Symptoms of pneumonia in an adult

Pneumonia (pneumonia) is a very serious disease, ignoring its signs in no case can not, because the consequences can be unpredictable. Doctors still can not exactly answer the question of why infection in some people stops in the upper respiratory tract, while in others it moves deeper and attacks the lungs. But one expert can state with full confidence - pneumonia develops only when the immunity is already weakened by some other disease. Symptoms of pneumonia in an adult appear somewhat differently than in a child. In general, they depend on the severity of the disease and on the type of infectious agent that caused them.

Causes and Symptoms of Pneumonia

In an adult the most common disease is pneumococci. Having penetrated into the bronchi and the alveoli, they generate an inflammatory process there. When the liquid component enters the alveoli from the walls of the vessels, the respiratory difficulty appears in the diseased person. Against this background, the body develops oxygen starvation, because the affected portion of the lung becomes dysfunctional. To strengthen the influx to the tissues of the blood, the heart begins to actively contract. All these processes lead to the appearance of the first symptoms of pneumonia in an adult: a sharp rise in temperature, chest pain, a cough with a separation of reddish sputum. In the case when the inflammatory process is caused by other infectious agents: mycoplasma, legionella, chlamydia - the symptomatology will be similar, but this inflammation proceeds somewhat more easily. So, the symptoms of pneumonia in an adult when it is stimulated by mycoplasmas will be manifested by chills, throat swelling, runny nose (optional), fever, dyspnoea, which leads to pain in the chest. If the development of the disease occurred as a result of the effects of chlamydia, the first signs of ailment will be similar to those that occur with colds: dry cough, sore throat, runny nose, temperature increase. If the pathogen is Legionella, the symptoms, other than those listed above, will be supplemented by loss of appetite, diarrhea.

Common Symptoms of Pneumonia

Regardless of the type of pathogen, the first signs of the disease are most often the same. This is an obsessive dry cough, over time moisturizing, an increase in temperature (it can vary between 37-40 degrees). In severe pneumonia, the skin becomes a pronounced bluish tinge, breathing becomes more frequent. Such symptoms are completely nonspecific, so even doctors sometimes confuse the disease with ARVI. And only when the temperature reaches high values, dyspnea appears, leukocytosis is noted, pneumonia is diagnosed. To confirm suspicions, carry out radiography.

How to treat pneumonia in adults

Ill be hospitalized. He is assigned bed rest, frequent intake of warm liquids, high-calorie meals. The main method of treatment - antibacterial therapy (the drug is selected for each patient individually, depending on many features). If necessary, it can be supplemented with the use of immunostimulants, expectorants, antihistamines, etc. In case of delayed treatment, complications of pneumonia in adults can lead to death.