The diagnosis of pneumonia for many people sounds like a death sentence. Do not give in to panic ahead of time, because modern medicine offers a solution to this problem. The patient can be completely cured, provided that the disease is diagnosed in a timely manner. Here we will talk about one of the types of pneumonia - focal pneumonia. Pathology is quite dangerous, it is localized in a limited area of \u200b\u200bthe lung tissue. The disease can be a complication of other ailments, such as bronchitis or tonsillitis. However, in most cases it acts as an independent disease. The inflammatory process, first of all, attacks the bronchi, and then covers the rest of the territory. In this article, we will look at the symptoms and treatment of focal pneumonia, as well as talk about the causes and preventive measures.
Terminology
The mechanism of the origin of this pathology is associated with the penetration of infection from the bronchi to the lung tissue. If you start treatment in a timely manner, you can cope with the disease and prevent complications. Focal pneumonia is one of the varieties of the disease, when the inflammatory process is localized in a limited area of \u200b\u200bthe lung tissue. Forthe patient will need to undergo a series of tests. The most effective methods include physical and radiological. Often the doctor prescribes a sputum and blood test.
It is worth noting that focal pneumonia occurs quite often, in about two cases out of three. The infectious process originates from the thermal bronchi, capturing a lobe of the lung. The virus can enter the body through the bronchi, blood and lymph. When contact occurs between the pathogen and the tissues, an allergic reaction develops involving the alveoli. As a result, mucus production increases, inflammatory fluid accumulates. If you ignore the symptoms and do not start treatment, purulent inflammation forms in the alveoli. The disease spreads to all parts of the lung, which leads to pleurisy.
What causes it?
In most cases, the disease in question is secondary, as it occurs as a result of complications of respiratory diseases. In addition, one of the main causes of pneumonia is the activation of a secondary infection that develops due to bronchitis, scarlet fever and other similar ailments. The causative agents of pathology include a variety of viruses and bacteria. They can enter the lungs through the blood or bronchi.
Inflammatory foci form on the bronchi, and then move to the alveoli and lung tissue. They can be small or large, sometimes they merge. However, the foci do not extend beyond the lobule. Factors affecting the occurrence of focal pneumonia:
- nervous breakdowns, stress, tension;
- malnutrition, lack of vitamins in the body, the presence of bad habits, such as smoking and alcohol;
- chronic pathologies, infectious diseases;
- overheating or hypothermia of the body;
- lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle;
- violation of the integrity of the walls of blood vessels, which contributes to the development of dangerous diseases.
Key Features
The disease is quite difficult. Doctors will be able to identify pneumonia by its characteristic symptoms in the form of pain in the chest, chills, etc. The manifestation of symptoms is different: in some cases they develop gradually, while in others they immediately take on an acute form. Usually the progression of the pathology begins with catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. It should be noted that the signs are less pronounced if the disease is secondary. In such a situation, accordingly, it will be more difficult to diagnose the disease.
So, the main symptoms of focal pneumonia include:
- increase in body temperature to thirty-eight degrees and above;
- chest pain, wet cough;
- headache and dizziness, increased sweating;
- weakness of the body as a whole, decreased appetite, fever.
The severity of symptoms directly depends on the state of the body's immune system and the type of pathogen. In most cases, the disease at the initial stages proceeds smoothly,gradually the first signs appear. The patient has a fever, sweating, headaches, coughing up phlegm.
Possible Complications
Consequences in case of late treatment are divided into two types: pulmonary and extrapulmonary. They lead to a sharp decrease in immunity or the development of a focal confluent lesion. The latter option is characterized by the fact that the deformation affects several parts and even an entire lobe of the lung.
The most dangerous complications of focal pulmonary pneumonia include:
- exudative pleurisy, gangrene of the lung;
- acute respiratory failure, lung destruction, abscess.
Regarding extrapulmonary effects, here are:
- myocarditis and meningitis, toxic shock;
- anemia, sepsis, pericarditis.
The most common complication is the already mentioned acute respiratory failure. The disease occurs on the basis of a violation of gas exchange in the respiratory organs. With quality treatment and proper diagnosis, the consequences can be avoided.
Focal pneumonia in children
As you know, inflammation of any kind in the body of a small child is always dangerous, because the consequences can be the most serious. In this case, the difficulty will lie in the fact that the signs of pneumonia are very similar to the symptoms of bronchitis, and it is not always possible to diagnose the disease immediately. Parents should not draw conclusions on their own regarding the illness of the baby, it is better to immediately consult a doctor. Focal pneumonia in childrenis often the result of an acute respiratory pathology, such as influenza or SARS.
Children's body is more vulnerable than an adult, so the infection can easily seep into the child's bronchi. In such a situation, an excellent option would be to comply with preventive measures against the main pathogens. According to statistics, children with a weak immune system, anemia, and rickets suffer from pneumonia. In addition, the risk group includes babies who have suffered serious illnesses, and children with heart disease. If your child belongs to one of the above categories, you need to carefully monitor his he alth, especially for respiratory disorders. Only timely access to a specialist and effective therapy can cope with focal pneumonia.
Classification. Acute disease
There are several types of disease, we will consider the main ones.
The sharp form is the most common. Symptoms include chills, fever, and a cough (dry at first, but with phlegm a few days later, sometimes with purulent discharge). Chills torment the patient for about ten calendar days. The high temperature lasts for a long time, even after taking effective medicines, the indicator does not fall below thirty-seven degrees.
Acute focal pneumonia is also detected by the presence of dry rales and hard breathing. This can be checked by a specialist using a phonendoscope. Radiography in thiscase will be a very informative study. The lesions are clearly visible on the image. These methods will allow you to diagnose the disease, treatment should be started as soon as possible.
Left- and right-sided defeat
It is worth noting that right-sided focal pneumonia occurs in practice much more often than left-sided. This is due to the structural features of the lungs. Patients suffering from this form of pathology experience the following symptoms:
- pain in the chest when taking a deep breath;
- wet cough that haunts the patient for days, sometimes there is a discharge of sputum with streaks of blood;
- increased level of body temperature, the presence of pain in the chest on the right, even at rest.
The disease itself is characterized by the fact that there are areas in the lung affected by infection at different stages. Treatment can only be effective in a hospital under the strict supervision of a physician.
Do not forget about left-sided focal pneumonia, despite the fact that it is quite rare. Identification of this pathology with the help of radiography is impractical, because the lung is close to the heart. Accordingly, it will be very difficult to see the affected areas in the picture. In such a situation, the patient is referred for computed tomography and ultrasound. Left-sided pneumonia will not go away in a few days, so you need to mentally prepare for long-term treatment.
Bilateral form of pathology
Easyguess that bilateral focal pneumonia is more dangerous than the above forms. This kind of disease has very vivid symptoms:
- high temperature, which is impossible to bring down,
- severe pain in the chest area, especially when inhaling.
Do not forget about the terrible cough with purulent sputum and impurities of blood clots. The patient feels very unwell, while the skin changes color, becomes blue. Treatment of this pathology is possible only in a hospital under the strict supervision of a doctor. Complex therapy will be the most effective.
In medicine, there is such a thing as community-acquired focal pneumonia. Pathology taught this name due to the fact that infection with the disease usually occurs outside of medical institutions. The infection enters the body during contact with the environment, at home or at the time of being among a large number of people. Community-acquired pneumonia often develops in the lower respiratory tract.
Focus-confluent pneumonia
Unlike other forms, other symptoms are observed here, as the area from several segments to the entire lung is affected. The patient suffers from violent loose cough with copious discharge of purulent discharge. A high temperature of thirty-eight or thirty-nine degrees lasts quite a long time. Breathing is also confused, it becomes uneven, the damaged side is clearly lagging behind. Plus, there are symptoms such as nausea and vomiting. Mostcases, this is due to intoxication of the body.
Treatment of focal pneumonia of this type should be carried out only in a hospital. Indeed, at home it is impossible to effectively cure such a pathology.
Diagnosis
You need to be very careful about your he alth in order to avoid situations where the illness has turned into a serious illness. When the first symptoms appear, you should immediately contact a specialist. Focal pneumonia refers to pathologies that, with improper and untimely treatment, bring a huge number of problems. Based on this, we can conclude: the disease must be treated, regardless of the cause.
Identification of pathology contributes to recovery in a short time. This information is especially important for people who do not like to visit the doctor and think that everything will go away on its own. Usually, the patient is assigned a differential diagnosis of focal pneumonia. As we have already noted, pathology is difficult to identify due to the similarity of symptoms with other diseases. However, there are several procedures by which you can recognize the disease:
- ultrasound and radiography;
- urine, blood and sputum tests;
- biochemical testing, invasive methods.
Regardless of which form of the disease has been diagnosed, urgent treatment is needed.
Medicated treatment
It is worth noting that drug therapy is quite effective in combating pneumonia. Specific drugs are prescribed individually. Once diagnosed, doctors recommend taking broad-spectrum antibiotics. The duration of such treatment for focal pneumonia varies from five days to two weeks.
Let's take a closer look at which drugs and under what conditions are usually prescribed:
- If an acute form of pathology is detected, it is recommended to take sulfonamides. The best representatives of this group are "Bactrim", "Biseptol" and "Sulfalen".
- Remantadin or immunoglobin is used to fight infection.
- Antipyrin, Erespal and Etimizol will help get rid of the inflammatory process.
- When a patient suffers from a dry cough, "Codeine" and "Glauven" will greatly alleviate the condition of the victim. If sputum discharge predominates, try Lazolvan and Bromhexine.
I must say, only the attending physician prescribes medicines, you do not need to select medicines yourself, this can end badly.
Preventive measures
As you know, it is easier to protect yourself and your loved ones from the occurrence of pathology than to treat it later. In this case, it is enough to follow preventive recommendations so as not to get sick with bronchitis or the flu. First of all, think about seasonal vaccinations. This is an excellent protection, although only a few use it. Try not to go to public places during outbreaks of infectious diseases.pathologies.
Of course, no one canceled the general rules:
- wash hands regularly, especially after visiting public places;
- hardening the body in the absence of contraindications;
- he althy lifestyle, stop smoking and drinking alcohol;
- to make the right diet, be sure to wash vegetables and fruits before eating.
When your doctor suggests hospitalization, don't refuse. Treatment in a hospital will give a greater effect than at home. The doctor will constantly monitor the patient, monitor the course of the disease. Thus, you can always make the necessary adjustments to the course of treatment. It is better to follow all the recommendations of doctors, then the probability of a positive outcome increases significantly.
