Pneumonia and its red lights

• April 28, 2024

The pneumonia or pneumonia is a bacterial or viral infection that usually affects a part (lobe or segment) of the lungs. It is usually a delicate condition that does not resolve spontaneously and requires immediate medical attention, although not necessarily the patient must be hospitalized.

The most common symptoms of pneumonia they are malaise, fever, productive cough with abundant phlegm and green, yellow or brown. Sometimes phlegm can also have bloody streaks . The patient has shortness of breath or difficulty breathing during physical activities, and in more severe cases, at rest. There may be pain in the chest or back.

The microorganisms that most frequently cause pneumonia are:

1. Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus
2. Haemophilus influenza, frequent in patients with respiratory diseases. The infection by this bacterium is not the same as the infection by the Influenza virus for which we receive the annual vaccine
3. Moraxella catarralis affects predominantly patients with cardiopulmonary disease
4. Staphylococcus aureus, it is rare in healthy patients and when it occurs it is almost always after infection by the influenza virus
5. Klebsiella pneumoniae It develops in people who drink a lot of alcohol
6. The so-called atypical pneumonias are common in young subjects, are caused by these microorganisms: Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae Y Legionella pneumophila
7. Viruses affect healthy and sick people of all age groups. The most common pneumonia-causing agents are: Adenovirus, Respiratory syncytial virus and influenza A, B or C

Despite knowing which bacteria or virus cause pneumonias , in more than half of the cases the causative infectious agent can not be identified. That's why with a good clinical history, physical examination and a chest x-ray, a doctor can make the diagnosis of pneumonia and start treatment, even without a culture of expectoration. The realization of pharyngeal exudates in the vast majority of cases does not contribute anything.