Despite modern technologies and a variety of medicines, the problems of curing such an ailment as pneumonia remain relevant for both children and adults. But if decades ago it was incredibly difficult to cure it, and death was common, then today's medicine can cope with the disease in 14-21 days, depending on the degree of complexity. The disease is dangerous for its consequences, which occur when the doctor is not contacted in time or the wrong therapy is used, when acute respiratory infections are treated in the presence of pneumonia. Pneumonia: symptoms and treatment – the topic of the presented note, but first, get acquainted with the features of the disease.
Pneumonia symptoms and treatment: what kind of disease and what is dangerous
Doctors have rightly classified inflammation as an acute infectious disease. After all, the disease occurs for various reasons, mainly pathogens – These are different types of fungi, viruses and bacteria. Not rare, unfortunately, there are cases when inflammation manifests itself against the background of lung cancer, therefore, having determined the first signs of the disease, it is important to immediately consult a doctor.
Infection occurs by airborne droplets, in rare cases through the bloodstream. With a strong immune system, the risk of getting sick is reduced, but during the period of lowering the defenses, the disease begins to develop.
Pneumonia: symptoms of the disease in an adult
The signs of the disease are completely dependent on the causes that caused the inflammation. For an adult, the most common cause of pneumonia is – hypothermia. You had to wait a long time for transport in the cold at a bus stop or you got caught in heavy rain, and after a couple of days a typical acute respiratory disease turned into pneumonia. By the way, just in case, take into service the technique of how to recover from a cold in 24 hours.
Here is one of the popular variants of pneumonia development, which has the following symptoms:
- jump in body temperature to febrile levels;
- lethargy and weakness;
- fatigue and migraine;
- dry cough for 3-5 days, which turns into a wet one, sputum leaves;
- pain in the chest during breathing and coughing;
- shortness of breath.
Pneumonia: symptoms of the disease that are present in children
Unfortunately, the disease is 2 times more common in young children, approximately between the ages of birth and up to 3 years. Babies get sick due to the following reasons:
- malformations;
- birth trauma;
- aspiration of stomach contents during regurgitation;
- foreign bodies in the respiratory tract.
You can avoid a severe course of the disease if you know the signs of the onset of the disease in children:
- loss of appetite;
- baby crying for no good reason;
- fever;
- weakness and drowsiness;
- increased sweating;
- increased respiratory rate.
Other signs may be added to the presented signs, depending on the individual characteristics of the baby, because the disease proceeds in different ways.
Pneumonia – an infectious disease that has various causes, but at the first sign requires the intervention of specialists. You can determine the disease by the main symptoms: cough, fever, shortness of breath, weakness.
Pneumonia: how is the infection treated
Mild disease is treated by a generalist doctor, but in case of a severe course, the patient is admitted to a hospital, children under 1 year of age with any form of illness are treated in a hospital. Treatment is prescribed by the doctor only after examining the patient and conducting tests.
Hospitalization is required in the following cases:
- too high or low body temperature;
- increase in heart rate;
- low hemoglobin;
- increased white blood cell counts;
- presence of foci of infection in other systems and organs;
- poor radiographs;
- lack of adequate therapy at home.
Pneumonia: what drugs are used for treatment
If earlier such a disease was recognized as dangerous due to frequent deaths, now, thanks to antibiotics, the therapy in the vast majority of cases is successful. In the treatment of pneumonia, the following types of antibacterial drugs are prescribed:
- macrolides;
- penicillin;
- cephalosporins;
- respiratory fluoroquinolones.
Antibiotic therapy lasts about 7-10 days, but with bilateral inflammation, the course can last up to 21 days. The benefits and harms of antibiotics – the eternal discussion of doctors, who determine the duration of the use of drugs. But in this case, you can't do without them.
Concomitant remedies for the treatment of the disease are:
- expectorants if cough with phlegm is present;
- fever-reducing drugs;
- bronchodilators when there is shortness of breath;
- infusion treatment (droppers with saline or glucose);
- vitamin complexes to strengthen the immune system.
To conduct the correct therapy, you should consult a doctor who, after collecting the required information, makes a final diagnosis and prescribes an individual treatment. Therapy often takes place in a hospital, the main drugs to overcome the disease – antibacterial agents.
Inflammation of the lungs – a common disease, because it often occurs as a result of hypothermia or undertreated acute respiratory infections. It is impossible to completely exclude the possibility of getting sick, since the infection is transmitted by airborne droplets, but, nevertheless, it can be prevented. Strong immunity – the best prevention of the disease, so the right diet for adults and children is a prerequisite, especially in the autumn-winter period.
Pneumonia has peculiar symptoms and treatment, but it is difficult to diagnose the disease on its own if there are signs, and it is almost impossible to cure it. Therefore, consult a doctor in a timely manner and be healthy.
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