more about....pneuMOnia

Definition
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lung and respiratory system, usually caused by an infection. Three common causes are bacteria, viruses and fungi. The air sacs in the lungs fill with pus and other liquid. Oxygen has trouble reaching your blood. If there is too little oxygen in your blood, your body cells can't work properly. Because of this and spreading infection through the body pneumonia can cause death.

Signs and symptoms
The main symptoms of pneumonia are:
# Cough with greenish or yellow mucus; bloody sputum happens on occasion
# Fever with shaking chills
# Sharp or stabbing chest pain worsened by deep breathing or coughing
# Rapid, shallow breathing
# Shortness of breath

Additional symptoms include:
# Headache
# Excessive sweating and clammy skin
# Loss of appetite
# Excessive fatigue
# Confusion , especially in older people

Causes
Pneumonia is not a single disease. It can have over 30 different causes. There are five main causes of pneumonia:
• Bacteria
• Viruses
• Mycoplasmas
• Other infectious agents, such as fungi -- including pneumocystis
• Various chemicals

Risk factors
You are more at risk of pneumonia if:
# Over 65,
# Smoke,
# A heavy drinker,
# Already have a lung disease, such as asthma or cystic fibrosis,
# Have, or have recently had, an illness that has made your body's natural defences against
infection weaker, such as flu,
# Take medicine for an illness such as AIDS or cancer, which has made it harder for your body
to fight off infection, or
# An intravenous drug user.
# Children under the age of 2 are also at increased risk of pneumonia.

Diagnosis
The following tests may show signs of pneumonia:
# Chest x-ray
# Gram's stain and culture of your sputum to look for the organism causing your symptoms
# CBC to check white blood cell count; if high, this suggests bacterial infection
# Arterial blood gases to check how well you are oxygenating your blood
# CAT scan of the chest
# Pleural fluid culture if there is fluid in the space surrounding the lungs

Complications
The complications of pneumonia:
· Bacteria in the bloodstream ( bacteremia )
· Lung abscess or Emphyema.
· Fluid accumulation and infection around the lungs.

Treatment
The treatment of pneumonia depends on the type of pneumonia you have and the severity of your symptoms.
· Bacterial pneumonia is usually treated with antibiotics, which fight the bacterial infection
· Viral pneumonia can't be treated with antibiotics. The recommended treatment is the
same as for flu - rest and drinking plenty of fluids.
· Aspiration pneumonia is normally treated at first by giving oxygen.
· For all types of pneumonia, painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen can help to ease
the pain and fever caused by the pneumonia. Ibuprofen is not recommended if you have a
history of asthma, kidney, or liver disease.
· Make sure that you have plenty to drink to avoid dehydration

Prognosis
With treatment, most patients will improve within two weeks. Elderly or debilitated patients who fail to respond to treatment may die from respiratory failure.

Prevention
# There are vaccines that can help protect against pneumococcal pneumonia - the most common form of pneumonia.
# Wash your hand .
# Don’t smoke cause smoking damage the airways of your lungs making yaour lungs more vulnerable to infection.