Facts and Myths about Pneumonia

Winter is a time when a probability of catching respiratory tract infection increases by many times. Health care providers are aware of this tendency and try to prevent it or at least to prepare for the outbreak of flu or other acute respiratory viral infections. Modern pharmacology can significantly reduce the risk of illnesses development, but a careless attitude towards your own health often brings all doctors’ efforts to naught. Many people underestimate the threat and suffer diseases on the move, which has a detrimental effect on body’s condition.

It should be remembered that certain disorders can cause patient’s death. For example, pneumonia. Even a mild form of pneumonia without proper treatment violates respiratory function and causes serious complications. How to protect yourself from this disease? What is the cause of lesion of organs performing gas exchange?

Bernard Werber saying

To protect yourself and your family from pneumonia, you need to know sources of this disease. Despite the fact that most people who have no medical education, confidently point to hypothermia – it is not the only cause of pathology.

Factors that Trigger Pneumonia

According to the World Health Organization, in 2015 from respiratory system lesion at least 900 thousand children under the age of five years have died. These are terrible figures, but they do not show the real situation. Adults rarely address medical institutions, engaging in self-treatment, and thus transfer the disease from acute form to chronic. So to find out the exact number of cases is very difficult.

Often pneumonia symptoms are confused with other infectious and inflammatory illnesses that infect the respiratory tract. The main difference of the described disease is lung tissue, involved in the pathological process. The disease is caused by infectious agent: most often bacteria, fungi, adenovirus, streptococcus, staphylococcus, and chlamydia. For example, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) or Pneumocystis jiroveci. That is why there are also several types of pneumonia: bacteria, viral, mycoplasma and others.

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It is believed that presence of good immune system copes with pathogens on its own, and people hardly notice their influence and any signs of pneumonia. But there are several factors depressing effect on protective functions of the body and opening way for infection.

  • bad habits. Smoking, alcohol, drugs, break barrier properties of bronchial epithelium and irritate respiratory tract;
  • poisoning with chemicals vapors. Prolonged inhalation of toxins affects lungs;
  • air stagnation. Weak physical activity makes deep breathing unnecessary.
  • associated chronic diseases. Such diseases as bronchitis and rhinitis, often cause inflammation that may progress into pneumonia.

It is necessary to mention cardiac, oncology diseases and surgery consequences. The weakening of protection and depletion of the body creates a favorable environment for pathogenic agents.

Due to the fact that pneumonia treatment requires an individual approach and therapeutic effects are very different from each other, this disorder acquires a large number of strange myths, many of which can harm a person, sending it down the wrong path in dealing with the disease.

Myths about Pneumonia

1. Proper medicines cure a patient for two or three days. In fact, to talk about normalization of body condition is possible only after a month of intensive treatment. Indeed, the correct choice of drugs is a basis of therapy. But consequences of the disease will be felt even after a year.

2. The severity of inflammatory process depends on causative agent of the disease. This is half of the truth, but a greater impact on the body is imposed by patient’s physical condition. Particularly attentive to their own health should be people, suffering from diabetes, having undergone a transplant of internal organs, receiving strong pharmacological agents.

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3. Only children are at risk. According to XL Pharmacy statistics, children get sick more often than adults. But the factor, that increases risk, is also old age. After 60 years immunity is weakened, and infections get access to lungs, causing inflammation.

4. It is impossible to prevent pneumonia. Preventive measures exist. In addition to healthy lifestyle, exercises, proper nutrition it is necessary to also know about medical method – vaccination. The pneumonia vaccine is indicated in presence of chronic respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, asthma and other pathologies.

5. Diagnosis is made by phlegm and blood tests. These tests are of course important, but in case of pneumonia, the main tool in determining painful symptoms cause is X-ray examination. The visual picture leaves no doubt in disease origin.

Remember, pneumonia is a deadly disease. In case of difficulties with breathing, cough, sharp rise in body temperature you should seek immediate assistance in a medical institution. Adequate and, most importantly, timely treatment can save your life.