PNEUMONIA

ANATOMY OF THE LUNGS:
Primary organ of the respiratory system.

• Primarily responsible for gas exchange.
• Supply the blood with oxygen in order for the blood to deliver oxygen to all parts of the body.
• When we breathe, we inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. This exchange of gases is the respiratory tract's means of getting oxygen to the blood.

Location: the two lungs are placed on either side within the thorax and separated from each other by the heart and other contents of the mediastinum.


PNEUMONIA:
It is an inflammation of the lungs associated with exudates in the alveolar it refers to the consolidation or solidification of the air sacs with the inflammatory cells.Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolar inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid (consolidation and exudation).

 

ETIOLOGY:

• A lobar pneumonia is an infection that only involves a single lobe, or section, of a lung. Lobar pneumonia is often due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (though Klebsiella pneumoniae is also possible.)
• Multilobar pneumonia involves more than one lobe, and it often causes a more severe illness.
• Bronchial pneumonia affects the lungs in patches around the tubes (bronchi or bronchioles).
• Interstitial pneumonia involves the areas in between the alveoli, and it may be called "interstitial pneumonitis." It is more likely to be caused by viruses or by atypical bacteria.

Causative Agent:
Bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites can cause pneumonia.
Streptococcus pneumonia, Staphylococcuc aureus, Haemphilus Influenza

 

Incubation Period:
One to three dats with sudden onset of shaking chills, rapidly raising fever and stabbing chest

Symptoms are:

1. Cough. You will likely cough up mucus (sputum) from your lungs. Mucus may be rusty or green or tinged with blood.
2. Fever.
3. Fast breathing and feeling short of breath.
4. Shaking and "teeth-chattering" chills. You may have this only one time or many times.
5. Chest pain that often feels worse when you cough or breathe in.
6. Fast heartbeat.
7. Feeling very tired or feeling very weak.
8. Nausea and vomiting.
9. Diarrhea

Treatments include:

1. Physical exam. During the exam, your doctor listens to your lungs with a stethoscope to check for abnormal bubbling or crackling sounds (rales) and for rumblings (rhonchi) that signal the presence of thick liquid.
2. Chest X-rays. X-rays can confirm the presence of pneumonia and determine the extent and location of the infection.
3. Blood and mucus tests.  it measures your white cell count and presence of viruses, bacteria or other organisms.  The physician may examine a sample of your mucus or your blood to identify the particular microorganism that's causing the disease.