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Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. [3] [14] Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. [15]
Diagnosis of pneumonia is made clinically, rather than on the basis of a particular test. [13] Evaluation begins with a physical examination by a health provider, which may reveal fever, an increased respiratory rate , low blood pressure (hypotension), a fast heart rate (tachycardia) and changes in the amount of oxygen in the blood.
The cough may persist for several weeks afterward with the total duration of symptoms usually around three weeks. [2] [1] Some have symptoms for up to six weeks. [3] In more than 90% of cases, the cause is a viral infection. [1] These viruses may be spread through the air when people cough or by direct contact. [2]
[13] [15] Pneumonia is also the leading cause of death in children less than five years of age in low income countries. [15] The most common cause of pneumonia is pneumococcal bacteria, Streptococcus pneumoniae accounts for 2/3 of bacteremic pneumonias. [16] Invasive pneumococcal pneumonia has a mortality rate of around 20%. [14]
Other causes of similar symptoms include asthma, pneumonia, bronchiolitis, bronchiectasis, and COPD. [2] [4] A chest X-ray may be useful to detect pneumonia. [4] Another common sign of bronchitis is a cough lasting ten days to three weeks. If the cough lasts longer than a month, it may become chronic bronchitis. In addition, a fever may be present.
Bronchopneumonia is a subtype of pneumonia.It is the acute inflammation of the bronchi, accompanied by inflamed patches in the nearby lobules of the lungs. [1]It is often contrasted with lobar pneumonia; but, in clinical practice, the types are difficult to apply, as the patterns usually overlap. [2]
Pneumococcal pneumonia is a type of bacterial pneumonia that is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus). [1] It is the most common bacterial pneumonia found in adults, the most common type of community-acquired pneumonia, and one of the common types of pneumococcal infection. The estimated number of Americans with pneumococcal ...
Pneumonia and sepsis are the most common triggers, and pneumonia is present in up to 60% of patients and may be either causes or complications of ARDS. Alcohol excess appears to increase the risk of ARDS. [47] Diabetes was originally thought to decrease the risk of ARDS, but this has shown to be due to an increase in the risk of pulmonary edema.