What Is Pneumonia? What Causes Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that is caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. It is characterized primarily byinflammation of the alveoli in the lungs or by alveoli that are filled with fluid (alveoli are microscopic sacs in the lungs that absorb oxygen). At times a very serious condition, pneumonia can make a person very sick or even cause death. Although the disease can occur in young and healthy people, it is most dangerous for older adults, babies, and people with other diseases or impaired immune systems. 

In the United States, more than 3 million people develop pneumonia each year, and about 17% of these receive treatment in a hospital. Most people with pneumonia recover, but about 5% will succumb to the condition.

What causes pneumonia?

Bacteria and viruses are the primary causes of pneumonia. When a person breathes pneumonia-causing germs into his lungs and his body's immune system cannot otherwise prevent entry, the organisms settle in small air sacs called alveoli and continue multiplying. As the body sends white blood cells to attack the infection, the sacs become filed with fluid andpus - causing pneumonia. 

Pneumonia has bacterial, viral, fungal, and other primary causes. A summary is provided below. 

Bacterial

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common cause of bacterial pneumonia. People who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or alcoholism most often get pneumonia from Klebsiella pneumoniae and Hemophilus influenzae. Atypical pneumonia, a type of pneumonia that typically occurs during the summer and fall months, is caused by the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae. People who have Legionnaire's disease caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumoniae (often found in contaminated water supplies and air conditioners) may also develop pneumonia as part of the overall infection. Another type of bacteria responsible for pneumonia is called Chlamydia pneumoniae. Pneumocystis cariniipneumonia is a form of pneumonia that usually affects both lungs and is found in patients with weakened or compromised immune systems from such conditions as cancer and HIV/AIDS and those treated with TNF (tumor necrosis factor) for rheumatoid arthritis. 

Viral

Viral pneumonias are pneumonias that do not typically respond to antibiotic treatment (in contrast to bacterial pneumonias). Adenoviruses, rhinovirus, influenza virus (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and parainfluenza virus are all potential causes of viral pneumonia. 

Fungal

Histoplasmosis, coccidiomycosis, blastomycosis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis are fungal infections that can lead to fungal pneumonia. These types of pneumonias are relatively infrequent in the United States. 

Nosocomial and others

Organisms that have been exposed to strong antibiotics and have developed resistance are called nosocomial organisms. If they enter the lungs, a person may develop nosocomial pneumonia. Resistant bacteria are often found in nursing homes and hospitals. An example isMRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staph aureus, which can cause skin infections as well as pneumonia. Similarly, outbreaks of the H5N1 influenza (bird flu) virus and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) have resulted in serious pneumonia infections. Anthrax, plague, and tularemia also may cause pneumonia, but their occurrences are rare.

Who gets pneumonia?

Some people are more likely than others to develop pneumonia. Individuals at higher risk include those who:

• Smoke.
• Abuse alcohol.
• Have other medical conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),emphysema, asthma, or HIV/AIDS.
• Are younger than 1 year of age or older than 65.
• Have a weakened or impaired immune system.
• Take medicines for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
• Have recently recovered from a cold or influenza infection.
• Are malnourished.
• Have been recently hospitalized in an intensive care unit.
• Have been exposed to certain chemicals or pollutants.
• Are Native Alaskan or certain Native American ethnicity.
• Have any increased risk of breathing mucus or saliva from the nose or mouth, liquids, or food from the stomach into the lungs.

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

Symptoms of pneumonia caused by bacteria usually come on more quickly than pneumonia caused by virus. Elderly persons and small children may actually have fewer or more mild symptoms than expected for such high risk groups. Most people with pneumonia begin with cold and flu symptoms and then develop a high fever, chills, and cough with sputum. 

Although symptoms may vary greatly depending on other underlying conditions, common symptoms include:

• Cough
• Rusty or green mucus (sputum) coughed up from lungs
• Fever
• Fast breathing and shortness of breath
• Shaking chills
• Chest pain that usually worsens when taking a deep breath (pleuritic pain)
• Fast heartbeat
• Fatigue and feeling very weak
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Sweating
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Confusion or delirium
• Dusky or purplish skin color (cyanosis) from poorly oxygenated blood

How is pneumonia diagnosed?

A pneumonia diagnosis usually begins with a physical exam and a discussion about your symptoms and medical history. A doctor may suspect pneumonia if they hear coarse breathing, wheezing, crackling sounds, or rumblings when listening to the chest through a stethoscope. 

Chest x-rays and blood tests may be ordered to confirm a pneumonia diagnosis. A chest x-ray can confirm pneumonia and determine its location and extent in the lungs. Blood tests measure white blood cell count to determine the severity of pneumonia and can be used to determine whether the infection is bacterial, viral, fungal, etc. An analysis of sputum also can be used to determine the organism that is causing the pneumonia. 

A more invasive diagnostic tool is the bronchoscopy - a procedure whereby the patient is under anesthesia and a thin, flexible, and lighted tube is inserted into the nose or mouth to directly examine the infected parts of the lung.

How is pneumonia treated?

Pneumonia treatments depend on the type of pneumonia and the severity of symptoms. Bacterial pneumonias are usually treated with antibiotics, whereas viral pneumonias are treated with rest and plenty of fluids. Fungal pneumonias are usually treated with antifungal medications. 

Over-the-counter medications are also commonly prescribed to better manage pneumonia symptoms. These include treatments for reducing fever, reducing aches and pains, and suppressing coughs. In addition, it is important to get plenty of rest and sleep and drink lots of fluids. 

Hospitalization for pneumonia may be required if symptoms are especially bad or a patient has a weakened immune system or other serious illness. At the hospital, patients generally are treated with intravenous antibiotics and possibly put on oxygen.

How can pneumonia be prevented?

There are several ways to prevent pneumonia. There are two vaccines that are available to prevent pneumococcal disease (the bacterial infection that is the most common cause of pneumonia): pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (Prevnar) and pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (Pneumovax). Prevnar is generally administered as part of the normal infant immunization procedure and is recommended for children less than 2 years of age or between two and four years with certain medical conditions. Pneumovax is provided for adults who are at increased risk of developing pneumococcal pneumonia, such as the elderly, diabetics, those with chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease, alcoholics, smokers, and those without a spleen. The pneumonia vaccine may not completely prevent older adults from getting pneumonia, but it can reduce the severity of a future pneumonia. 

In addition to vaccinations, physicians recommend that people wash hands, refrain from smoking, eat healthfully, exercise, and stay away from sputum or cough particles from others with pneumonia. 

Candida

Candida is a genus of yeasts. Many species are harmless commensals or endosymbionts of hosts including humans, but other species, or harmless species in the wrong location, can cause disease. Candida albicans can cause infections (candidiasis or thrush) in humans and other animals, especially in immunocompromised patients. In winemaking, some species of Candida can create potential faults in wines.

Laboratory characteristics: Grown in the laboratory, Candida appears as large, round, white or cream (albicans is from Latin meaning 'whitish') colonies with a yeasty odor on agar plates at room temperature. C. albicans ferments glucose and maltose to acid and gas, sucrose to acid, and does not ferment lactose, which help to distinguish it from other Candida species.

Clinical characteristics: Candida are almost universal on normal adult skin and albicans is part of the normal flora of the mucous membranes of the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and female genital tracts which cause no disease.

But overgrowth of several species including albicans can cause superficial infections such as oropharyngeal candidiasis (thrush) and vulvovaginal candidiasis (vaginal candidiasis). Oral candidiasis is common in elderly denture wearers. In otherwise healthy individuals, these infections can be cured with topical or systemic antifungal medications (commonly over-the-counter treatments like miconazole or clotrimazole). In debilitated or immunocompromised patients, or if introduced intravenously, candidiasis may become a systemic disease producing abscess, thrombophlebitis, endocarditis, or infections of the eyes or other organs. Colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by C. albicans after antibiotic therapy usually causes no symptoms and may also result from taking antacids or antihyperacidity drugs.

Candida symptoms: Once Candida proliferates in the body, it wrecks havoc in many ways and is the initiator of many common maladies, conditions, syndromes and illnesses in our population.

Some of the most frequent Candida symptoms are:

• abdominal gas and bloating
• headaches
• migraines
• excessive fatigue
• cravings for alcohol
• anxiety
• vaginitis
• rectal itching
• cravings for sweets
• inability to think clearly or concentrate
• hyperactivity
• mood swings
• diarrhea
• constipation
• hyperactivity
• itching
• acne
• eczema
• depression
• sinus inflammation
• pre-menstrual syndrome
• dizziness
• poor memory
• persistent cough
• earaches
• low sex drive
• muscle weakness
• irritability
• learning difficulties
• sensitivity to fragrances and/or other chemicals
• cognitive impairment
• thrush
• athlete's foot
• sore throat
• indigestion
• acid reflux
• chronic pain

The brain is the organ that is most frequently affected by Candida Symptoms, but it also has profound negative effects on these systems:

• digestive
• nervous
• cardiovascular
• respiratory
• reproductive
• urinary
• endocrine
• lymphatic
• musculoskeletal

Candida symptoms can vary from one person to another and often move back and forth between systems within the same individual.  One day you may experience symptoms in the musculoskeletal system and the next day it could be the digestive system ,etc.

Alternative medicine therapies: Many practitioners of alternative medicine use the term Candida to refer to a complex with broad spectrum of symptoms, the majority of which center around gastrointestinal distress, rashes, sore gums and other miscellaneous symptoms. Candida is accorded responsibility for symptoms as specific as hay fever, as vague as "brain fog" and as common as weight gain or flatulence. These symptoms are attributed by some alternative medicine practitioners to the "overgrowth" of intestinal Candida albicans, which they claim leads to the spread of the yeast to other parts of the body via the digestive tract and bloodstream.

Use of the term Candida in alternative medicine to describe this complex is unassociated with its use in clinical medicine to refer to the fungus that causes vaginal yeast infections and thrush. This can be confusing for patients. No studies have proven that having intestinal candidiasis causes any symptoms of illness.

To treat what they refer to as Candida, some alternative medicine practitioners have recommended avoiding antibiotics, birth control pills, and foods that are high in sugar or yeast, ostensibly to "eliminate excess yeast" in the body. However, there is little clinically valid evidence that these "Candida cleanse" treatments treat intestinal candidiasis effectively, or cure any of the symptoms claimed by the proponents of the hypothesis.

The probiotic Saccharomyces boulardii has been shown to diminish levels of intestinal Candida in mice. This is therefore one of the specific probiotic strains often recommended by alternative medicine practitioners alongside a more general probiotic, for anyone on a "Candida cleanse" or "Candida diet".

A little talk about Tuberculosis

• Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection, primarily in the lungs (a pneumonia), caused by bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is spread usually from person to person by breathing infected air during close contact.
• TB can remain in an inactive (dormant) state for years without causing symptoms or spreading to other people.
• When the immune system of a patient with dormant TB is weakened, the TB can become active (reactivate) and cause infection in the lungs or other parts of the body.
• The risk factors for acquiring TB include close-contact situations, alcohol and IV drug abuse, and certain diseases (for example, diabetes, cancer, and HIV) and occupations (for example, health-care workers).
• The most common symptoms and signs of TB are fatigue, fever, weight loss, coughing, and night sweats.
• The diagnosis of TB involves skin tests, chest X-rays, sputum analysis (smear and culture), and PCR tests to detect the genetic material of the causative bacteria.
• Inactive tuberculosis may be treated with an antibiotic, isoniazid (INH), to prevent the TB infection from becoming active.
• Active TB is treated, usually successfully, with INH in combination with one or more of several drugs, including rifampin (Rifadin), ethambutol (Myambutol), pyrazinamide, and streptomycin.
• Drug-resistant TB is a serious, as yet unsolved, public-health problem, especially in Southeast Asia, the countries of the former Soviet Union, Africa, and in prison populations. Poor patient compliance, lack of detection of resistant strains, and unavailable therapy are key reasons for the development of drug-resistant TB.
• The occurrence of HIV has been responsible for an increased frequency of tuberculosis. Control of HIV in the future, however, should substantially decrease the frequency of TB.