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Pneumonia
Pneumonia
Bronchopneumonia; Community-
acquired pneumonia
Last reviewed: April 27, 2010.
Pneumonia is a respiratory condition
in which there is infection of the
lung.
Community-acquired pneumonia
refers to pneumonia in people who
have not recently been in the
hospital or another health care
facility (nursing home, rehabilitation
facility).
See also: Hospital-acquired
pneumonia
Causes, incidence, and risk
factors
Pneumonia is a common illness that
affects millions of people each year
in the United States. Germs called
bacteria, viruses, and fungi may
cause pneumonia.
Ways you can get pneumonia
include:
• Bacteria and viruses living in
your nose, sinuses, or mouth
may spread to your lungs.
• You may breathe some of
these germs directly into your
lungs.
• You breathe in (inhale) food,
liquids, vomit, or secretions
from the mouth into your lungs
(aspiration pneumonia)
Pneumonia caused by bacteria tends
to be the most serious. In adults,
bacteria are the most common cause
of pneumonia.
• The most common pneumonia-
causing germ in adults
is Streptococcus
pneumoniae (pneumococcus).
• Atypical pneumonia, often
called walking pneumonia, is
caused by bacteria such
as Legionella
pneumophila, Mycoplasma
pneumoniae ,
and Chlamydophila
pneumoniae.
• Pneumocystis
jiroveci pneumonia is
sometimes seen in people
whose immune system is
impaired (due to AIDS or
certain medications that
suppress the immune system).
• Staphylococcus
aureus, Moraxella
catarrhalis, Streptococcus
pyogenes, Neisseria
meningitidis, Klebsiella
pneumoniae, orHaemophilus
influenzae are other bacteria
that can cause pneumonia.
• Tuberculosis can cause
pneumonia in some people,
especially those with a weak
immune system.
Viruses are also a common cause of
pneumonia, especially in infants and
young children.
See also: Respiratory syncytial virus
Risk factors (conditions that increase
your chances of getting pneumonia)
include:
• Cerebral palsy
• Chronic lung disease
(COPD, bronchiectasis, cystic
fibrosis)
• Cigarette smoking
• Difficulty swallowing (due
to stroke, dementia, Parkinson'
s disease, or other
neurological conditions)
• Immune system problem (See
also: Pneumonia in
immunocompromised host)
• Impaired consciousness (loss
of brain function due to
dementia, stroke, or other
neurologic conditions)
• Living in a nursing facility
• Other serious illnesses, such
as heart disease,
liver cirrhosis, or diabetes
mellitus
• Recent surgery or trauma
Recent viral respiratory
•
infection (common
cold, laryngitis, influenza)
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of
pneumonia are:
• Cough (with some pneumonias
you may cough up greenish or
yellow mucus, or even bloody
mucus)
• Fever, which may be mild or
high
• Shaking chills
• Shortness of breath (may only
occur when you climb stairs)
Additional symptoms include:
• Confusion, especially in older
people
• Excessive sweating and
clammy skin
• Headache
• Loss of appetite, low energy,
and fatigue
• Sharp or stabbing chest pain
that gets worse when you
breathe deeply or cough
Signs and tests
If you have pneumonia, you may be
working hard to breathe, or
breathing fast.
Crackles are heard when listening to
your chest with a stethoscope. Other
abnormal breathing sounds may also
be heard through the stethoscope or
via percussion (tapping on your
chest wall).
The health care provider will likely
order a chest x-ray if pneumonia is
suspected.
Some patients may need other tests,
including:
• Arterial blood gases to see if
enough oxygen is getting into
your blood from the lungs
• CBC to check white blood cell
count
• CT scan of the chest
• Gram's stain and culture of
your sputum to look for the
organism causing your
symptoms
• Pleural fluid culture if there is
cillin-clavulanate, plus a
macrolide antibiotic
(azithromycin, clarithromycin,
or erythromycin)
• Cephalosporin antibiotics (for
A.D.A.M., Disclaimer
Copyright © 2011, A.D.A.M., Inc.
In this Page
• Causes, incidence, and risk factors
• Symptoms
• Signs and tests
• Treatment
• Expectations (prognosis)
• Complications
• Calling your health care provider
• Prevention
• References
Figures
• Pneumococci organism
• Lungs
• Pneumonia
• Pneumococcal pneumonia
• Respiratory system
Read More
• Mycoplasma pneumonia
• Flu
• Aspiration pneumonia
• Atypical pneumonia
• CMV - pneumonia
• Hospital-acquired pneumonia
• Legionnaire's disease
system
• Viral pneumonia
• Empyema
• Avian influenza
•
• Pneumonia
• MedlinePlus.gov links to free,
reliable, up-to-date health
information from the National
Institutes of Health (NIH) and other
trusted health organizations.
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Pneumonia
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