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An infection of the lungs that involves the small air sacs or alveoli and the tissues around them is known as pneumonia. Over two million people are known to develop this infection each year with between 40,000 to 70,000 pneumonia related deaths per year. Recent studies have shown there are an increasing number of bacteria developing which cause pneumonia that are antibiotic resistant making this the sixth most common cause of death over all. The term pneumonia covers a variety of illness with each being caused by a different microscopic organism. In most cases the organisms are inhaled through the lungs but they can also be carried to the lungs in the blood stream or migrate from other infections close to the lungs.
Certain factors make some people more susceptible to pneumonia such as smoking, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure and alcoholism. Also at risk are infants, the elderly and people with drug suppressed immune systems such as cancer patients or organ transplant patients, those who are bedridden, paralyzed or unconscious and anyone who has an impaired immune system such as those with AIDS. The symptoms of pneumonia in most cases include a shortness of breath, fever, chills, a cough that will produce a yellow green phlegm and sometimes blood and a chest pain that is usually more painful when inhaling. The chest pain in many cases is caused by what is known as pleurisy which is an inflammation of the membrane that lines the lungs and chest cavity. There can also be complications of fluid around the lungs which is known as pleural effusion, empyema which is pus in the pleural cavity and occasionally an abscess in the lungs.
Although most cases of pneumonia can be treated at home but with severe cases hospitalization is necessary. The drugs that are prescribed can be antibiotics drugs. In most cases pneumonia are caused by bacteria or viruses. Viral pneumonia is usually caused by a respiratory syncytial virus, adenovirus or coxsackievirus with the most common causes of bacterial pneumonia being streptococcus pneumonia, staphylococcus aureus, hemophlus influenza or legionella pneumophilia. This condition can also be caused by a mycoplasma or organism that is intermediate between a bacterium and a virus or a fungi, yeast or protozoa.
There are many different types of pneumonia. Pneumoccoccal pneumonia is the most common bacterial type and will usually start after a cold, sore throat or influenza has damaged the lungs allowing pneumococci to invade and infect the area. Staphylococcal pneumonia tend to develop in infants, the elderly or those who are debilitated by other illnesses. Gram negative bacterial pneumonia is a bacterial form that most commonly infects infants, the elderly, people with chronic diseases and alcoholics. Atypical pneumonias are those caused by organisms other than the typical bacteria, viruses or fungi. A good example of this type of pneumonia is mycoplasma pneumonia which usually effects those age 5 to 35 and can create epidemics in closed groups of these age groups. Pneumocystis pneumonia is caused by an organism that is known to reside in the normal lung without causing harm. It will then cause disease when the bodies defenses are weakened. Many times this is the first indication that a person with HIV infection has developed AIDS.
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