.

According to the mechanism of development

The source of the appearance of the disease allows you to determine the treatment strategy. The following forms of development are identified:

• primary - an independent disease;
• secondary - appear against the background of other diseases;
• post-traumatic - caused by mechanical damage to the lung tissue and secondary infection;
• postoperative;
• pneumonia after a heart attack - develop due to a partial violation of the patency of the pulmonary veins.

According to the degree of involvement of the lung tissue

The level of tissue damage affects the strategy of intervention and the prognosis. There are degrees:

• unilateral inflammation;
• bilateral;
• total lesion - includes basal forms, croupous, segmental.

By the nature of the flow

Given the complications

According to the severity of the current

Symptoms of the disease

Inflammation of the lungs shows different symptoms, but together they add up to a certain clinical picture. Some of them are general, others depend on the specific course of the disease. The patient or his relative should pay attention to the following manifestations.

1. High temperature, which is poorly amenable to the action of antipyretics.
2. Sweating, shortness of breath even at rest. Weakness, sometimes confusion, this symptom indicates a severe bilateral or croupous lesion of the lungs.
3. Cough - may be dry or with phlegm. With focal pneumonia, the sputum is greenish in color, has the smell of pus. Lobar pneumonia is characterized by the discharge of blood-colored mucus, this is one of the important symptoms of a dangerous condition. Cough brings no relief.
4. Pain in the sternum when breathing, especially during physical exertion.
5. Croupous pneumonia is accompanied by severe intoxication, therefore, rashes are observed in the region of the nasolabial triangle.

Without special competent treatment, the patient's condition will worsen. Alternative methods are not effective in this serious disease, so you need to seek the help of a doctor. In severe conditions, it is recommended to call an ambulance.

Diagnostic methods

The correct diagnosis includes not only the identification of the pathological process occurring in the lungs, but also the clarification of additional details. The causative agent, severity and other data are taken into account that help determine the prescription of drugs and additional procedures.

Diagnostic methods include the following:

• visual primary examination, assessment of the patient's condition;
• taking sputum for analysis - reveals the causative agent of infection;
• general blood test - determines the degree of intoxication;
• radiography;
• Ultrasound of the pleural cavity.

A full range of diagnostic procedures is recommended to establish the most accurate diagnosis possible. Ultrasound is recommended to be performed several times - to identify the effectiveness of the treatment, timely detection of complications.

Treatment of pneumonia

The treatment of pneumonia implies the correct choice of drug therapy aimed at the destruction of pathogenic microflora, in combination with drugs that help restore lung tissue and maintain the patient's condition.

Home treatment of pneumonia is unacceptable, the patient is hospitalized in the pulmonology department for complex procedures.

The standard treatment regimen includes the following activities.

1. Prescribing antibiotic therapy. Doctors recommend starting it as early as possible, using new generation drugs, without wasting time identifying a specific pathogen. If necessary, the drugs are adjusted and combined in the course of treatment. The course of treatment lasts up to 14 days.
2. Providing the patient with bed rest in a warm, well-ventilated area. A special diet is recommended - light, but high-calorie, with a lot of vitamins.
3. Appointment of antipyretic, expectorant, antihistamines. These drugs help to relieve intoxication, improve the general condition of the patient, reduce the burden on the kidneys and heart.
4. With extensive lung damage and difficulty breathing, it is recommended to use oxygen masks.
5. After the acute phase of pneumonia is removed, physiotherapy (electrophoresis with potassium iodide), inhalations, physiotherapy exercises are added to restore the damaged lung focus.

With the right approach to treatment, the symptoms of pneumonia decrease after three to four days, and full recovery occurs in 15-21 days.

Hardening and strengthening immunity with the help of proper nutrition, rich in vitamins and useful microelements, is also a great way to “prevent” bacterial or viral infections from reaching the lower respiratory tract.

The prognosis for healthy adults is favorable. In 80% of cases, with proper treatment, an absolute restoration of lung tissue is observed within two to three months. Sometimes there may be a partial degeneration of the affected focus - carnification, then additional measures will be required to recover from the disease.

Doubtful and unfavorable prognosis in severe cases in people with HIV infection suffering from oncological diseases.

Conclusion

Inflammation of the lungs is a disease that should not be underestimated. Remember that before the invention of antibiotics, every third sick person died from it. The achievements of modern medicine have made pneumonia not so dangerous, but qualified treatment is possible only with the help of professionals, in a hospital setting. Non-traditional and folk methods can be an addition to the main therapy, but not the basis of treatment.