Pneumonia is a serious lung disease, in which the lung tissue becomes inflamed. Bacteria are most often responsible for the development of pneumonia.
Types of pneumonia
There is a classification of pneumonia, depending on the localization of the lesion:
- focal pneumonia is an acute form of the disease in which a small area of the lung is struck (the so-called bronchopneumonia, in which the bronchi and respiratory sections are damaged);
- share - the proportion of the lung is affected (this refers to cuperous pneumonia - the alveoli are affected);
- segmental - extends to several segments of the lung;
- draining - in this form small foci merge into large;
- total - applies to the entire lung.
Also, pneumonia is classified by lung lesion as one-sided - the disease captures one lung, and bilateral - both lungs are affected.
An important point in the treatment and symptomatology of pneumonia is whether it has developed as an independent disease or is a consequence of another disease (for example, because of bronchitis).
If pneumonia develops not because of an infection, then it is called pneumonitis.
Causes of pneumonia
Most often pneumonia is a secondary disease that occurs after chronic bronchitis. Especially often, cases of pneumonia are recorded during an epidemic of influenza, because it creates a favorable environment for the virus in the body, which can also cause pneumonia.
Focal pneumonia can be secondary due to the following diseases:
- whooping cough;
- measles;
- scarlet fever ;
- meningococcal meningitis;
- typhoid fever;
- purulent otitis media;
- peritonitis;
- dysentery;
- furunculosis;
- abscess of the liver;
- osteomyelitis.
When focal pneumonia develops primarily, the microbes get through the bronchi - the so-called bronchogenic pathway, and when it arises as a secondary disease, the microbes, viruses and fungi have a hematogenous and lymphogenic pathway.
Focal pneumonia - symptoms
The first signs of focal pneumonia can be acute or develop gradually.
The main symptoms of pneumonia:
- sweating;
- chills;
- fever;
- headache;
- pain in the chest during breathing and coughing.
The temperature for focal pneumonia is high, and can reach 39 degrees. If immunity is weak, then the temperature can only rise to subfebrile.
If the treatment is started on time, and consists of antibacterial agents, the temperature is maintained up to 5 days.
Cough can be both wet and dry. Slime from the bronchi can have impurities of pus.
During pneumonia, a person gets breathing and pulse - up to 30 breaths per minute and up to 110 strokes.
If the causative agent of focal pneumonia was streptococcus, then together with the described symptoms exudative pleurisy is attached.
Treatment of focal pneumonia
In 80% of cases, pneumococcus is the causative agent of pneumonia, but also other bacteria can cause this disease: staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, E. coli, meningococcus, chlamydia, mycoplasma, etc. Therefore, antibacterial drugs should be treated:
- fluoroquinolones;
- penicillins;
- cephalosporins.
They can be combined, and appointed for up to 14 days. They are prescribed intramuscularly and intravenously.
Together with this, the patient is prescribed fortifying agents in the form of vitamin complexes and anti-inflammatory medications. It is important to take mucolytics with a wet cough to cleanse the bronchi from bacteria and mucus. For this use Bromgeksin, Eufillin, Teopek.
For local treatment use inhalations based on medicines and oils.
When acute manifestations of pneumonia are removed, physiotherapeutic procedures are used - UHF and electrophoresis.
Is focal pneumonia curable?
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the tissue, and therefore can not be contagious, but pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi) can enter the body of another person and cause either pneumonia, or the flu, or any other disease to which they usually lead.
Complication of focal pneumonia
Inadequate treatment may have the following consequences:
- heart failure ;
- septic shock;
- pulmonary edema;
- myocarditis;
- pericarditis;
- endocarditis;
- sepsis;
- meningitis;
- gangrene of the lung;
- anemia.