Symptoms of Pneumonia
Symptoms of pneumonia can vary greatly, depending on any underlying conditions people may have and the type of organism causing the infection. The pneumonia symptoms can helps in identifying the form of pneumonia it self.
The pneumonia often start during or after an upper respiratory infection, such as influenza or a cold. General signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:
- A single episode of shaking chills followed by fever
- Chest pain on the side of the infected lung. Severe abdominal pain sometimes occurs in people with pneumonia in the lower lobes of the lung
- Cough, which may be dry at first, but eventually produces phlegm (sputum)
- Nausea, vomiting, and muscle aches
- Rapid breathing and heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
Symptoms of pneumonia indicating a medical emergency include the following:
- Blood in sputum
- Bluish-toned (cyanotic) skin
- High fever
- Labored and heavy breathing
- Mental confusion or reduced mental function in the elderly
- Rapid heart rate
- Weight loss
Ironically, people in high-risk groups such as older adults and people with chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems may have fewer or milder symptoms than less vulnerable people do. Older adults may have different, fewer, or milder symptoms, such as no fever or a cough with no mucus (a dry or nonproductive cough). The major sign of pneumonia in older adults may be when there is a change in how clearly they think (confusion or delirium) or when a lung disease they already have gets worse.
In children, symptoms may depend on age:
- In infants younger than 1 month of age, symptoms may include having little or no energy (lethargy), feeding poorly, grunting, or having a fever.
- In children, symptoms of pneumonia are often the same as in adults. Your doctor will look for signs such as cough and a breathing rate over 60 breaths per minute.
Conditions that may look like pneumonia include bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and tuberculosis.
Articles About Pneumonia Disease @ 8:29 AM,
0 Comments:
Post a Comment