Pneumonia is an acute infectious disease with inflammation of various structures of the lower respiratory tract - bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli. It can develop as an independent disease and be a complication of other infections. This common disease often threatens people's lives. In modern medicine, a large number of new effective antibacterial agents have been developed, but despite this, in terms of the frequency of deaths, pneumonia ranks first among infectious diseases. Therefore, the treatment of pneumonia must be approached very thoroughly and seriously.
Cause of pneumonia
The disease is infectious in nature and often its causative agent is various microorganisms - viruses, mycoplasmas, pneumococci. The most dangerous is an infection caused by viruses and microbes at the same time. Viruses entering the mucosathe membrane of the respiratory tract, provoke the development of microbes that aggravate the course of the disease. In addition to pathogens, the following factors contribute to the development of pneumonia:
- Age. Over the years, there is a decrease in protective forces and pathogenic bacteria and viruses more easily enter a weakened body.
- Smoking. Tobacco smoke systematically damages the epithelium of the bronchi and alveoli, and this leads to the rapid penetration of infection into the lungs.
- Alcohol. It helps to reduce immunity and, when removed through the lungs, creates an additional load, damages the respiratory mucosa.
- Chronic inflammatory processes. Persistent infection in the throat, nasal cavity, trachea or bronchi, under favorable conditions, descends and affects the lung tissue.
- Lack of constant physical activity. A person's breathing becomes shallow, congestion forms in the lungs.
- Surgery. In the postoperative period, the patient is motionless for a long time, breathes superficially, with a general weakening of the body, infection can easily enter the respiratory tract.
- Oncological diseases. General depletion of the body and a significant weakening of the immune system are fertile ground for infection.
- Malnutrition. Lack of vitamins and trace elements also contributes to the development of the disease.
All these factors create good conditions for the development of pathogens, and hence the pneumonia itself.
Types of pneumonia
The disease is distinguished according to the conditions of development and the causes of its occurrence, the duration and severity of the disease, and the form of infection. Depending on this, the treatment of pneumonia is selected for each type. There is the following classification of the disease.
According to the form of infection and the conditions for the development of the disease:
- Community-acquired - originated at home as a complication of other infections.
- Intrahospital - developed in a hospital or two days after discharge. Resistant to the main antibiotics used.
- Aspiration - the entry of microbes and bacteria from the oral cavity, stomach during vomiting into the respiratory tract.
- Pneumonia with immunodeficiency - cancer patients.
According to clinical and morphological characteristics:
- croupous - inflammation is pronounced, covers the entire lobe of the lung and often extends to the pleura;
- focal - inflammation of the lung tissue occurs with the formation of separate foci that can merge into one;
- segmental - the whole segment becomes inflamed, usually has a protracted character;
- interstitial - it is caused by viruses, fungi and mycoplasmas, can be the result of various disease processes in the lungs and, in general, in the body.
Severity:
- Mild - there are slight inflammations in the lung tissue. All signs are weakly expressed.
- Medium - moderate intoxication. The lung tissue is inflamed.
- Severe - signs of intoxication and respiratory failure are pronounced. Extensiveinflammation of lung tissue.
Downstream:
- acute - symptoms are pronounced;
- protracted - the disease continues without improvement for a long period;
- chronic - the process of inflammation is sluggish.
Pneumonia symptoms
The onset of the disease can be acute - a high temperature rises to forty degrees and a poor general condition. And, perhaps, another development of the disease - within a month there is a slight cough and subfebrile temperature. In the clinical course, it is characterized by three types of symptoms.
Respiratory:
- Cough - dry and unproductive in the first two days, then there is copious sputum, sometimes rusty, which means the presence of erythrocytes in it.
- Pain, aggravated by inhalation, in the area of the inflamed lung.
Intoxication of the body:
- Increased body temperature 37.5-40 degrees.
- Headaches of varying intensity.
- Feeling unwell - fatigue, lethargy, sleep disturbance, heavy sweating, fatigue, loss of appetite.
Lung failure:
- Shortness of breath - characteristic of extensive lung damage, bilateral pneumonia.
- Blue face in the nasolabial fold.
- Shallow, rapid breathing.
Diagnosis of disease
Before proceeding to the treatment of pneumonia, the doctor prescribes an examination of the patient. To do this, the following activities are carried out:
- Conversation with the patient - the doctor finds out the signs of the onset of the disease, listens to the patient's complaints, possible causes of the disease.
- Examination - a visual examination of the chest is carried out, its participation in respiratory activity is observed.
- Percussion (tapping) - the doctor determines the affected areas of the lungs by sound.
- Auscultation (listening) - using a stethophonendoscope, the doctor listens to sounds during inhalation and exhalation, determines if there are wheezing.
- Laboratory studies - a general blood test is prescribed (the presence of leukocytes and ESR is determined), urine (to exclude other infections), sputum (to determine microorganisms).
- Instrumental study (bronchoscopy) - performed to study the bronchi in complicated forms of pneumonia.
To exclude side diseases (pleurisy, acute bronchitis and tuberculosis), an X-ray examination is prescribed to the patient. Considering all the data received, as well as taking into account the symptoms and causes that gave rise to the disease, the doctor prescribes a course of treatment for pneumonia.
General method of treating the disease at home
Therapy for pneumonia is always prescribed in a complex way: medicinal, physiotherapy and some methods of traditional medicine.
To treat such a serious illness, the following rules must be observed:
- Antibacterial agents - they are necessarily prescribed for this disease, but the choice is made by the doctor individually for each patient, taking into account the causative agent of the disease.
- Bed rest. At the beginning of the disease, it is recommended to spend most of the time in bed. With the improvement of well-being, the period of wakefulness can be increased.
- When treating pneumonia in adults at home, one should not forget about the disease (influenza, SARS or other) that caused it. The doctor will prescribe drugs for his treatment.
- Expectorants. To cleanse the lungs, various means are used that thin and remove sputum when coughing. It is best to use herbal ones.
- Strengthening immunity. Eat more plant foods: fruits and vegetables, you should not give up lean meat and fish. In addition, use vitamin complexes and preparations to strengthen the immune system.
- Physiotherapy. In the absence of temperature, do light daily exercises, doing breathing exercises, massage your back and chest. This will help in the treatment of pneumonia at home and will make it possible to avoid complications.
- Plentiful drink. It will help to quickly get rid of the infection, bring down the temperature.
- Maintaining the microclimate. The room should be cleaned daily. Monitor air humidity, use a humidifier or wet towels. Ventilate the room repeatedly.
It should be remembered that the disease must be cured to the end, otherwise it may become chronic or give complications.
Treatment of pneumonia with antibiotics
Antibacterial drugs inadults are appointed taking into account the age of the patient and the severity of the disease. Most often, pneumonia is bacterial in nature, less often fungi and protozoa can be its causative agents. Her treatment is usually started immediately when the patient contacts, without waiting for the final results of the tests. For this, broad-spectrum antibiotics are used. The selected antibiotic is not changed for three days before a sputum bacteriological response is obtained, even if it is not effective. This is the shortest time to reach the maximum concentration in the blood of the drug, so that it begins to have an effect on the affected focus.
Usually carry out such therapy:
- Patients under 60 years of age with mild illness and treatment of pneumonia at home use Avelox or Tavanic and Doxycycline.
- People under 60 years of age with moderate pneumonia and chronic diseases, as well as patients over 60 years of age, are prescribed Avelox and Ceftriaxone.
- In case of a disease that has a severe form of the course, Levofloxacin or Tavanic and Ceftriaxone or Fortum are prescribed for any age. Sometimes they use "Sumamed".
- In extremely difficult situations, when a patient is hospitalized in intensive care, they are used by combining Sumamed + Tavanik, Fortum + Tavanik, Targocid + Meropenem.
Treatment with antibiotics continues for seven to ten days as prescribed and under the supervision of the attending physician.
Other drugs to treat pneumonia
In addition to antibiotics, for the treatment of pneumonia inadults use the following therapy:
- To combat cough, drugs are prescribed that thin sputum and promote expectoration: Lazolvan, Bromhexine, ACC, Fluimucil.
- In the treatment of shortness of breath, drugs that have a bronchodilator effect are suitable - Berotek, Salbutamol, Berodual.
- Prescribe fluid therapy as needed using glucose or saline solutions.
- Severely ill patients with acute pneumonia are given immunomodulatory treatment using immunoglobulins: Octagam, Pentaglobin, Intraglobin.
- In the treatment of pneumonia with a temperature of more than 38 degrees, antipyretic drugs are given.
- Antibiotics, in addition to pathogenic microorganisms, destroy beneficial bacteria, therefore, to prevent intestinal dysbacteriosis, Subtil, Bifiform are prescribed
- To restore the body, all patients are recommended to take vitamin complexes.
All treatment should follow the doctor's recommendations and, with his knowledge, may be supplemented with traditional medicine recipes.
Symptoms and treatment of viral pneumonia in adults
Such pneumonia occurs abruptly - chills, headache, aches, nausea appear, the temperature rises instantly. At the same time, signs of nasal congestion quickly appear, paroxysmal dry, and then with sputum cough, in which streaks of blood appear. The disease occurs mainly in two forms: influenza and hemorrhagic. Viral pneumonia is more severe than bacterial pneumonia. ATDepending on the amount of inflammation and the severity of the signs of the disease, the patient may be admitted to a hospital. Treatment of viral pneumonia is primarily aimed at eliminating the root cause, therefore, antiviral agents are prescribed that depend on the pathogen: Rimantadine, Acyclovir, Ganciclovir, Ribavirin. In addition, a respiratory disease is being treated, for this they use:
- Broncholytics - "Eufillin" and "Berodual". They relieve bronchospasm and help with shortness of breath.
- Expectorants - to facilitate sputum discharge: "Ascoril", "Ambroxol".
- Mucolytics - to thin mucus: Gerbion, Bromhexine.
The treatment of viral pneumonia with symptomatic therapy does not differ from the medicines used to treat the bacterial form. These include:
- drugs with anti-inflammatory action, stop pain and inflammation;
- analgesics, relieve pain when coughing.
Antibiotics are prescribed when a bacterial infection or purulent complications occur.
Using folk remedies to treat disease
Folk remedies in addition to drug treatment give a good result.
There are many prescriptions for treating various symptoms of pneumonia. For the treatment of pneumonia with folk remedies, the following recipes are suitable:
- Sea s alt. Grind an aloe leaf, add a teaspoon of sea s alt and take a tablespoon before meals three times a day. Help withcoughing.
- Oats. Pour a glass of washed oats with a liter of milk, cook for an hour over low heat. Strain, add oil and honey. Drink hot at night. Strengthens immunity.
- Pharmacy chamomile. Pour boiling water over three tablespoons of dry raw materials and leave for three hours, strain. Drink instead of tea. Reduces inflammation.
- Calendula. For the treatment of pneumonia in adults, a decoction is used: pour two tablespoons of dry grass into a glass of water. Consume like tea. Calendula has an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Lavender, pine, eucalyptus oil. Mix and rub into chest and back. Massage at normal temperature. Promotes expectoration.
Life after pneumonia
The consequences of the disease have a negative impact on the state of the whole organism. High fever, bouts of agonizing coughing, antibiotics, and a host of other medications weaken a person and their immune system. For rehabilitation, it is necessary to carry out rehabilitation treatment after pneumonia and follow simple rules:
- Avoid hypothermia. Exposure to cold can cause a new disease. However, outdoor walks are essential. They improve lung function, train the heart.
- Proper nutrition. It will help restore a weakened body. To do this, introduce more fresh vegetables and fruits, lean meat into the diet.
- Eliminate stressful situations. They have a bad effect on the general condition. You should not overwork at work, you should find time for rest.
- Breathing exercises. Helps withrehabilitation treatment of pneumonia in adults at home to establish gas exchange in the lungs. To do this, you need to: read aloud, pronounce tongue twisters, swing your arms, squat.
- Swimming. Two weeks after the sick leave is closed, you can visit the pool. Swimming is great for the whole body.
- Massage. Its effect: adhesions in the lungs decrease, lymph and blood circulation normalize, chest mobility resumes. As a result, the person's well-being becomes better.
- Application of folk methods. After an illness, a dry cough may return, so time-tested recipes will help in the treatment of pneumonia. The use of rubbing, tinctures, decoctions and teas will help you recover faster, but if the cough persists for a long time, you should consult a doctor.
Complications after pneumonia
Often a complication develops after pneumonia. The main thing is to identify it in a timely manner and prescribe appropriate treatment, because sometimes it is much more dangerous than the underlying disease. After inflammatory processes, there is a decrease in the area of \u200b\u200blung tissue, which functions normally. As a result, there is a lack of oxygen in the blood and weakened organs react to this. All complications are divided into two types:
- Pulmonary - pulmonary edema, pleurisy, respiratory failure, asthmatic syndrome, chronic bronchitis.
- Extrapulmonary - myocarditis, hepatitis, mucosal cyanosis, meningitis, pericarditis.
During the periodrecovery, the temperature may be around 37 degrees for some time, which is normal. Over time, it goes away on its own. But this fact must be reported to the doctor.
It is very important to notice the symptoms of the emerging disease and seek help. Therefore, it is strictly necessary to continue to follow all the doctor's instructions after treating pneumonia.
