Feel the difference: how to distinguish pneumonia from ARVI and influenza? Is pneumonia viral? A detailed description, as well as effective ways to identify and treat the disease. Symptoms of pneumonia and ARVI.

How to treat pneumonia in adults: medications and drugs.

Treatment and features of pneumonia in adults.

Pneumonia in adults occurs with some features that differ from the signs of the disease in children.

For example, a symptom characterizing inflammation of the pulmonary pleura in an adult is shortness of breath, which appears after a slight exertion (for example, measured walking or climbing stairs 1-2 floors).

In some cases, the patient may experience difficulty breathing at rest, and the discomfort increases when lying on his side.

You can tell that a person has pneumonia by looking at other specific symptoms.

Some people mistake such pain for heart disease and try to drown it out by taking the well-known “Validol” or valerian, which not only has a calming effect, but also reduces pain in the heart area and restores heart rhythm (subject to minor fluctuations).

The patient may experience a feeling of intense heat, which is followed by an attack of chills.

The temperature usually remains at a constant level (39-40.5 degrees) or gradually increases.

To alleviate the patient’s condition, you should not wrap him up, even if the patient himself claims that he is cold.

Taking antipyretic drugs is indicated as prescribed by a doctor, since some drugs have a large number of contraindications and can complicate treatment.

Inflammation of the vessels and capillaries of the alveoli leads to micro-tears, so the discharge of sputum is often accompanied by hemoptysis.

This condition is treated with symptomatic medications.

Symptoms of respiratory infections (sneezing, coughing, runny nose, nasal congestion, pain when swallowing, etc.).

These signs are characteristic of secondary pneumonia that occurs due to infection with influenza or ARVI.

The patient cannot always distinguish the clinical symptoms of incipient pneumonia from a cold.

For this reason, you should consult a doctor if, after 3-4 days of treatment, you do not feel better and the severity of flu or cold symptoms does not decrease.

The specialist will adjust the prescribed treatment and send the patient for additional examination.

If any ailment appears, you should go to the hospital, since it is possible to distinguish a cold from incipient pneumonia only with the help of examination and tests.

During examination, the doctor may detect confluence of intercostal spaces, however, in adults this sign is not always detected (this condition is more typical for children).

There may be no wheezing in breathing for a long time - if the size of the inflammatory foci is small, then breathing will be free.

This also makes diagnosis difficult, so practically the only reliable method to determine that pneumonia is occurring is a chest x-ray, which is performed in frontal and lateral projections.

If there are doubts about the correctness of the result, the patient may be prescribed a CT or MRI procedure.

If pulmonary pleurisy is suspected, an additional ultrasound examination is performed, which will reveal the accumulation of fluid in the lungs (signs of pleurisy are not detected on x-ray).

To clarify the diagnosis and prescribe a competent treatment regimen, it is also necessary to conduct a laboratory (biochemical) examination, which includes:

• determining the level of leukocytes and neutrophils;
• bronchoscopy (helps identify patients belonging to the group of people with weakened immune systems);
• liver tests;
• analysis for the presence of carbon dioxide in blood plasma;
• bacterial culture;
• test for the sensitivity of the infectious agent to antibiotics;
• serological tests for the presence of pathogenic flora (chlamydia, mycoplasma, legionella).

It is impossible to answer the question of how long it will take to recover.

Typically, intensive treatment of pneumonia in adults takes 7 to 14 days.

In cases where the disease occurs with complications, or the patient requires ventilation, treatment can last up to one month, and therapy is carried out strictly in the intensive care unit of an infectious diseases hospital.

After completing the main course of treatment, the patient takes maintenance therapy, including immunomodulators to strengthen immune responses and probiotic preparations to restore microflora.

source

It is known that the likelihood of contracting respiratory infections is significantly higher during hypothermia. That is why we say about a person with a cough that he “has a cold in his lungs.” How often does a cold in the lungs provoke pneumonia? What are its symptoms? We will talk about this and much more in this article.

Hypothermia is a factor that significantly reduces the barrier function of the respiratory tract. Also, under conditions of prolonged exposure to low temperature, the human immune system works less actively. That is why cold weather is almost always associated with an increase in the number of cases and epidemics of acute respiratory viral infections, including influenza.

Almost all viral respiratory infections reduce immunity, as a result of which a bacterial complication is added to the viral infection.

Bacteria can affect both the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx, tonsils, trachea) and the lower respiratory tract - bronchi and alveoli of the lungs. The most dangerous consequence of a cold is pneumonia. This disease can be very severe and can even lead to death. If a cold is accompanied by severe symptoms of impaired lung function, pneumonia should be suspected. This disease is much more common than many people think, and any cold can trigger it.

To begin with, it is worth noting that there are typical and atypical forms of pneumonia. Symptoms of typical pneumonia are:

To make a diagnosis, a doctor's examination, a general clinical blood test, sputum analysis and an x-ray are required. When listening to the lungs, the doctor may notice harsh breathing and wheezing. If they are present, the doctor will order an x-ray. If there is a focus of infection in the lungs, darkening is noticeable on the x-ray. The blood test of patients with pneumonia has high levels of inflammatory markers (ESR, leukocytes, C-reactive protein). A sputum test is done to rule out tuberculosis.

If the pneumonia is atypical, its symptoms will be different. It does not start as sharply as a typical cough, the cough is dry. Worrying symptoms such as headache, sore throat. X-ray changes may be minimal. Leukocytosis may be weak and minimal. Typically, this form of pneumonia is suspected if antibiotic treatment does not produce results.

As already mentioned, a distinction is made between typical and atypical pneumonia. The first is due to the introduction of bacteria such as streptococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and staphylococcus.

SARS is caused by other types of microorganisms, such as:

• pneumococcus;
• mycoplasma;
• chlamydia;
• legionella;
• single-celled eukaryotes (protists);
• fungi;
• viruses - influenza virus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, cytomegalovirus and others.

SARS does not proceed in the same way as typical bacterial pneumonia, which is associated with other mechanisms of cell damage. The danger of atypical pneumonia lies in its hidden course. The person believes that he has a slight cold in the lungs, the symptoms do not cause significant discomfort, and he does not see a doctor for a long time, while the disease progresses during this time.

Among the above, viral-bacterial causes predominate. A person suffers from acute respiratory viral infection, and on days 5-7 his condition worsens significantly. The infection reaches the lower respiratory tract, and bacteria multiply in the sputum. This is how pneumonia develops in most cases.

The following categories of the population are most susceptible to pneumonia:

• working in cold conditions;
• breathing dirty air (for example, miners);
• smokers;
• people with weakened immune systems or immunodeficiency;
• constantly in contact with patients (medical staff, pharmacists).

Among those who become ill, the most severely affected by pneumonia are pregnant women, children under 5 years of age, the elderly, people with cancer and immune diseases, as well as people who are severely overweight. These categories of people (except for people with immunodeficiency) are recommended to pay attention to the prevention of pneumonia, primarily vaccination. Thus, the flu vaccine protects not only against the viral infection itself, but also against its complications (including pneumonia). The duration of action of the influenza vaccine is one year. There is also a pneumococcal vaccine that protects against one of the most severe pneumonias. It creates immunity for about 3-5 years.

Treatment of pneumonia should be carried out in a hospital setting.

This is not a cold, so don't self-medicate. Remember the mortality of this disease! During the acute period, you should adhere to bed rest.

Antibiotics play the main role in treatment. Their choice should be taken with responsibility, because the effectiveness of the entire treatment depends on it. The doctor chooses antibiotics, and he also prescribes the duration of the course.

Never stop taking an antibiotic before the prescribed time. Untreated pneumonia may worsen again, and the bacteria will become resistant to the antibiotic being taken.

In addition to antibiotics, the following medications are used:

Pneumonia is a dangerous and fairly common disease. This is the main cause of death from influenza and other acute respiratory infections. It should be suspected with every cold - it is recommended to listen to the lungs with a doctor for any cough. This disease is very contagious, so patients should be careful when communicating and protect loved ones from close contact with us, especially children and the elderly. If you consult a doctor in a timely manner, pneumonia can be successfully treated within 2-4 weeks.

source

Pneumonia is one of the most dangerous complications of colds and flu. If treatment is not started on time, there is a risk of death. The problem is that the symptoms of the disease coincide with those of a respiratory infection. The patient complains of cough, chest pain, high fever, and weakness. Sometimes the disease is completely asymptomatic.

Why does pneumonia occur after a cold in adults? Doctors identify several risk factors:

• refusal of treatment and bed rest,
• non-compliance with medical recommendations,
• bad habits - alcohol and tobacco abuse,
• congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies.

The risk of developing complications after a cold is always higher in the elderly, patients with diabetes mellitus and other endocrine pathologies, and pregnant women.

With timely treatment, the disease can be defeated in 7-14 days. But after recovery, the immune system will not recover immediately, so it is important to take care of your health in order to prevent relapses of the disease and re-infection with viral infections.

If a cold reappears after pneumonia in adults, you should immediately consult a doctor. The fact is that pneumonia has a wave-like course. A person may think that they have already recovered, but then the symptoms appear again. Therefore, until complete recovery, the patient should be under the supervision of a specialist. You cannot stop therapy, even if you feel better.

To exclude a recurrence of pneumonia, the specialist will order an X-ray, blood and sputum tests. Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor will develop a treatment program.

ARVI and colds after pneumonia in adults require complex treatment. The doctor must prescribe medications that not only fight viral infections, but also reduce the risk of complications. Derinat is one of these products. Nasal drops and spray have several useful properties:

• strengthen the immune system,
• help the body defeat a viral infection,
• reduce the likelihood of bacterial attachment.

Derinat has a unique reparative property, which provides additional protection against the development of complications due to viral infection. The drug restores the barrier functions of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, thereby increasing its ability to resist attacks by pathogenic microorganisms. The restored mucous membrane prevents germs from entering the lower respiratory tract, thereby preventing the development of pneumonia after a cold in adults.

Derinat is also suitable for the treatment and prevention of colds in children from the first day of life. Before using the drug, consult a specialist.

Prolonged infection, prolonged use of antibiotics, and bed rest weaken the body and reduce its natural defenses. Therefore, frequent colds in adults after pneumonia are common. Exacerbations of herpes and other chronic infections may also occur.

To recover faster from pneumonia, you need to discuss with your doctor measures to prevent viral infections. A specialist can advise to strengthen the immune system:

• multivitamin complexes,
• physiotherapy,
• special diet
• drugs with immunomodulatory properties.

After pneumonia, you need to take care of your health. It is important to control the quality of the air we breathe. Weakened airways after illness are especially sensitive to allergens, dust, exhaust fumes and other irritants. Try to spend more time outdoors - in parks, squares, forests. Ask your loved ones and colleagues not to smoke in your apartment or office. Do wet cleaning at home regularly and ventilate the rooms. Follow your doctor’s recommendations, strengthen your immune system and don’t get sick!

source

Guys, we put our hearts into Bright Side. Thank you for that
that you are discovering this beauty. Thanks for the inspiration and the goosebumps.
Join us on Facebook and VKontakte

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that can cause serious complications if not properly treated. It can develop as a consequence of a cold or allergy, and can also be the result of a chest injury.

Pneumonia can be suspected by a number of symptoms, which Bright Side and decided to remind.

Pneumonia can occur in both children and adults. But, according to experts, people who smoke and drink alcohol are most susceptible to it.

You shouldn’t turn a blind eye to the symptoms of pneumonia, but there’s no reason to panic either. Modern medicine does an excellent job of eliminating the disease, but only if you see a doctor on time. Below we will talk about what signs you can use to recognize pneumonia.

During pneumonia, a person has a high temperature for more than 4 days (usually above 38.5 ° C), which can be very difficult to bring down. Against this background, the patient develops severe chills.

However, this factor is not decisive, because an increase in temperature can be caused by a host of other diseases, and the presence of other symptoms should be checked.

With pneumonia, the patient’s body is weakened, the person feels sleepy all the time, and often does not have enough energy even to have a snack.

One of the characteristic symptoms of pneumonia is a severe cough. In this case, it is possible to produce rusty or greenish sputum, possibly with small splashes of blood.

Since pneumonia is a disease that specifically affects the lungs, it causes the patient’s breathing rate to become disrupted. It becomes more frequent, and the patient seems unable to breathe, which is why shortness of breath appears even at rest.

Doctors note a change in heart rhythm during pneumonia. You can check your child's heart rate by lightly placing 2 fingers on the carotid artery.

During pneumonia, pain in the chest torments a person not only during coughing, but also during normal quiet breathing.

If the flu or cold does not go away for a long time, and the temperature periodically rises for 5 days or more, this is also a reason to think about the presence of pneumonia.

If the first symptoms of pneumonia appear, contact your doctor as soon as possible, and do not hesitate to call an ambulance. Tell your healthcare providers clearly about your symptoms. Do not be alarmed if you are not given a diagnosis right away, because pneumonia can only be confirmed after fluorography.

When the disease is identified, you will be prescribed the necessary treatment. Be prepared that after recovery you will have to undergo physical therapy and exercise therapy.

source

Recovery from pneumonia is a complex and long process. The inflammatory process leads to the destruction of lung tissue.

The more severe the disease, the longer the body’s recovery period takes, and sometimes it takes more than two to three months.

In this article we will tell you about the features of pneumonia, as well as methods of patient rehabilitation and prevention of this disease.

Recovery after illness

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs. With this disease, infectious inflammation of tissue occurs. Infectious agents enter there through the respiratory tract or bloodstream.

The disease can be caused by bacteria such as pneumococci, staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella and so on, as well as influenza and parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, fungi and protozoan microorganisms.

The likelihood of pneumonia increases when you inhale toxic fumes, gases and other harmful chemical compounds.

Pneumonia often develops in people with weakened immune systems. But it can also be associated with hypothermia, viral infections, and taking certain medications that suppress the immune system.

• Elderly people.
• People with chronic lung diseases.
• Diabetics.
• Cores.
• People who abuse alcohol.
• Patients who have undergone surgery.
• People with congenital disorders of the bronchi and lungs, with weakened immunity.

The disease can be transmitted by airborne droplets. A sick person sneezes, bacteria and microorganisms contained in his secretions enter the lungs of a healthy person, causing an inflammatory process there. Also read about how the influenza virus spreads and how long the incubation period lasts.

In addition, pneumonia can occur due to the activation of bacteria that are in the nose and throat. When immunity decreases, the body cannot resist these viruses, and they immediately begin to multiply, enter the lungs and cause inflammation. This can happen due to hypothermia or viral infections that weaken the immune system.

The main symptoms of pneumonia are: difficulty breathing and a feeling of lack of oxygen, chills, fever, cough with sputum, chest pain. Other symptoms may or may not be present: weakness, loss of strength, loss of appetite, headache, muscle pain, etc.

In terms of severity, pneumonia can be mild, moderate, or severe, and according to its extent, it is divided into acute, protracted, uncomplicated, and complicated. The average course of the disease, which proceeds without complications against the background of properly selected treatment, is from three to four weeks.

People with weak immune systems are more likely to develop pneumonia than people with good health

There are four stages of pneumonia:

1. Tide stage. It lasts from twelve hours to three days and is characterized by a sharp blood supply to the vessels of the lungs and fibrinous exudation in the alveoli.
2. Red liver stage. This stage lasts from one to three days. The lung tissue becomes denser and resembles the liver in structure. A large number of red blood cells are present in the alveolar exudate.
3. Stage of gray hepatization. It lasts from two to six days and is characterized by the breakdown of red blood cells and the massive release of leukocytes into the alveoli.
4. Resolution stage. The normal structure of the lung tissue is restored.

Rehabilitation is a set of inpatient and outpatient procedures that are aimed at accelerating recovery and are needed to restore good health and ability to work.

The sooner the rehabilitation of a patient who has had pneumonia begins, the shorter the recovery period and the less likely it is to develop complications.

• Elimination of acute inflammation and localization of its causative agent.
• Restoring the functioning of lung tissue and the organ itself.
• Prevention of complications.
• Restoring the body's defenses.

The patient’s recovery time depends on how quickly rehabilitation occurs.

The first stage of rehabilitation should begin on the third day of the disease without violating the regime and lasts up to two weeks, but only if the patient’s condition improves and the temperature drops to subfebrile levels.

The second period consists of prescribing and following a special diet, adjusting the electrolyte and microbiological balance, physiotherapeutic procedures, therapeutic and breathing exercises. The patient can undergo all this in a rehabilitation center, sanatorium or at home. This stage is needed to eliminate the consequences of the disease and treatment with potent drugs (antibiotics).

Rehabilitation in a hospital setting

1. Physiotherapy (inhalations, electrophoresis, UHF irradiation of the inflammation zone).
2. Physical methods of treatment (gymnastics).
3. Drug therapy (probiotics for dysbiosis, potassium supplements for its deficiency).
4. Special diet (prescribing food with a large amount of protein, increasing daily caloric intake).

Sanitary-resort rehabilitation is recommended to take place at local resorts, as well as in seaside sanatoriums of the Crimea, the Caucasus, and in the Vladivostok zone. It runs from May to October. Various medical and rehabilitation measures are prescribed there (special nutrition, herbal medicine, massage).

To prevent congestion in the lungs, procedures are prescribed using pulsed currents, which improve lymph and blood circulation in the lungs and speed up the healing process.

If pleurisy occurs along with pneumonia, the sanatorium recommends taking a course of electrical stimulation of the diaphragm. This procedure improves the resorption of the pathological process and is a good prevention of the formation of adhesions. You can also take a course of infrared radiation, which has a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect.

In case of severe intoxication and allergies, autotransfusion of blood irradiated with ultraviolet light is used. The sanatoriums have special mercury-quartz baths and equipment for intravenous laser irradiation of blood.

You can also take a course of paraffin and ozokerite applications to the area of ​​the affected lobe of the lung. Balneological procedures are also very effective. This rehabilitation includes exercise therapy and psychotherapeutic assistance.

Physiotherapy helps in the healing process

Therapeutic exercises are very necessary to restore the body after pneumonia. At first, only breathing exercises are allowed, then as recovery progresses, physical exercises are added.

This gymnastics regimen gives good results: two breathing exercises and two physical exercises in the morning, then in the evening in the same way, but the exercises themselves change. Since different exercises have different effects on the bronchopulmonary system, this approach will allow you to evenly distribute the load.

Consider an approximate set of physical gymnastics for pneumonia:

1. Sitting on a chair, alternate deep breaths with shallow ones (eight to ten times). Then spread your arms to the sides in combination with calm inhalations and exhalations (five to six times). After walking in place (twelve to sixteen times), breathing is voluntary.
2. Standing, relax your shoulders. Walk slowly for two to three minutes, breathing spontaneously. Then raise your arms up and twist to the side (four to six times) combined with deep breathing. Then raise on your toes (seven to eight times), breathing freely.
3. Standing straight, lower your arms freely. Bend down, while trying to touch your left foot with your right hand and vice versa (seven to eight times). The depth of breathing is arbitrary.
4. Sitting on a chair, raise your arms one by one, then lower them with relaxation (six to eight times) combined with shallow breathing. Afterwards, clench your hands into fists and at the same time squeeze your toes (eight to ten times), while you need to gradually slow down your breathing.

After pneumonia, special gymnastics is useful to strengthen the body

The diet is recommended not only during pneumonia, but also after recovery. Before starting a diet, you need to cleanse your intestines with any laxative. It is useful to drink hot or warm baked milk with ghee - it is very good for the lungs and replenishing the surfactant in them.

You can’t eat through force, it’s not very healthy.

The diet should include broths and milk. To reduce the temperature, it is useful to drink water with lemon or cranberry juice.

• Lean meat or fish, broths.
• Dairy and fermented milk products.
• Vegetables, fruits, dried fruits.
• Juices, fruit drinks, teas, rosehip decoction.
• Cereals, pasta.
• Honey, jam.

Special nutrition for pneumonia is necessary to support immunity. With this diet, the consumption of carbohydrates and fats is reduced several times. Salt intake is reduced to six to seven grams.

It is better to steam or boil vegetables and meat; food is best taken in finely chopped or porridge form. Any drink should be warm and plentiful.

To maintain immunity, the patient needs special nutrition

Prevention of pneumonia can be specific and nonspecific.

• Compliance with the work and rest regime.
• Regular ventilation.
• Regular wet cleaning.
• Isolation of patients with acute respiratory viral infections.
• Complete nutrition.
• Hardening.
• Protecting the body from hypothermia or overheating.
• Breathing and physical gymnastics.
• Timely treatment of all diseases.

Specific prevention involves vaccination against certain types of pneumonia pathogens.

Prevention after pneumonia consists of taking vitamins and dietary supplements to restore normal microflora of the gastrointestinal tract.

Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases. Any microorganism can cause pneumonia. Treatment for pneumonia can be done in a hospital or inpatient setting. The place of treatment is determined by the severity of the disease, its form, and so on. The rehabilitation period is very important. Compliance with all the doctor’s recommendations in combination with a well-designed rehabilitation program will help you recover from pneumonia and restore the body.

source

The infectious and inflammatory process in the lungs does not go away quickly. The occurrence of residual effects is associated with impaired gas exchange in the affected tissue. Sometimes poor health does not go away for a very long time - residual effects after pneumonia affect various functions and can lead to undesirable consequences.

Pneumonia is characterized by the accumulation of a certain secretion in the alveoli of the lung. Formed adhesions:

• block gas exchange;
• narrow the lumen of the alveoli;
• disrupt breathing.

The main function of the lungs is to enrich the circulating blood with oxygen. This process occurs in the alveoli. If the lung tissue is affected by the disease, then the alveoli suffer. These spherical formations have a large number of small blood vessels. With the development of pneumonia, respiratory function is impaired.

As medical practice shows, residual pneumonia is the toxic effect of pathogenic microorganisms on the lungs.

The main reasons for the appearance of residual effects are:

• poor functioning of the immune system and decreased immunity;
• the presence of a chronic inflammatory process;
• strong virus attack.

With immunodeficiency after pneumonia, many diseases of the throat, bronchi, and nose often develop. The patient has a cough, runny nose, sore throat, laryngitis, and bronchitis. If, after pneumonia, a person is attacked by the flu, the disease develops in a more complicated form.

A weakened body is unable to cope with attacking foreign viruses. Very often, diseases of the bronchi and lungs are caused by a pathogen such as pneumococcus. Infection with this pathogenic microbe occurs by air, so it is quite difficult to protect yourself from secondary infection. As medical practice shows, the main residual phenomenon after pneumonia in the lungs is bronchitis. It is usually accompanied by a lingering cough.

How do you know that pneumonia has been cured when a cough is present? An x-ray of the lungs is required. Sometimes residual effects after pneumonia are observed on x-rays - small darkening on the lung tissue is clearly visible on film. After suffering from pneumonia, the following are observed on the lung tissue:

Microbes present in the bloodstream disrupt blood circulation in the pulmonary structures. To eliminate the residual change after previously suffering from pneumonia, additional treatment and sanatorium-resort rehabilitation will be required.

The lungs and heart are in close contact, so pneumonia often affects the functioning of the heart organ. Its functions are disrupted, the infection migrates through the bloodstream and causes an inflammatory focus in the heart. Endocarditis develops. The disease is associated with damage to the heart membrane and circulatory disorders.

Pleurisy is a change in the structures of the lung that requires immediate treatment. The lungs are surrounded by pleura. The inflammatory process in the paired organ often spreads to this tissue. Adhesions and scars develop, limitation of motor activity, accumulation of excess fluid in the slit-like space. Residual effects manifest themselves in the onset of shortness of breath and cyanosis. When under load, rapid fatigue is possible, and general weakness is often observed.

If residual pneumonia is present, the treatment regimen is prescribed by the attending physician. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate. This can provoke a dangerous complication.

How to treat residual pneumonia depends on the nature of the complication. Pulmonary pathology requires a detailed examination and all necessary tests. The development of pulmonary failure can be fatal, so therapy should be started and continued until complete recovery.

Initially, you should definitely give up bad habits. Under no circumstances should you smoke after suffering an inflammatory process in the lungs. It is very important to quit smoking. This measure will help restore respiratory function and normalize gas exchange in the paired organ.

Basically, treatment of residual manifestations comes down to taking antibiotics. Medicines are prescribed by the doctor depending on the nature of the complication and the research results obtained. If there is severe respiratory failure, the air flow may be blocked. In severe cases, the patient is connected to artificial ventilation of the organ. The use of antibiotics and thoracentesis helps reduce pressure on the walls of the organ. The inflammatory process is reduced. Prescribing an antibiotic helps treat residual pneumonia without complications.

Often with pneumonia, cyanosis of the mucous membrane of the organ develops. in such a case, it is necessary to stabilize gas exchange in the lung tissue and stabilize breathing. For these purposes, medications are prescribed that eliminate the inflammatory process and improve biological reactions in the body.

When residual pneumonia is present, treatment is limited to the use of several methods. Complex treatment uses:

• vibration massage of the sternum;
• oxygen therapy;
• assisted ventilation;
• inhalation for pneumonia to thin sputum;
• inflation of the rubber chamber;
• breathing exercises after pneumonia.

The above measures help stabilize the condition and normalize respiratory function. After all the necessary procedures have been carried out, the residual symptoms after pneumonia cease to bother the person. Cough, shortness of breath, and respiratory failure go away.

Treatment in a specialized sanatorium under the supervision of pulmonologists plays a huge role in the rehabilitation period. The sanatorium helps to remove the residual effect after pneumonia for the full course of stay on a voucher. Spa treatment includes:

• procedures using pulsed current;
• electrical stimulation of the diaphragm;
• mercury-quartz baths;
• physical therapy classes;
• speleotherapy.

Sanatoriums for patients who have suffered from pneumonia are located on ecologically clean coasts or in forest areas. Treatment in them is aimed at eliminating pathology and adhesions, improving lymph circulation and blood circulation. Modern sanatorium-resort institutions are equipped with all the necessary equipment to eliminate the residual effects of pneumonia.

Increasing the action of the body's defenses helps ensure that residual pneumonia in adults disappears without leaving a trace. Necessary:

• take moderate walks in the fresh air every day;
• gradually increase physical activity;
• regularly engage in physical therapy;
• enrich your diet with vitamins and minerals.

A proper daily routine, giving up bad habits, daily walks and a healthy diet help eliminate residual manifestations of pneumonia. A strong immune system will restore health and help you forget about the disease you suffered.

source

In adults, pneumonia occurs with certain characteristics that differ from the symptoms of the disease in children. For example, the main symptom that characterizes the inflammatory process of the pulmonary pleura in an adult is shortness of breath, which occurs after even minor exertion (for example, climbing stairs 1-2 floors or measured walking).

Sometimes a person may experience difficulty breathing in a calm state, and the discomfort increases when lying on his side.

It is possible to determine that pneumonia has occurred by several specific signs. A person may experience a feeling of intense heat followed by a bout of chills. In this case, the temperature most often remains at the same level ( 38–40 degrees) or gradually increases.

To make a person’s condition easier, there is no need to wrap him up, even when the patient himself says that he is cold. The use of antipyretic drugs is possible only as prescribed by a doctor, since some drugs have many contraindications, which may complicate treatment.

Pain in the chest area. Many people associate this pain with heart disease and try to relieve it using Validol or valerian, which not only has a calming effect, but also restores heart rhythm (subject to minor fluctuations) and reduces pain in the heart area.

Signs of respiratory diseases(cough, sneezing, pain when swallowing, nasal congestion, runny nose, etc.). These symptoms are secondary pneumonia, which appears against the background of ARVI or influenza.

The patient cannot always distinguish the clinical picture of the development of pneumonia from colds. That is why it is necessary to consult a doctor if after 4-5 days of treatment your health does not improve and the severity of the symptoms of a cold or flu does not decrease. The doctor will adjust the treatment and send the patient for additional examination.

Sputum discharge(in some cases with blood). Inflammation of the capillaries of the alveoli and blood vessels leads to micro-tears, which is why sputum production is often accompanied by hemoptysis. This condition can be treated with symptomatic remedies.

Legionnaires' disease or legionella pneumonia can be almost asymptomatic. The only symptom of the initial stage of pneumonia is gradual increase in temperature. The presence of colonized bacteria can only be detected by chest x-ray.

During the manifestation of any ailment, it is necessary to consult a doctor, since it is only possible to distinguish a cold from the development of pneumonia through tests and examinations.

During examination, a specialist can detect confluence of intercostal spaces, but in adults this sign is not always detected (this condition most often manifests itself in children).

Wheezing during breathing may be absent for a long time - when the size of the inflammation is quite small, breathing occurs freely. This also makes diagnosis difficult, so almost the only accurate way to determine that pneumonia is developing is chest x-ray, performed in lateral and direct projections.

When doubts arise regarding the correctness of the diagnosis, the patient may be sent to MRI or CT examination. If pulmonary pleurisy is suspected, an additional ultrasound examination is performed, which can determine the accumulation of fluid in the lungs (symptoms of pleurisy are not visible on x-ray).

To prescribe the correct treatment regimen and clarify the diagnosis, it is also necessary to perform biochemical (laboratory) examination, which includes:

• bronchoscopy (allows you to identify people who belong to the group of people with weak immunity);
• determination of the number of neutrophils and leukocytes;
• serological examinations for the presence of pathogenic flora (legionella, mycoplasma, chlamydia);
• examination for the presence of carbon dioxide in the blood plasma;
• liver test;
• analysis of sensitivity to antibiotics of the infectious agent;
• bacterial culture.

After the diagnosis is established, the severity of the disease and the need for inpatient treatment of the patient are determined. Treatment is also carried out taking into account examination data.

It is difficult to say exactly how much time will be needed for recovery. Intensive treatment of pneumonia in adults most often takes 1–2 weeks.

In cases where the disease occurs with complications or the patient requires ventilation, then treatment can last up to a month, and therapy is performed only in the intensive care unit of an infectious diseases clinic.

After completing the main course of therapy, the patient complies with supportive treatment, which includes probiotic agents to restore microflora and immunomodulators to strengthen immune responses.

Today, the approach to the treatment of pneumonia in adults involves the following treatment regimen:

Antibiotics are the basis for the treatment of any form of inflammation of the lungs and bronchi. As a rule, patients are prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics or individual drugs that are active against the identified type of pathogen.

It should be noted that penicillin antibiotics, which were used back in the Soviet Union, are almost never used in modern practice. This is because many gram-negative bacteria are resistant to penicillin.

Among the antibiotics for the treatment of pneumonia in adults, it is necessary to highlight “ Ceftriaxone, Suprax, Clarithromycin", "Sumamed", "Cefixime". In some cases, a combination of the above-described antibiotics is used.

Traditional recipes are used in combination with conservative treatment of pneumonia. Folk methods are varied and quite simple, so anyone can choose the most suitable recipe for themselves. How to treat pneumonia?

People over 50 years of age diagnosed with pneumonia must are being treated in hospital. This is explained by the fact that the natural protective mechanism does not work as well as in young people, and a weak body may behave unpredictably. In older patients, treating pneumonia is much more difficult.

In acute respiratory failure, resuscitation may be necessary. Patients who are under 50 years of age and patients with mild pneumonia can be treated for inflammation at home, taking into account that it is possible isolate other family members from contact with this person, and also provide the patient with absolute peace.

As a rule, the following scheme is used to treat older people:

• 40–50 years old - Augmentin or Amoxiclav in combination with Doxycycline (you can replace Amoxiclav with Tavanic or Avelox);
• 50–60 years – “Sumamed” in combination with “Suprax” or “Ceftriaxone” in combination with “Clarithromycin”;
• over 60 years old - Ceftriaxone (dose - 1 gram).

For adult patients who have the opportunity to treat the disease at home (with the permission of a doctor) for pneumonia, they are prescribed high protein diet with lots of vegetables and fruits.

Proteins will strengthen muscle fibers, provide the body with strength and create the required energy resource to successfully fight the disease.

Fresh vegetables and fruits contain large amounts of vitamins to strengthen the immune system, as well as mineral salts washed out of the body as a result of significant intoxication. Fruits must be purchased in season so as not to aggravate the situation with possible allergies.

If the patient is undergoing treatment at home, it is necessary follow certain rules:

1. Showers and baths can be taken only after the condition has normalized, taking into account that there is no temperature (it is better to ask your doctor how long it will take to fully perform hygiene procedures).
2. Until full recovery, bed rest is an indispensable condition.
3. It is necessary to control air humidity (dry air is contraindicated for diseases of the respiratory system).
4. It is necessary to ventilate the room for 10–15 minutes several times daily.

As a rule, treatment of pneumonia in adults is carried out in a hospital under the supervision of doctors, but in some cases the doctor may prescribe outpatient treatment. One way or another, doing everything doctor's recommendations and prescriptions will make it possible to quickly cope with the disease and avoid pathological processes and serious complications in the lungs and other organs.

source

As is known, pneumonia(pneumonia) is a fairly serious infectious disease, which is characterized by high temperature, a decrease in the respiratory area of ​​the lungs, general intoxication of the body with waste products of microorganisms that caused the disease, and substances that are formed during the breakdown of lung tissue. There are two main forms of pneumonia: lobar or lobar - the process involves a lobe or even the entire lung, and focal or bronchopneumonia - the process involves one or two segments of the lung. The first option is more severe due to the larger volume of the lesion. In this regard, the complete treatment of pneumonia is quite a long (up to several months) and complex process. In general, it can be divided into two stages:

Elimination of an acute process, elimination of the pathogen.
- Restoring impaired function of the lung tissue, preventing long-term complications of pneumonia, returning the status of the immune system to the state it was before the disease.

First period for uncomplicated pneumonia lasts up to two weeks and includes antibiotic therapy with anti-inflammatory drugs, monitoring the patient’s condition. As a rule, it takes place in a hospital setting. The first period of treatment for pneumonia ends when the patient’s temperature disappears, and there should be no radiological signs of pneumonia.

Second period consists of prescribing and following a special diet, adjusting the electrolyte and microbiological balance, physiotherapeutic procedures (electrophoresis, UHF irradiation), therapeutic and breathing exercises. This stage can be carried out in rehabilitation centers, sanatorium-resort institutions and independently at home. It is aimed at eliminating the consequences of pneumonia (restoring the function of the alveoli, vital capacity of the lungs), the side effects of treatment with potent drugs (dysbacteriosis and hypokalemia during treatment with antibiotics). Also, proper rehabilitation effectively prevents the appearance of long-term complications - post-pneumonic pneumofibrosis (overgrowth of coarse fibrous connective tissue at the site of inflammation, analogous to a skin scar), cirrhosis of the lung, fibrous adhesions of the pleural layers.

Thus, several main directions can be identified recovery from pneumonia:
- Physiotherapeutic methods (inhalation, electrophoresis with aloe extract, UHF irradiation of the inflammation zone);
- Physical methods (therapeutic and breathing exercises);
- Medicinal methods (taking probiotics for dysbiosis, potassium supplements for its deficiency);
- Dietary measures - prescribing food with a high protein content, increasing the daily amount of calories taken.

From physiotherapeutic methods at home it is enough to simply do inhalations. In the first days of the recovery period, it is necessary to remove the remaining sputum and mucus from the alveoli and bronchi - remaining there, the sputum stimulates the growth of connective tissue. Essential oils of thyme, fir, and incense are suitable for inhalation; if they are not available, you can breathe over a solution of soda (40 g per liter of water). But essential oils are preferable, since in addition to a milder expectorant effect, they also have an anti-inflammatory effect. Very good performance with UHF, nowadays such equipment is available in almost every clinic, it’s worth going there.

Therapeutic gymnastics plays a very important role in the recovery process after pneumonia. At the beginning of the rehabilitation stage, only breathing exercises are indicated, then as strength gains, physical exercises are added. In our medical video section there is a description of a huge number of different exercises, so here we will focus on general recommendations - do not try to do as many exercises as possible, two or three breathing ones at the beginning of recovery and then add the same number of physical ones. They should be repeated twice a day. This regimen of therapeutic exercises gives a good effect: two breathing exercises and two physical ones in the morning, then in the evening in the same way, but the exercises themselves are different. Since different exercises have different effects on the bronchopulmonary system, this approach will allow you to comprehensively distribute the load. Also, if your health is satisfactory and the weather is good, you should include daily walks in the fresh air in your daily routine.

Also an integral part rehabilitation after pneumonia is to eliminate the consequences of the treatment. As a rule, after treatment with antibiotics, dysbacteriosis occurs, thrush in women, and symptoms of hypokalemia appear - tremor (shaking) of the hands, weakness of the muscles of the limbs, convulsions, and slow heart function. To restore normal microflora, it is necessary to take probiotics (Linex), for women - vaginal suppositories with pimafucin for thrush, to correct the electrolyte balance - Asparkam, Panangin tablets.

Proper nutrition can be called the basis of everything methods for restoring lung function. Since the body has expended a huge amount of material and energy to overcome the infection, it is necessary to restore it by consuming more proteins (meat, fish, legumes). It is necessary to limit fried and spicy foods - these dishes cause a redistribution of blood in the body, which leads to worse healing of the lungs. It is also necessary to drink plenty of fluids, for example, mineral waters, herbal teas with thyme, mint, lemon balm - bacterial toxins and tissue breakdown products will be washed out, which will have a beneficial effect on the recovery process of the lungs after pneumonia and the general condition of the body.

- Return to the table of contents of the section “ Pulmonology."

source

Development pneumonia in children and adults it is infectious in nature and occurs due to the influence of a number of factors, both physical and chemical. During the development of this disease, an inflammatory process is observed in the lung tissue.

Pneumonia mainly affects alveoli , and also interstitial tissue of the lung .

Name " pneumonia“unites a wide group of diseases, each of which is characterized by a specific clinical picture, etiology, signs, laboratory parameters and features of the treatment regimen.

The question of how pneumonia differs from pneumonia is not relevant, since both of these names define a similar disease.

Defining the concept " pneumonia", the term " pneumonitis" What is it? This name defines diseases associated with non-infectious inflammatory processes in lung tissue. Against the background of such processes, pneumonia of bacterial, viral-bacterial or fungal origin usually develops.

In the article we will look at the initial symptoms of pneumonia in children and adult patients, as well as the main causes of the development of this disease, methods of treatment, and prevention of complications.

The causes of the disease are associated with the influence of a number of factors. Experts identify the following causes of pneumonia:

• complications after viral diseases (consequences of previous flu , colds of the lungs or ARVI );
• exposure to atypical bacteria (causative agents - mycoplasma , chlamydia , legionella );
• the influence of various chemical compounds on the human respiratory system (gases and toxic vapors);
• the effect of radiation radiation with associated infection;
• manifestation of allergic processes in the lungs ( bronchial asthma , COPD , allergic cough );
• thermal effect ( burns or hypothermia of the respiratory tract);
• inhalation of food, liquid or foreign bodies (develops aspiration pneumonia ).

Wikipedia shows that the development of pneumonia is associated with the presence of favorable conditions for the active reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms in the lower respiratory tract of a person. People knew what pneumonia was in ancient times. The original causative agent of pneumonia is aspergillus mushroom , as a result of which the specialists who studied the Egyptian pyramids suddenly died.

Pneumonia has been divided into two subtypes:

• community-acquired pneumonia – develops as a consequence of exposure to a number of agents of infectious and non-infectious origin outside of a hospital setting;
• hospital-acquired pneumonia – develops due to exposure to nosocomial microbes, which are often resistant to antibiotics , present in the traditional treatment regimen.

With community-acquired pneumonia in patients, the following frequency of detection of various pathogens of infectious origin is noted (information is presented in the table).

Pathogen name	Pathogen detection percentage (average, %)
Streptococcus(most often, death from pneumonia occurs with an illness caused by this pathogen)	30,4
Mycoplasma(most often causes the disease in children and young people)	12,6
Chlamydia(most often causes pneumonia in young and middle-aged people)	12,6
Legionella(mainly affects weakened people; after streptococcus, most often the disease caused by this pathogen ends in death)	4,7
Haemophilus influenzae(provokes the development of pneumonia in people with chronic diseases of the lungs and bronchi, and in heavy smokers)	4,4
Enterobacteriaceae(rarely affects people with serious illnesses - diabetes, kidney, liver failure)	3,1
Staphylococcus(affects older people and those who have complications from the flu)	0,5
Other pathogens	2,0
Unidentified pathogen	39,5

If a patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, how to treat it is determined depending on the causative agent, concomitant diseases, the patient’s age, etc. In severe cases, depending on how the disease develops, appropriate treatment is prescribed and carried out in a hospital setting. The mild course of the disease does not require hospitalization.

Signs of pneumonia are often similar to those of the flu or cold. How a patient's symptoms manifest depends on the origin of the pneumonia.

With bacterial pneumonia, both acute and gradual development of symptoms is possible. The aspen signs in this case are: shiver , fever , increased sweating , rapid pulse and breathing, sharp pain in the chest area, and also cough , in which thick, red or greenish sputum is produced.

In the case of a viral type of disease, the patient experiences dry cough , heat , headache and muscle pain, severe fatigue , weakness , dyspnea .

For pneumonia developing as a result of the action mycoplasma , symptoms are similar to those of both viral and bacterial types of the disease, but are usually less severe.

In order to consult a doctor in a timely manner and diagnose the disease, you should know what the first signs of pneumonia may appear in children, adolescents and adults. As a rule, the first symptoms of pneumonia are as follows:

• increase in temperature;
• manifestation shortness of breath And cough ;
• chills , fever ;
• weakness , fatigue ;
• chest pain when trying to take a deep breath;
• headache .

However, very often the first symptoms of pneumonia in adults, as well as signs of the disease in a child, may not appear so pronounced - often viral diseases are asymptomatic.

How pneumonia manifests itself in adults depends on the type of pathogen, the severity of the disease, etc. The characteristic signs of pneumonia in adults, the acute development of the process, its extensiveness and the likelihood of complications with improper therapy are the most important reasons for patients to immediately turn to specialists. The doctor determines in each specific case what the symptoms of pneumonia in adults are: without fever or with fever, the process occurs, etc. The prescribed treatment depends on the results of the study.

Symptoms of pneumonia in an adult appear already in the first days of illness. The first signs of this disease depend on its causative agent.

Cough This is the main symptom of pneumonia. As a rule, at first the cough due to inflammatory processes in the lungs is obsessive, dry, and appears constantly. However, sometimes in more rare cases, in the first days of illness, the cough is mild and rare. Further, as the disease develops, the cough becomes wetter, and secretion occurs. purulent mucous sputum , having a greenish-yellow color. A cough and runny nose may appear already in the first days of illness and last for several days.

Another sign of the disease that appears at first is increase in body temperature . Already at the very beginning of pneumonia it can be very high and reach 39-40 degrees. This is how it develops hilar pneumonia and other types of pneumonia. However, the temperature (in the case of atypical pneumonia) can be kept at subfebrile levels - 37.1-37.5 degrees. But even at this temperature, if the patient experiences weakness, malaise, or cough, the patient must consult a specialist. Another serious symptom is a repeated rise in temperature during the course of the disease. Another sign of pneumonia is the lack of effectiveness of antipyretic medications.

It should also be taken into account what symptoms adults without fever may experience in the first days of the development of pneumonia.

If large volumes of the lungs are affected, the patient may experience persistent dyspnea , as well as the feeling that he does not have enough air. When taking a deep breath, a person feels pain; a similar condition is also observed during coughing. The lung cannot hurt because it has no pain receptors. However, the pathological process involves pleura , which leads to the manifestation of pain.

Already in the first days of the disease, a person has expressed pale skin . A number of other symptoms are also noted - a sharp deterioration in appetite, weakness, severe fatigue, active sweating, chills.

It should be noted that any disease of viral origin should not bother you for longer than 7 days. If, one week after the onset of the flu or cold, the patient’s condition worsens, this is evidence of the development of inflammation of the lower respiratory tract.

It is important for parents to know what symptoms of pneumonia in a child should alert them, since in children the signs of pneumonia may have certain characteristics. How pneumonia manifests itself in children depends on the characteristics of the disease and the age of the child. Childhood pneumonia can develop if the child has certain symptoms:

An inflammatory process can be suspected if an increase in temperature (more than 38 degrees) lasts longer than three days, and it is not possible to bring it down with conventional medications. Temperatures that do not rise above 37.5 degrees in young children should also be of concern. Especially if a number of signs of intoxication are also noted - high levels of sweating, weakness, poor appetite. A newborn, as well as infants, may not experience sharp jumps in body temperature during the manifestation of inflammation, since their thermoregulation is not yet completely perfect, and the immune system still remains immature.

In sick children, breathing is very rapid and shallow. Infants up to 2 months take 60 breaths per minute; children under 1 year old take 50; those over 1 year old take 40. As a rule, when there is inflammation, the baby voluntarily tries to lie on one side. Another sign may also be noted: after undressing the baby, parents may notice that during the process of breathing, on the side where the diseased lung is, the skin is drawn in between the ribs and lags behind during breathing. Sometimes the baby’s breathing rhythm is disrupted, periodic stops occur, and the frequency and depth changes. The smallest children may begin to nod in time with their breathing, puff out their cheeks, and stretch out their lips. Sometimes foamy discharge appears from the nose and mouth.

The smallest children with pneumonia cry and are capricious, becoming lethargic. They sleep poorly and do not want to eat. Often noted vomit And diarrhea , babies spit up and refuse to take the breast.

A child can develop not only streptococcal , but also atypical pneumonia . What symptoms may appear depends on the pathogen and the characteristics of its course. As a rule, with an illness provoked by chlamydia and mycoplasma, the disease initially develops like a cold. The baby is worried about a dry cough, sore throat, and runny nose. Initially, a cough may appear due to tickling, but later the cough develops into a painful one when the child cries or eats.

It is important to consider that in the presence of a number of factors (air pollution, exposure to allergens or chemicals), the baby may develop chronic pneumonia, the symptoms of which appear periodically.

Clinic tuberculosis very similar to the clinical picture of pneumonia. However, the first signs of tuberculosis in adults are sometimes mild, and they increase gradually. The following first signs of tuberculosis in children and adults are noted:

• cough , in which sputum is produced, lasting more than three weeks;
• hemoptysis ;
• small but long lasting temperature rise ;
• decreased appetite , weight loss ;
• severe fatigue, irritability.

If even a few of these symptoms appear, you should immediately undergo research and determine a diagnosis.

If the disease is not detected promptly, the consequences for adults with pneumonia can be very serious. In particular, it may develop persistent pneumonia , causing serious complications. Also likely destructive form of the disease with purulent processes in the lung tissue. Therefore, timely diagnosis is very important.

The clinical picture of the disease includes the main syndromes and symptoms characteristic of inflammatory processes. Therefore, a careful assessment of the patient’s symptoms will help diagnose the disease. The doctor takes into account all the signs of how pneumonia manifests itself, trying to note the features of such manifestations.

The doctor interviews and determines what the temperature is in adult patients, as well as what the temperature is in children. With pneumonia in both an adult and a child, the temperature is usually high and lasts for several days. However, the doctor also takes into account the possibility of an atypical course of the disease, that is, whether an inflammatory disease can occur without fever. Whether there is a temperature depends on the patient’s age and the characteristics of the inflammatory process. For example, sometimes infants may experience low-grade fever .

The doctor interviews the patient to determine how many days this symptom has been present, what type of cough is present in the child or adult patient, and whether chest pain is felt. It is taken into account that pneumonia without a cough is also possible. If the disease proceeds without a cough, the doctor focuses on other symptoms, taking into account everything about the course of the disease in the survey.

To confirm the disease, a general and biochemical blood test . A general laboratory test for inflammation demonstrates a number of changes: leukocytosis, increased ESR, neutrophilia. In the viral form, the doctor takes into account that such inflammation of the lungs causes an increase in the number of leukocytes at the expense of lymphocytes.

A chest x-ray is performed, and sometimes lung diseases in children and adults are determined using computed tomography.

Also, in a hospital setting, microscopic examination, urine analysis and sputum culture are practiced (with pneumonia, yellow-green sputum is produced).

In the first days of illness, the doctor can listen fine wheezing . When the lungs are inflamed, they can be listened to with a stethoscope. However, if a child or an adult is suspected of having pneumonia, it is important to conduct a full range of studies to ensure timely treatment and clearly know what to do with this disease.

A specialist must prescribe treatment for pneumonia. If the patient consults a doctor in a timely manner, treatment of pneumonia in adults and children is successful. How to treat and how to treat this disease depends on the pathogen that provoked the disease. It is for successful treatment that you need to clearly know how pneumonia begins and how to recognize it.

The doctor prescribes any medications after conducting research, including laboratory tests ( leukocytes , ESR etc.).

The treatment regimen, duration of treatment, and the need to place the patient in a hospital are determined exclusively after diagnosis by a specialist. As a rule, treatment of the disease lasts 7-10 days. The duration of treatment for double lung pneumonia in an adult is determined only by a doctor.

Treatment of pneumonia can be carried out both in a hospital setting and at home. However, home treatment, as well as treatment of pneumonia using folk remedies, requires regular monitoring of the patient’s condition: he must be constantly visited by a local doctor and a nurse. Direct indications for placing a patient in a hospital are certain points. This is a disease of pneumonia in a child of the first year of life, a severe course of the disease with a number of complications, an illness aggravated by somatic manifestations, and the inability to fully treat a person at home.

Those who are interested in whether people die from pneumonia should know that the greatest number of deaths occur when treating this type of disease at home, without consulting a doctor. Children under 1 year of age and elderly patients must be hospitalized, since what to do for pneumonia in such cases can only be determined by a specialist. In such cases, intensive care and artificial ventilation may sometimes be necessary.

In order for the treatment of pneumonia to be as effective as possible, the patient should be provided with high-quality individual care. This approach is especially important for sick children. It is important to strictly observe bed rest and limit physical activity. However, this does not mean that a person should constantly lie still - it is important to change position and move. After a patient with severe pneumonia has recovered, he should not work hard for about two to three months.

In the process of treating pneumonia at home, you should be especially careful to comply with all requirements, both for personal and general hygiene. The patient’s diet must provide all the needs of the body that is fighting the disease. Food should contain enough calories, foods high in various vitamins, and natural foods. A very important point in the patient’s diet is to ensure sufficient drinking. The liquid consumed should be warm and varied: raspberry tea, cranberry juice, mineral water are suitable. From time to time you can drink warm milk with honey and soda.

For acute fever, patients who do not have symptoms of heart failure should drink approximately 2.5-3 liters of fluid per day.

Treatment of pneumonia in children requires a special approach to feeding. The child should be encouraged to eat little and often, preferably offering him his favorite food. The child's appetite is restored after the acute condition is relieved. When eating, you need to select foods low in carbohydrates , which provoke fermentation processes in the intestines. Maintaining a drinking regime for children is one of the most important principles of caring for a sick child. You need to drink enough to replenish fluid loss due to high fever and shortness of breath.

Patients with pneumonia should constantly monitor bowel function to prevent flatulence And constipation . The room in which the patient is staying should be regularly ventilated to keep the air clean. Another important point on the road to recovery is active coughing up sputum. To make coughing more effective, you can perform some breathing exercises.

Treatment of pneumonia antibiotics is one of the main directions in the treatment of the disease. It is important that antibiotics are prescribed to the patient on time, that is, there is no need to wait until the pathogen is identified. However, prescribing antibiotics to a patient must be carried out only by the attending physician; in no case should you take the drugs yourself.

If pneumonia is treated outside the hospital, patients are often prescribed penicillins , macrolides And 1st generation cephalosporins . The choice of method of antibiotic administration depends directly on the severity of the disease.

If pneumonia is treated in a hospital setting, then the patient is prescribed 3rd generation cephalosporins , penicillins with clavulanic acid , fluoroquinolones , aminoglycosides , carbapenems . If the etiology of pneumonia is unknown, then a combination treatment may be prescribed, which uses two or three different antibiotics. The effectiveness of treating this disease with antibiotics can be assessed after 36-48 hours. If there is an improvement in well-being, the appearance of appetite, and the absence of negative dynamics of pneumonia, then the result of therapy can be considered positive.

But treating pneumonia with antibiotics also involves taking additional medications. Thus, those drugs are often used whose effects involve restoring the drainage function of the bronchi. These are drugs aminophylline , berodual , atrovent . It is also advisable to take medications that thin the mucus and help improve the expectoration process. Those drugs that stimulate the body's defenses are also used - interferon , immunoglobulin etc. Patients with pneumonia are also shown some methods that increase the nonspecific resistance of the body. In this case, adaptogens are effective - ginseng tincture , Eleutherococcus extract , Aralia preparations , pantocrine , Rhodiola rosea , saparala . They are used in individual dosages twice or thrice a day. All these drugs have a noticeable effect on the human body. They strengthen the immune system, stimulate metabolic processes in the body, and help strengthen a person’s resistance to many negative influences, as well as to the influence of infections. To restore the body's defenses, in some cases patients are given gamma globulin , are appointed vitamin complexes (in this case, a sufficient amount of vitamin C, as well as B vitamins, is especially important).

In the treatment of pneumonia in children and adults, antihistamines and drugs with anti-inflammatory properties are used. In severe cases of the disease, sometimes the attending physician considers it advisable to take corticosteroid hormones . If there are specific indications, painkillers, respiratory analeptics, oxygen therapy sessions, etc. are also prescribed.

After the patient’s body temperature returns to normal and the symptoms of general intoxication of the body disappear, a number of physiotherapeutic procedures can be used. Often the doctor prescribes Microwave , inductothermy , UHF , wellness massage sessions , electrophoresis etc.

Another important stage in the complex treatment of pneumonia is regular physical therapy sessions. Such physical exercises help to activate the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid in the body and normalize pulmonary ventilation, which is impaired during the course of the disease. Physiotherapy exercises are prescribed to the patient after the body temperature has normalized or decreased to low-grade fever. Initially, gymnastics includes several breathing exercises in a lying position. In addition, it is advisable for the patient to lie several times a day on the healthy side in order to improve aeration . To reduce the adhesive process in the phrenic-costal angle, you should place a cushion under the chest and lie on your healthy side. Lying on your back reduces the formation of adhesions in the area between the diaphragmatic pleura and the posterior wall of the chest.

Then, after a few days, the patient at the recovery stage is prescribed exercises in a sitting and standing position, which are aimed at increasing the mobility of the chest, and also involve training in diaphragmatic breathing.

After complete recovery, people who have had pneumonia are recommended to engage in skiing, rowing, and play sports.

To improve the drainage function of the bronchi and the ventilation function of the lungs, inhalations . However, it should be taken into account that inhalations are carried out after the most acute condition has been removed. Special preparations are used for inhalation, for example bioparox , as well as herbal decoctions.

With the help of massage you can significantly improve the process of mucus discharge. In addition, massage has a bronchial relaxing effect. Depending on the doctor's prescription, it is used as classic segmental , so acupressure .

By using cupping massage You can significantly speed up the process of sputum discharge with a strong cough. To do this, apply to the skin, previously lubricated Vaseline , a jar is applied, the capacity of which should be 200 ml. After suctioning the can, massage movements are carried out from the lower back to the cervical spine. This massage should last about ten minutes. After this, the patient is wrapped in a blanket and given a glass of warm tea. This massage can be performed once every two days.

After the acute condition is relieved, the patient is also recommended to do paraffin , mud , ozokerite appliqués . Some experts also recommend sessions acupuncture . However, this method cannot be practiced by people in a state of intoxication, with fever, or with cardiac and respiratory failure.

It is important that treatment of pneumonia is carried out until the patient recovers completely: he should not only feel normal, but also laboratory and X-ray test results.

After completing the main course of treatment, patients are often recommended to continue recovery from illness in a sanatorium. As a rule, with a competent approach to treatment, the patient’s recovery occurs in about three to four weeks.

Treatment of pneumonia with folk remedies can also be used provided the disease is treated at home and the patient is not in a serious condition. There are a number of recipes for decoctions and tinctures of medicinal herbs that effectively affect the general condition of the patient. Some recipes, proven by many years of experience, can be used in parallel with drug treatment. We offer several possible recipes for treating pneumonia with folk remedies.

Take two tablespoons of aloe leaves, chop and mix with one teaspoon of salt. 1 tsp. salt. The mixture is taken three times a day before meals, one teaspoon. Calendula tincture, which is taken twenty drops three times a day, is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of calendula flowers are poured with one glass of medical alcohol. Prepare the infusion for 15 days in a dark place. Similarly, you can prepare a tincture of wormwood herb (for one tablespoon of herb, one glass of vodka), which is taken four times a day, one teaspoon.

Another traditional medicine effectively helps get rid of cough. To do this, one glass of oats with husks is mixed with one liter of milk. The mixture should be boiled for half an hour, then strain and add two tablespoons of butter, five tablespoons of honey. Before going to bed, the patient should take a glass of the product.

In addition, to treat pneumonia in children and adults, traditional medicine recommends taking decoctions of medicinal herbs as a drink. There are many options for herbal teas that effectively affect the condition of a patient with pneumonia.

You should mix one part each of knotweed herb, anise fruit, pine buds, dill fruit, thyme herb, and licorice root. The collection is poured with cold water, infused for about an hour, after which it must be brought to a boil and cooked for about five minutes. Drink half a glass three times a day.

Another collection of herbs includes one teaspoon each of chamomile, calendula, and St. John's wort flowers. The mixture is poured into two glasses of boiling water and left for two hours. You need to take the collection one third of a glass three times a day.

In addition, medicinal infusions may include other herbs: sage, coltsfoot, common thyme, horsetail, plantain leaves, peppermint, stinging nettle, elecampane, black elderberry and other medicinal plants.

Honey and lemon should be added to the tea that the patient drinks throughout the day; periodically it is recommended to drink warm milk with the addition of one teaspoon of butter and honey.

Juice therapy is also used in the treatment of pneumonia - daily intake of fresh vegetable and fruit juices. The juices of beets, carrots, and spinach are most beneficial for patients.

Eucalyptus tincture is also effective in combating the symptoms of pneumonia, which is used both externally - for inhalation and gargling, and internally, 30 drops three times a day.

In order to activate the process of expectoration, it is recommended to consume freshly squeezed cabbage juice mixed with honey. Traditional medicine also recommends regular consumption of raisins, figs, and almonds.

An effective way to treat pneumonia at home is cupping, which is placed on the patient’s back and chest. In addition, warming compresses and bandages are used.

For pneumonia in adults, it is advisable to use antibiotics after the disease has been confirmed by at least one diagnostic method.

It should be taken into account that individual symptoms - for example, rapid breathing in a child with a fever, coughing during a deep breath in an adult, etc. - are not a reason for immediately taking antibacterial drugs, since the patient could also have another illness. It is impossible to independently determine whether a patient has four signs or 5 signs of inflammation. To prescribe adequate antibiotic therapy, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Before prescribing antibiotics, it is important to determine the causative agent of the disease - under this condition, therapy will be most adequate. But in some cases this is not possible, so experts prescribe broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs. They are also used before identifying the pathogen in order to create therapeutic concentrations of active components in the blood.

Pneumonia caused by streptococcus (it can be caused by streptococcus in a child’s throat, etc.), it can be treated with broad-spectrum penicillins , sometimes prescribed Vancomycin in combination with aminoglycosides .

Mycoplasma in children, as well as chlamydia , legionella infections require the prescription of specialized antibiotics - Clarithromycin , Sumameda . Broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs are also advisable.

Bronchopneumonia treated with antibiotics - semisynthetic penicillins , treatment of bronchopneumonia in adults can be carried out at home.

For pulmonary inflammation, a complex of 2-3 antibiotic drugs is sometimes used, especially if the focus of inflammation occupies more than one segment.

If patients turn to specialists immediately after they become ill and then adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen, complications, as a rule, do not develop. The manifestation of complications can be associated directly with the disease, as well as with taking medications. The likelihood of exacerbation of chronic diseases also increases - heart failure , emphysema etc.

It can develop as a complication pleuropneumonia , which is characterized by the involvement of one or several lobes of the lungs in the inflammatory process, and an acute and severe course of the disease is noted.

Probably manifestation pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura), which can develop into exudative pleurisy when fluid accumulates in the pleural cavity.

Another dangerous complication is abscess lungs when cavities filled with pus develop in them. This complication develops in people with chronic diseases.

In addition, pneumonia may be complicated blood sepsis , bacteremia .

There is a risk of developing infective endocarditis , breathing problems.

Sometimes, after suffering from pneumonia, the first signs develop asthma in adolescents and children.

It is very important to undergo timely diagnosis and adhere to the treatment regimen prescribed by a specialist for influenza, colds, and prolonged cough.

You should adhere to the generally known rules of hygiene and a healthy lifestyle.

As measures to prevent pneumonia, it is important to follow general sanitary and hygienic rules, regularly devote time to hardening, and exercise. Sanitation of foci of chronic infection is also important. All diseases that damage the lungs must be treated immediately and correctly. A healthy lifestyle for adults, a competent approach to child care, as well as hardening the baby in the first year of life will help avoid illness. There are also some drugs ( bronchomunal , IRS-19 , ribomunyl ) that stimulate the body’s protective properties during the period of highest probability of infection with infectious diseases. They also produce a certain vaccine effect directed against pathogens of respiratory diseases.

Education: Graduated from Rivne State Basic Medical College with a degree in Pharmacy. Graduated from Vinnitsa State Medical University named after. M.I. Pirogov and internship at his base.

Experience: From 2003 to 2013, she worked as a pharmacist and manager of a pharmacy kiosk. She was awarded diplomas and decorations for many years of conscientious work. Articles on medical topics were published in local publications (newspapers) and on various Internet portals.

Great article, I learned a lot, thank you very much!!

Very interesting article. In 2014, I was diagnosed with pneumonia, treated in a hospital, discharged with the same cough as upon admission, only the temperature was brought down, antibiotic therapy, of course, went away. and this was in early June. The cough was simply killer, painful, and my nose was very stuffy. So I came home, I think the cough seemed to come out of nowhere and the temperature at the beginning was 39.5 for a week without any problems, and I thought, what if I have an allergy? I took just one Zyrtec tablet, and on the same day there was no more cough and the runny nose simply disappeared completely. In the morning I took another Zyrtec tablet and I no longer had any cough. There are such moments, we cannot exclude them. Now Zyrtec doesn’t help me anymore, last year I had a cough and fever again in the summer. And I still don’t know what I’m allergic to.

Thank you very much for the article! The third day the temperature reaches 39. The first 2 days there is a severe cough with little sputum. Sometimes it was impossible to clear my throat. Characteristic bursting bubbles when breathing. But when inhaling, the chest does not hurt at all. On the third day, suddenly my nose began to run and I had a strange cough, frequent and without phlegm, with a tickling sensation. Just like on the first day with the flu. I'll call the doctor tomorrow. Self-medication with folk remedies is, of course, good, but let the doctor take a look. Thanks again for the article!

Very interesting and useful article. Currently I am treating bronchopneumonia at home: I take pills, my daughter gives injections. Tomorrow we will give the last injection of antibiotics, and the appointment with the doctor will only be the day after tomorrow; previously there was no room in the appointment with the local therapist. I’m worried that if I have to continue antibiotic injections, there will be a three-day break between them. But this is not possible with antibiotics. A course of 14 injections of Ceftriaxone was prescribed, 2 injections per day. On top of that, my university exams start in 2 days (I’m a 4th year student).

Breathing exercises are very useful and effective if you take a course in salt caves along with it. The natural marine climate has a restorative effect, giving positive dynamics for problems with ENT organs. Thus, firstly, strengthening the general immune system and expanding the bronchopulmonary part in body. Secondly, the body receives oxygen completely saturated with microelements, which creates an invisible barrier for various respiratory diseases, both in children and adults.

Viral pneumonia is a fairly rare but dangerous disease. As a rule, vulnerable groups of the population are susceptible to it: children, chronically ill people, patients with immunodeficiency conditions. Unlike classic pneumonia, viral pneumonia has its own characteristics of clinical course, diagnosis and treatment. Let us consider in detail the characteristic features of the disease, the first signs and symptoms, how and how much to treat for different forms of the disease, as well as how it is transmitted during infection and how a healthy person can avoid becoming infected.

The causative agents of viral pneumonia are:

• influenza A virus;
• influenza B virus;
• respiratory syncytial virus;
• adenovirus;
• parainfluenza

All of these viruses cause ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection). Almost every person has suffered such an infection at different periods of his life, some in a mild form, and others in a more severe form. Most often, viral pneumonia accompanies influenza (A, B), which accounts for more than half of all cases of infectious pneumonia.

It is with the flu that cases with severe course and death are not uncommon. Infectious pneumonia during ARVI can develop both in the first few days of the disease and after several weeks of illness.

Incubation period

The incubation period from the moment the pathogen enters the body until the first symptoms appear depends on the type of virus and the host’s immune defense. Thus, latent (passive) carriage for influenza is from 1 to 4 days, for adenovirus – up to 14 days, for parainfluenza infection – no more than 6 days. The incubation period of cytomegalovirus infection ranges from 3 days to 2 months after infection.

Factors influencing the length of the incubation period

1. Type of causative virus.
2. Patient's age.
3. The patient's health status (history).
4. Individual resistance of the body.

Most often, initial signs of infection appear within a week. An alarming indicator of the presence of a pathogen in the body is a slight increase in body temperature.

Almost everyone can get sick from viral infections, but why do some suffer from the disease easily, while others end up in the hospital with complications? Viral pneumonia is just such a complication. People with weakened immune systems, children, elderly people (over 60 years old), and pregnant women are primarily susceptible.

Predisposing factors

The infection affects people who have defects in the immune system, that is, their immunity is simply depleted and weakened to such an extent that it is not able to fight viruses, so a severe course and the development of pneumonia are possible.

Predisposing factors include the lack of vaccination during an epidemic of a particular virus (for example, influenza); this fact definitely predisposes to the development of the disease. Poor social and living conditions (poor nutrition, unsuitable living conditions, etc.). Constant hypothermia of the body, vitamin deficiency (lack of vitamins in the body). Contact with ARVI patients (especially at work, school, kindergarten, etc.).

Another important aspect is delayed treatment, untimely hospitalization of the patient, incorrect prescription of antibacterial drugs, and the prescription of “weak” antiviral drugs for severe forms of viral infection. All this, naturally, predisposes to the development of complications, in particular viral pneumonia.

Background diseases

What diseases can cause viral pneumonia? Let's list the main ones:

• heart failure;
• HIV;
• diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2;
• oncology(tumor);
• renal failure;
• chronic alcoholism;
• drug addiction, etc.

These are not all background diseases, but the most common ones in which illness (viral pneumonia) can occur. From this list it is clear that all diseases that affect the normal metabolism and functional state of organs will be background.

Pathogenesis of viral pneumonia

Viruses that cause infectious pneumonia are transmitted by airborne droplets, from person to person (coughing, sneezing, discharge from the nasal passages). What happens and why does viral pneumonia occur? When a person becomes infected with the influenza virus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, etc. a powerful toxic, damaging effect appears on his body, and in particular on the blood vessels (severe forms of ARVI!).

The vessels (in this case, the lungs) become very permeable and hemorrhages occur in various parts of the lungs (in the alveoli and the tissue itself), the lung tissue becomes edematous (if you look at the cells under a microscope, they will be “swollen”). All this leads to the fact that lung function suffers - symptoms of breathing problems arise.

Since the viral infection has a generalized effect (on the entire body), the condition is characterized as extremely severe. Viral pneumonia in children develops according to the same principle as in adults.

True viral pneumonia develops in the first days of acute respiratory viral infection. Pneumonia that developed later is of a bacterial-viral nature, which should be taken into account when prescribing antibacterial drugs (broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs - act on many pathogens).

Help from folk remedies

Viral pneumonia can be cured using folk remedies if you combine them with medications prescribed by your doctor.

Often, with this disease, herbs with anti-inflammatory, vasodilating and anti-allergenic effects that help fight the virus help. They contain many useful substances that increase the level of immunity and have a positive effect on the condition of the entire body.

Tinctures and herbal mixtures help relieve coughs, relieve fever, improve the body’s performance, and restore strength to fight the disease. If you combine folk recipes with doctors’ recommendations, curing pneumonia at home will become much easier.

The most effective folk recipes for treating the disease:

1. Coltsfoot. Brew 2 tablespoons of coltsfoot flowers every day, let it brew for half an hour, drink a quarter glass three times a day.
2. Infusion of aloe and birch buds. Take aloe leaves and birch buds in equal quantities (259 g). In a separate bowl, mix 0.5 kg of butter, the same amount of pork fat, honey, and vodka. Place this in a container over low heat and heat until all the fat has melted. Wash aloe leaves and birch buds, chop them, wrap them in gauze, and place them in a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients. When it boils, remove the gauze and squeeze out. Take the resulting mixture one spoon three times a day, adding a small amount of milk.
3. Agave. Grind the leaves and place in a glass jar. Add a few spoons of honey, a glass of red wine, it is better to take Cahors. Mix everything and leave to brew for one week. Before taking, strain, drink one spoon several times a day before meals.
4. Raisin. Pass 100 g of washed raisins through a meat grinder and pour a glass of boiling water. Place in a small container on the fire and boil for 10 minutes. After straining, leave to cool. Take a spoonful of the decoction several times a day.
5. Rose hip. Instead of tea, it is better to drink an infusion of rose hips; they help the body quickly restore strength after illness. Brew the berries in a glass of boiling water, after infusing for half an hour, drink every day.
6. A mixture of herbs. Mix equal amounts of chamomile, licorice root, oregano, rose hips, lungwort and plantain. Pour 2 tablespoons of the resulting mixture into several glasses of boiling water and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Leave to infuse for 1-2 hours, drink three times a day, a third of a glass.

A compress of cottage cheese and honey helps a lot. To do this, mix 100 g of warm cottage cheese, add a few tablespoons of honey.

Place the compress on the chest so as to exclude the area of ​​the heart. Leave for at least half an hour, then the cottage cheese can be reheated.

For viral pneumonia, you need to eat the following herbs for treatment:

• Elecampane;
• Althaea officinalis;
• Zopnik;
• Bloater;
• Lungwort;
• Common privet;
• Saxifraga.

Symptoms of viral pneumonia

Symptoms of viral pneumonia include both the actual symptoms of pneumonia and the symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections.

General symptoms of intoxication:

• temperature;
• weakness;
• headaches;
• chills;
• cold clammy sweat;
• muscle pain;
• pain in the eyes(when raising the upper eyelid upward)
• clouding of consciousness.

Respiratory (breathing) symptoms:

• cough;
• sputum is mucous or mixed with blood;
• dyspnea;
• pain in the chest when breathing;
• rhinorrhea(copious nasal discharge);
• inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.

Symptoms of pneumonia in adults and children

Pneumonia usually begins with symptoms of a banal acute respiratory infection. The patient is worried about nasal congestion, headache, cough, fever, weakness.
In the presence of risk factors or late initiation of treatment, these symptoms worsen and the clinical picture of viral pneumonia develops.

Manifestations of viral pneumonia depend on the degree of damage to the parenchyma (focal or lobar pneumonia) and are divided into general and pulmonary. With focal pneumonia, the area of ​​the pathological process is limited; with lobar pneumonia, the entire lobe of the lung is involved. Viral pneumonias are usually focal or interstitial(i.e. alveoli and intermediate structures are involved in the pathological process).

REFERENCE! The right lung consists of three lobes (upper, middle, lower), the left - of two (upper and lower).

Common symptoms include:

• increase in body temperature: fever usually begins acutely, from the first days of the disease. Lobar pneumonia is characterized by a rise in temperature to 39°C and above with accompanying chills and a slight increase in the evening. In focal cases, a moderate temperature reaction is observed, rarely exceeding 38.5°C;
• general intoxication syndrome: debuts with the appearance of general weakness, increased fatigue during normal physical activity. Later, aching, breaking pain in the joints and limbs (myalgia, arthralgia), headache, and night sweats appear. Often the patient experiences an increase in heart rate and instability of blood pressure. In severe cases, neurological symptoms (confusion, delusional disorders), damage to the urinary (nephritis), digestive (hepatitis) and other body systems are possible.

Pulmonary manifestations of viral pneumonia:

• cough: the most common symptom of pneumonia of any etiology. At first it is dry in nature, then it can become productive with difficult to separate mucopurulent sputum of a greenish color;
• shortness of breath: may be completely absent or cause significant discomfort to the patient, causing increased breathing up to 30-40 per minute. With pronounced shortness of breath, the auxiliary respiratory muscles (muscles of the neck, back, anterior abdominal wall) are involved in the act of breathing for a compensatory purpose;
• chest pain: bothers the patient at rest and intensifies during coughing. The cause is irritation of the pleura (the serous membrane of the lung) and intercostal nerves. In severe pain syndrome, the corresponding half of the chest lags behind in the act of breathing. In mild cases there may be no pain at all.

The picture of pneumonia depends on the causative viral agent of the disease. With adenovirus infection, the symptoms of nasopharyngitis, cough, enlarged and painful cervical lymph nodes, fever, and signs of conjunctivitis come to the fore.
Complicated by pneumonia, chickenpox occurs with a pronounced increase in body temperature, chest pain, shortness of breath and, sometimes, hemoptysis. Measles pneumonia can begin even before the rash appears and is often complicated by pleurisy.

Pneumonia due to the influenza virus develops several days after the first symptoms of an acute respiratory infection. Influenza pneumonia is characterized by a severe course, fever, cough with sputum (including bloody), chest pain, shortness of breath, and bluish discoloration of the skin.

Depending on the severity of clinical manifestations in adults and children, there are 3 degrees of severity of viral pneumonia: mild, moderate and severe.

Clinical picture pneumonia in children largely depends on the age of the child. In children of the first years of life, viral pneumonia is one of the most common infectious diseases. They have a pronounced general symptomatology: fever, discoloration of the skin, intoxication syndrome (lethargy, decreased motor activity, tearfulness). Older children suffer from symptoms characteristic of adult patients. They have more pronounced pulmonary symptoms: cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, etc.

Features of viral pneumonia

A feature of viral pneumonia is the difficulty in diagnosis; the symptoms of the pneumonia itself do not always come to the fore. Unfortunately, diagnostic errors and delayed treatment can lead to even greater complications of the disease. The disease is acute in any case, since viral pneumonia develops only in severe forms of ARVI. During the course of the disease, a bacterial infection may be attached to the viral agent (causative agent), which further complicates the course.

Sometimes severe forms of the disease are distinguished by their resistance to therapy with antiviral and antibacterial drugs, which creates certain difficulties in treatment and leads to the development of serious complications, which will be described below.

Signs of the disease without symptoms

A fairly common variant of the development of viral pneumonia is abortive course, which is characterized by scanty symptoms. The patient is concerned about mild pulmonary manifestations (minor cough) against the background of a moderate disturbance in his general condition. Also, in the absence of symptoms in adults and children, the disease can occur without fever or rise to low-grade levels (no more than 38°C). The abortive course of pneumonia is caused by a local focus of infection in the lung tissue.

Complications of viral pneumonia often lead to the death of the patient, although with timely adequate therapy it is still possible to achieve stabilization of the condition.

Respiratory failure is characterized by increased breathing (shortness of breath), increased blood pressure and partial pressure of oxygen in the blood in the first stages of the development of the condition, followed by a change in these indicators in the opposite direction (decrease) and the transition of complications to coma.

Toxic shock is accompanied by disorders of the cardiovascular system (viruses affect blood vessels), changes in blood counts, and shock is often the cause of death.

Brain disorders manifest themselves in the form of severe headaches, body pain (mainly limbs), clouding of consciousness. This complication mainly develops in children.

Complications also include liver and kidney failure - shutdown of organ functions due to the massive and prolonged impact of viruses on organs. Patients with complications should be kept in intensive care wards, under 24-hour supervision by medical personnel. Such patients undergo monitoring of all vital functions (pressure, respiration, etc.), constant analysis of basic blood parameters, blood electrolytes, oxygen saturation.

Etiology and pathogenesis of the disease

The causative agents of viral pulmonary infections are:

• influenza A and B virus;
• parainfluenza;
• adenovirus;
• coronavirus;
• family of herpes viruses (Varicella-Zoster, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr, herpes simplex) - I call this type of pneumonia chickenpox;
• measles virus;
• respiratory syncytial virus;
• metapneumovirus.

Scheme of the structure of the influenza virus
The mechanism of infection is aerosol and contact. This suggests that viral pneumonia is contagious and is transmitted through the air with particles of saliva and respiratory mucus of a sick person, contaminated hands and household items.

After the penetration of viral particles into the lung tissue, they penetrate into the interstitium - interstitial tissue, increase vascular permeability, edema, and adhesion of the alveoli. As a result, the respiratory surface of the lungs decreases significantly.

Viruses have the ability to suppress local immune defense mechanisms of the respiratory tract and the general immune response, which leads to the activation of opportunistic flora or the addition of pathogenic bacteria. Bacterial-viral pneumonia develops.

Factors contributing to the development of viral pneumonia:

• old age (over 65 years);
• diabetes mellitus;
• long smoking history;
• bronchial asthma;
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
• obesity (BMI over 30);
• taking glucocorticoids, cytostatics, immunosuppressants;
• pregnancy.

In some cases, the disease may occur without fever. This indicates a weak immune response.

With immunodeficiency, the chances of infection increase, then the provocateurs are viruses from the herpes family. Thus, cytomegalovirus pneumonia and inflammation in Epstein-Barr develop against the background of pronounced suppression of the cellular component of immunity.

Influenza pneumonia

Viral pneumonia is characterized by a seasonal nature of occurrence and is recorded mainly in winter. Half of the causative agents of pneumonia are influenza viruses of subtype A (H5N1, H1N1) and B.

Coronavirus is considered the etiological factor of viral atypical pneumonia or SARS, manifested by severe respiratory failure.

There are 3 types of influenza pneumonia:

1. Primary pneumonia manifests itself in the first two days of illness. It is exclusively viral in nature. The nature of the inflammation is interstitial, bilateral, implying swelling of the interstitial tissue of the lungs due to increased capillary permeability, areas of hemorrhage (hemorrhage) appear. Symptoms increase rapidly due to progressive respiratory failure.
2. Secondary– develops at the end of the first week of the disease. It is caused by the attachment of coccal bacterial flora (pneumococcus, staphylococcus) to the virus. The lower lobes or several lobes of both lungs are affected.
3. Tertiary– implies the addition of other bacteria: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Legionella, Chlamydia, Mycoplasma, Klebsiella. Develops in the second week of illness.

Attention! A distinctive feature is the almost lightning-fast development of respiratory failure.

Respiratory

The cause of so-called respiratory pneumonia is respiratory syncytial virus (RS) virus. A distinctive feature in the development of pneumonia is the appearance of whistles and fine moist rales due to obstruction of the bronchi and bronchioles. Increasing:

• dyspnea;
• pulse quickens;
• breathing becomes weaker;
• consciousness is impaired.

The incubation period ranges from 3 to 7 days.

Parainfluenza

Parainfluenza virus type 3 can cause bronchiolitis and pneumonia. The disease is moderate or moderate in severity.

When inflammation of the lungs develops against the background of parainfluenza (on days 1-2), chest pain and dry cough appear with the gradual appearance of:

• bloody sputum;
• dyspnea;
• cyanosis.

The incubation period for pneumonia is 1 to 4 days. In infants, this period can be reduced to 6 hours.

Herpes viruses

The first symptoms appear 7-10 days after contact with an infected person. A rash characteristic of chickenpox appears. Complications in the lungs occur with the penetration of the herpes virus into the lungs. According to statistics, this pathology occurs much less frequently in children than in adults. At risk are smokers, pregnant women, chronically ill patients with COPD and people with low immunity.

This type of pneumonia is called varicella or chickenpox.

Diagnostics

What does the doctor see and hear? Often the main symptoms of viral pneumonia are still the symptoms of ARVI - general symptoms of intoxication, so sometimes it is difficult to suspect pneumonia.

Auscultation (listening to the lungs):

• wheezing;
• crepitus(sound like a crack);
• bronchial breathing.

Laboratory and instrumental studies:

• UAC(increased number of leukocytes, band neutrophils, acceleration of ESR);
• C-reactive protein(indicates the presence of an inflammatory reaction in the body);
• X-ray of the lungs(the most important study in this case is to determine areas of infiltration - damage to lung tissue).

The following may also be carried out: sputum culture to determine the pathogen, blood test (PCR, serological analysis, determination of immunoglobulins).

Diagnosis of pathology

A doctor who will study the anamnesis and epidemiological situation will help to reliably recognize the onset of the disease and identify the causative agent of the disease. Laboratory, x-ray and physical examinations are carried out.

The disease occurs more often during periods of ARVI outbreaks. It is accompanied by respiratory failure of various forms and degrees.

During X-ray examinations, the patient can notice an increased interstitial pattern and the presence of small focal shadows in the lower lobe of the lungs. For a reliable diagnosis, sputum and bronchial washings are studied.

After studying all the tests, the doctor can rule out other diseases that have similar symptoms and identify the type of virus that caused the pneumonia.

To treat specifically complicated forms of ARVI (plus viral pneumonia), antiviral drugs are used:

• Oseltamivir;
• Zanamivir;
• Ingavirin.

The drugs can also be used to prevent ARVI. Children and adults use drugs in different doses, which are selected by the attending physician.

Treatment with antiviral drugs should begin at the first symptoms of ARVI in order to avoid dangerous complications such as pneumonia!

Antibacterial drugs are prescribed, since pneumonia can be mixed (bacterial-viral):

• cephalosporins 3, 4 generations;
• fluoroquinolones 3, 4 generations;
• carbopenems.

Patients with severe immunodeficiency conditions (HIV infection) may be prescribed antifungal drugs (Voriconazole, Capsofungin, etc.).

Immunomodulators are prescribed to maintain immunity; this is especially widely used in the treatment of children:

• Viferon;
• Grippferon;
• Kagocel;
• Pentaglobin;
• Galavit.

Severe viral pneumonia must be treated in a hospital setting in an intensive care ward, where there is the possibility of mechanical ventilation (artificial pulmonary ventilation) and oxygenation (oxygen saturation) of the blood.

Treatment with antibiotics

If viral pneumonia is combined with a bacterial infection, the doctor prescribes antibiotics for treatment.

A specific remedy is prescribed depending on:

• Features;
• Patient's age;
• Severity of the condition.

The choice of route of entry of the drug into the body depends on these same factors. Antibiotics are administered intramuscularly, intravenously or orally.

More often, fluoroquinolone antibiotics are used for treatment, these include:

• Ciprofloxacin;
• Moxifloxacin;
• Levofloxacin.

At the first stage of the disease, such drugs are administered intravenously or intramuscularly. Tablets are prescribed.

Harm or benefit of traditional medicine

A serious condition requires a clearly planned treatment plan, since the condition will worsen without special medications. Traditional methods are not suitable for the treatment of viral pneumonia! Only antiviral and antibacterial drugs.

When treating pneumonia, drinking plenty of fluids (warm tea) is prescribed - in this case, you can turn to folk remedies. Tea can be brewed with various herbal ingredients that have good detoxifying properties and contain a large amount of vitamins: raspberries, rose hips, linden, coltsfoot, mint, etc.

Treatment

The duration of treatment for viral pneumonia by a doctor is determined individually based on clinical data and medical examination.

The patient's recovery depends on:

• the type of pathogen virus and its resistance to the prescribed treatment;
• the patient’s body’s reaction to the drugs used;
• immune state of the body;
• severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis.

In mild forms of viral pneumonia and the patient’s condition is satisfactory, the doctor prescribes treatment at home. In severe cases of the disease, the patient requires a strict hospital regime and public isolation.

The course of treatment for viral pneumonia includes corticosteroid drugs, antibiotics (if a concomitant bacterial infection is suspected or present), expectorants and antipyretics, and oxygen nutrition. In parallel with the prescriptions, the patient is recommended to have a gentle diet, frequent and abundant drinking.

For recovery, it is important to stay in bed, eat only healthy foods and drink plenty of fluids.

When the patient’s condition normalizes, to strengthen the immune system, the doctor prescribes physiological procedures and breathing exercises. After discharge, the patient is subject to dynamic medical observation for a year with follow-up tests to minimize the risk of developing complications after the disease.

To date, the most effective method is vaccination:

• Influenza vaccine;
• Pneumococcal vaccine.

Primarily, vaccines are indicated for elderly people and children, people with immunodeficiency and weakened (general somatic) patients. The vaccine is not given to those who cannot tolerate any of the components of the drug.

Prevention measures include a healthy lifestyle, giving up bad habits, personal protective equipment (masks), vitamin therapy, quarantine (in kindergartens, schools, enterprises), the use of immunomodulators and antiviral drugs in a prophylactic dose (kagocell, arbidol, ingavirin and etc.).

Prevention

To minimize the risk of developing viral pneumonia, the following recommendations must be followed:

• vaccination: the use of vaccination against viral agents allows you to avoid infection or severe infections such as influenza, measles, chicken pox.

IMPORTANT! Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent viral pneumonia. In some cases, it provides one-year immunity during an epidemic (influenza), in others it provides lifelong immunity (measles).

• balanced diet with sufficient vitamins and microelements;
• timely sanitation of foci of chronic infections;
• limiting visits to crowded places during epidemically unfavorable periods;
• compliance with personal hygiene rules (washing hands, visiting after breathing in public places);
• use of medicinal (oxolinic ointment) and non-medicinal personal protective equipment (masks).

Possible complications, is it contagious?

Very often, viral pneumonia is complicated by the formation of chronic bronchitis. There may also be the following complications:

1. Fibrosis. The alveoli of the lung tissue are gradually replaced by connective tissue, which does not take part in gas exchange and, thus, the useful area of ​​the paired organ is significantly reduced.
2. Bronchial asthma. This is an allergic disease with attacks of suffocation. In this case, exhalation is difficult and wheezing appears, because the lumens of the small bronchi narrow.
3. Pleurisy. Inflammation of the pleural layers and accumulation of exudate in them.
4. Pulmonary edema.

Therefore, in order to prevent complications, at the first symptoms you should see a doctor in order to determine the diagnosis and begin effective treatment.

Complications of the flu and possible consequences of pneumonia

After the flu, complications develop frequently - in approximately 10-15% of all patients. A frequent complication after influenza is acute pneumonia (both viral and bacterial); they are detected in almost 10% of all patients and in approximately half of hospitalized patients with influenza, predominantly severe and moderate forms. The second place in frequency is occupied by complications from JIOP organs - sinusitis, otitis, sinusitis. Less common are pyelonephritis, myocarditis, and disorders in the blood system.

Influenza infection can change the properties of blood, increase its coagulability, which increases the likelihood of blood clots, and this, in turn, can cause damage to the myocardium and kidney tissue.

The main, most dangerous complication of influenza is influenza (viral) pneumonia, and the consequences after the illness can be the most unpredictable.

Pneumonia - also known as pneumonia - belongs to the category of dangerous and often unpredictable diseases. Incorrect diagnosis and untimely treatment can lead to death. Remember that the symptoms of pneumonia are similar to those of other respiratory diseases. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis is made only after a specialized examination. Simply listening to the lungs with a phonendoscope is not enough to diagnose pneumonia! At a minimum, the doctor will refer the patient for blood tests and x-rays. Often, if pneumonia is suspected, the patient is immediately hospitalized, and the necessary tests are carried out in the hospital.

Treatment for pneumonia takes time. It all depends on the clinical manifestations, the nature of the lesion and the age of the patient, the general condition of his body. Prevention plays an important role, especially in cases of chronic respiratory diseases and reduced immunity.

In severe cases, the disease affects the lungs. The consequences of pneumonia can include damage to other organs not related to the respiratory system.

A possible complication of pneumonia is pleurisy, which is associated with inflammation of the pleura. As a result of the accumulation of exudate, a complication leads to purulent pleurisy. With purulent inflammation, destruction of the lungs occurs. Cavities form in the lung tissues in which pus accumulates. The most severe consequences of pneumonia are considered to be gangrene and pulmonary edema.

However, with timely treatment, pneumonia can be defeated.

If you have a cough and shortness of breath due to the flu or ARVI, call a doctor immediately! A dangerous sign is the appearance of blood in the sputum.

Definition of disease

Pneumonia is an infectious disease of the lungs. Inflammatory processes occurring in them can lead to serious functional disorders. Pneumonia is probably the most common disease in children, especially at an early age. But adults are also susceptible to this pathology. Especially if your immune system is weakened. Pneumonia can be either an independent disease or a complication of other diseases.

Often in children, pneumonia is caused by viruses, but in adults, in most cases, a bacterial infection is also associated with a viral infection. Viral pneumonia should be treated in the early stages to avoid complications. It is not possible to recover from pneumonia in a day or two. But by following the instructions of your doctor and following all the recommendations, you can soon forget about the disease. And knowing the causes of viral pneumonia, it can be prevented and infection can be prevented.

How to confirm the diagnosis

If the doctor examining the sick person is competent and experienced enough, he will be able to suspect pneumonia based on what he listens with a stethoscope, taps with his fingers and hears, clasping his hands around the patient’s chest at the moment he says the words “thirty-three.”

• After this, he will only have to refer the patient for X-ray diagnostics (usually fluorography of the chest organs in two projections: the front and the affected side).
• Much less often, for differential diagnosis or if the signs of pneumonia are not clearly identified on X-ray (for example, viral pneumonia, the symptoms of which are erased in children), a computed tomography of the lungs may be prescribed.
• To clarify the diagnosis, a clinical blood test, biochemistry (C-reactive protein, fibrinogen), a general sputum test and a test for Mycobacterium tuberculosis can also be prescribed.
• To detect respiratory failure, pulse oximetry is used to determine blood oxygen saturation (the device is worn on a finger or earlobe). In the absence of a device, respiratory failure is judged by the number of breaths per minute.
• To identify the pathogen, serological blood tests are usually performed, in which antigens (immunoglobulins) to viral antigens are looked for.

Treatment in adults

Viral pneumonia must be treated in a hospital. Elderly people, pregnant women, and people with severe concomitant pathologies are subject to hospitalization, but in general, viral pneumonia is almost always treated in a hospital. Oxygen therapy is performed according to indications.

Oxygen therapy

The main method of treating viral pneumonia is taking antiviral drugs from the first days of the disease, depending on the pathogen:

• for influenza inflammation, use oseltamivir or zanamivir (Tamiflu or Relenza);
• adenoviruses, RS virus, parainfluenza require taking Ingavirin (non-specific therapy);
• for herpes viruses (cytomegalovirus pneumonia, Epstein-Barr, herpes types 1 and 2), the drugs Acyclovir, Valacyclovir, Famciclovir are used;
• for measles pneumonia, immunoglobulin is administered;
• for all types of viral pneumonia, interferon preparations, its inducers, and immunocorrectors (Pentaglobin, Galavit, Roncoleukin, Polyoxidonium) are used.

There is no etiotropic therapy for coronavirus, adeno-, RS-virus and parainfluenza, so treatment is carried out with immunomodulators, stimulants, and also symptomatic.

Antibiotics are prescribed when signs of bacterial complications appear. Use:

• 3rd generation cephalosporins;
• respiratory fluoroquinolones;
• carbapenems, monobactams;
• for MRSA – vancomycin;
• linezolid.

Drinking plenty of fluids is a prerequisite for treating viral pneumonia while the patient is conscious. Additionally, droppers with saline solution are prescribed.

Symptomatic treatment:

• glucocorticoids(to relieve severe inflammatory reactions);
• detoxification therapy in severe cases (removal of decay products of microorganisms and destroyed cells);
• used to normalize temperature nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs(Nimesil, Nurofen, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol);
• to thin the mucus use ACC, drugs bromhexine, ambroxol;
• for the prevention of thromboembolism low molecular weight heparins are prescribed.

In severe forms, collapsed alveoli are opened using various techniques.

Important! Regime-restrictive measures (quarantine) in relation to highly pathogenic strains of influenza (swine and bird flu), coronavirus, and measles imply isolation of the patient.

What does viral pneumonia look like in children with photos?

The main symptoms of pneumonia are cough and difficulty breathing. At the same time, the patient feels weakness and loss of strength. Due to respiratory failure and hypoxia, his skin may become pale or bluish. Below are photographs of a patient with pneumonia and an x-ray of the lungs:

A – healthy lungs, B – pneumonia.

Therapeutic approaches

To treat viral pneumonia, you need to fight the symptoms of the infection, improve your immune status and rid the body of the infection. Antiviral drugs specifically act only on the virus that causes the disease. Traditional antibiotic therapy is not suitable in the fight against the virus, but may be useful in cases of mixed bacterial-viral co-infection.

Antiviral drugs are usually prescribed:

• amantadine and rimantadine,
• ribavirin,
• acyclovir and its derivatives (ganciclovir, foscarnet, cidofovir).

Effect on symptoms

In addition to etiotropic drugs, corticosteroids, plenty of fluids, oxygen therapy, room humidification, and cough medicines are prescribed. Control fever with aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen), or acetaminophen.

Drinking plenty of fluids helps thin the mucus. And the appointment of oxygen therapy helps to cope with the lack of oxygen in the blood and prevent cyanosis. If you are diagnosed with viral pneumonia, you need to get plenty of rest and eat well to have enough energy to fight the infection.

What else can cause this disease

Although influenza and parainfluenza viruses are the most common culprits of viral pneumonia, focal inflammation in the lungs can also be caused by pathogens:

• measles (see measles in children, measles in adults)
• rubella,
• chicken pox,
• cytomegalovirus.

With all these infections, pneumonia is part of the severe course of the disease or complicates it and, as a rule, accompanies patients with deficiencies in immune defense:

• babies,
• old people,
• pregnant women,
• cancer patients,
• people on hormonal or cytostatic therapy,
• starving people
• exposed to radiation therapy or ionizing radiation

and patients with chronic lung pathologies:

• chronic obstructive disease,
• bronchial asthma,
• heart (heart failure),
• endocrine problems (obesity 2-3 degrees, diabetes mellitus).

With a respiratory infection, there is always a violation of the self-cleaning of the respiratory tract: the cilia of the epithelium, designed to remove sputum and infectious agents, flicker poorly, and the activity of alveolar macrophages (local immune cells) decreases. This contributes to the development of pneumonia.

Most of these pneumonias are community-acquired. That is, they develop in people who are not in the hospital, or are detected in the first 2 days from admission to the hospital.

Often pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, staphylococcus or mycoplasma are attached to the virus, and then the inflammation will be of mixed viral and bacterial origin.

Reference materials (download)

Click on the selected document to download:

#	File	File size
1	Diagnosis and treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Infectious Diseases Society of America Guidelines	833 KB
2	Pneumonia in children. Clinical recommendations.	180 KB
3	Clinical recommendations. Pulmonology. Scientific and practical publication	2 MB
4	Clinical and diagnostic features of community-acquired viral-bacterial pneumonia	468 KB
5	Standard for specialized medical care for moderate influenza	269 ​​KB
6	Immunoprophylaxis of respiratory syncytial virus infection in children. Clinical guidelines	255 KB
7	Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory diseases (ARI), treatment of pneumonia in children	990 KB
8	Standard of specialized medical care for children with acute respiratory diseases of severe severity	265 KB
9	Clinical pharmacology of drugs for the treatment of respiratory diseases	4 MB

What are the features of pneumonia without fever?

This type of disease is much more dangerous and can lead to bad consequences. Here, a person does not know that he has contracted viral pneumonia, since there is no increase in body temperature.

The patient has a slight malaise. Usually no one does anything about this, which leads to a worsening situation.

Pneumonia without fever appears due to a weakened immune system, taking a large number of antibiotics, frequent use of cough tablets and the presence of a constant focus of infection in the lymph nodes.

The main signs of this type of illness are weakness and lethargy, whistling breathing, pale skin, severe fatigue and increased sweating, and muscle pain.

What and how is it treated?

In children, treatment for viral pneumonia consists primarily of relieving the symptoms of the disease through the use of antiviral medications, painkillers and cough syrups. All recommendations are selected only by a doctor. In more severe cases, when pneumonia becomes a mixed (viral-bacterial) type, antibiotics are used for treatment.

In addition to drug treatment, sanitary and hygienic rules should be observed. The child should be in regularly ventilated areas with appropriate humidity and temperature. It is recommended to give the baby easily digestible food and drinks, and if his condition worsens, shortness of breath or high temperature occurs, hospitalization is required.

The goal of treatment for patients is also to relieve symptoms and get rid of viruses. Usually a hospital stay is not required; the person is treated at home using medications. If the patient is severely dehydrated and the infection is quite serious, then hospital treatment is recommended. Antibiotics are not required for viral pneumonia; antiviral drugs are used for this disease, but only in the early stages of the disease. Corticosteroid drugs are also used, although their use is controversial.

Why is pneumonia dangerous?

The danger of the disease is that it affects the lungs, which perform several important functions in the human body. The main one is respiratory - the transport of oxygen into the bloodstream, from where the gas enters all organs and tissues. The process of gas exchange occurs in the alveoli, which are affected by pneumonia. This leads to breathing problems, complications of gas exchange and oxygen deficiency.

In addition, the lungs perform a number of important functions that many people forget about:

• maintaining body temperature at the desired level;
• blood purification;
• removal of toxins;
• regulation of water-salt balance;
• filtering of harmful substances.

What is SARS?

This name is applied to a set of infectious and inflammatory lesions of the lung tissue. In this situation, the causative agents are chlamydia, mycoplasma, legionella and viruses. Based on which microorganism is the source of the disease, this type of pneumonia is spoken of. Thus, there are 4 types of this disease. In case of atypical pneumonia of the viral type, the causative agent is referred to as coronovirus.

A specialist can confirm the diagnosis only after conducting a series of laboratory tests. Antibiotics are mainly prescribed for treatment.

SARS has an incubation period of 3 to 10 days. At the beginning, the disease develops like a common cold.

Key Points

• Viral pneumonia is more often diagnosed in the autumn-winter period, during outbreaks of ARVI.
• The main signs are cough, high fever, weakness, and chest pain.
• Viral pneumonia is especially dangerous for children and the elderly; they should be seen by a doctor as soon as possible.
• Pneumonia of viral origin can develop with atypical symptoms. Only a specialist can objectively assess the situation.
• Treatment involves antiviral and symptomatic therapy, as well as adequate nutrition and bed rest.
• To prevent viral pneumonia, you need to be vaccinated in a timely manner, take nonspecific preventive measures (hardening, healthy eating, sports), and also follow safety measures during a dangerous period (avoid crowded places, wash your hands more often, ventilate the room).

The phrase “pneumonia” was coined by doctors specifically for “non-doctors.” The disease that will be discussed in this article is called pneumonia by doctors. Doctor Komarovsky more than once heard stories like this: “Our Petya had pneumonia 2 times and pneumonia 1 time.” That is, in the non-medical environment there is no clear certainty that pneumonia and pneumonia are one and the same. I am writing about this consciously, and not as a condemnation, knowing full well that the basics of medical knowledge are not taught to people in schools.

Pneumonia is one of the most common human diseases. For some, especially in childhood, this is simply some kind of punishment, for others it is a rarity; Still others, unfortunately there are not many of them, have not themselves suffered from pneumonia, but have a sufficient number of relatives and friends who have been ill.

The respiratory system in general and the lungs in particular are very vulnerable to infectious diseases. With all the variety of methods of infection, airborne transmission is the most common. It is not surprising that the upper respiratory tract is the front line in the fight against many viruses and bacteria. Under certain conditions - weakness of the immune system, high microbial activity, disturbances in the quality of the inhaled air, etc. - the infectious process is not localized only in the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx, larynx, trachea), but spreads downwards. Sometimes the process ends with inflammation of the bronchial mucosa - bronchitis, but quite often the matter is not limited to this. Inflammation of the lung tissue itself occurs - this is pneumonia.

The described route of occurrence of pneumonia is the most common, but not the only one.

Almost any microorganism can cause pneumonia. Which one exactly depends on a number of factors. Depending on the age of the patient, on the place where pneumonia occurs - at home or in the hospital, if in the hospital, then in which department - in surgery there are some microbes, in therapy - others. A huge role is played by the health of the body in general and the state of immunity in particular.

At the same time, pneumonia is quite rarely primary, i.e. once upon a time there lived and lived a healthy boy Vasya, suddenly - once! - and fell ill with pneumonia. Pneumonia is usually secondary and is a complication of another disease.

All these “other diseases” can be confidently divided into two groups - acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) and everything else. At the same time, pneumonia as a complication of a common acute respiratory viral infection (runny nose, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis) occurs much more often than pneumonia in all other infections, injuries and operations. This is not at all surprising and is explained not by any special “scaryness” of respiratory viral infections, but by their widespread prevalence - the average person is likely to “catch” ARVI 1-2 times a year, and everything else occurs from time to time.

It is extremely important to emphasize the following: regardless of the severity of ARVI or other infection, a specific adult, and specific mothers and fathers have real opportunities to significantly reduce the risk of pneumonia in themselves and their children.

Further explanations may seem too clever to the reader. But I would still like to achieve understanding! Hence the urgent request to read, and if you do not understand, re-read!

To begin with, let us pay attention to a very important physiological mechanism inherent in the normal functioning of the lungs. The mucous membrane of the bronchi constantly secretes mucus, which is called sputum. The significance of sputum is extremely great. It contains substances that maintain the elasticity of lung tissue. Sputum envelops dust particles that enter the lungs. A high concentration of antimicrobial substances (immunoglobulins, lysozyme) in sputum is one of the most important ways to combat pathogens that enter the respiratory tract.

Like any other liquid, sputum has certain physical and chemical characteristics - density, viscosity, fluidity, etc. The combination of all these parameters is realized in such a concept as sputum rheology, i.e. sputum with normal rheology performs the functions described above, but with abnormal rheology, of course, it does not. If you just didn’t do it, it’s half the trouble! The other half of the problem is as follows: p the loss of its normal properties by sputum leads to the fact that thick mucus interferes with the ventilation of the lungs (the bronchi become clogged and blocked), blood circulation is disrupted in poorly ventilated areas, microbes settle, and, as a completely logical consequence, the inflammatory process begins - the same pneumonia .

The main cause of Pneumonia

The main cause of pneumonia is a violation of the rheology of sputum, and the importance of the very concept of “sputum” becomes obvious. The need for a clear knowledge of the factors influencing the properties of sputum is on the agenda.

The formation of sputum is directly related to the circulation of blood in the lung tissue (i.e., to the rheology of the blood itself: blood rheology = sputum rheology). The leading factor contributing to impaired blood rheology is increased loss of fluid by the body. Causes: overheating, sweating, diarrhea, vomiting, insufficient water intake, high body temperature.

The intensity of formation and quality of sputum are largely determined by the composition of the inhaled air. The drier the air, the more dust particles or chemical agents (household chemicals, for example) in it, the worse it is.

The resulting sputum is constantly removed, and this removal occurs in two ways. The first way - well known - is a cough. The second is as follows: the inner surface of the bronchi is lined with cells, which, in turn, have special outgrowths - cilia. The cilia move all the time, pushing mucus from the bottom up - to the trachea and larynx, and there the cough will do its job. By the way, all the factors that directly affect the rheology of sputum no less affect the functioning of the ciliated epithelium (as the inner surface of the bronchi is called in smart medical language).

The knowledge we have gained about what sputum is and why it is needed allows us to draw two very important conclusions: firstly, without normal sputum it is impossible for the lungs to perform their normal functions and, secondly, the above-mentioned normal sputum must be removed from the lungs in a timely manner.

Cough due to Pneumonia

Coughing - namely, coughing removes phlegm - comes in different forms, and everyone has experienced this. The cough can be dry and painful, but it can also be wet, when after an episode of coughing a person experiences relief as the phlegm leaves and becomes noticeably lighter. This type of cough is wet, with sputum discharge, and doctors call it productive.

So, the most important ways to prevent pneumonia - maintaining adequate sputum rheology and cough.

Pneumonia as a complication of ARVI. How to avoid?

Now let's look at the "classic" situation - a typical ARVI. Symptoms are runny nose, cough, fever. The inflammatory process in the upper respiratory tract is accompanied by increased production of sputum.

Our main tasks are to prevent sputum from losing its normal properties and from having a productive cough.

How to achieve this?

Basic Rule : clean, cool air in the room where the patient is. The optimal temperature is about 18 °C. It is very important not to confuse or confuse such concepts as “it’s cold for a person” and “the temperature of the air that a person breathes.” It is clear that you need to dress warmly. Any sources of dust in the room increase the likelihood of mucus drying out, since with an abundance of carpets and upholstered furniture, it is quite difficult to humidify the air, and without these same dust sources, it is quite enough to do wet cleaning 1-2 times a day. When carrying out wet cleaning, never add chloramine, bleach or other chlorine-containing disinfectants to the water. The smell of chlorine is quite capable of causing damage to the respiratory tract of an absolutely healthy person (chemical burn).

Any heaters are extremely dangerous because they dry out the air. Let me emphasize again: 18°C ​​is optimal, but 15°C is better than 20°C.

In addition to dry and warm air, high body temperature contributes to the drying of sputum. You can fight a high temperature, but the more actively you “bring it down”, the less interferon is produced in the body - a special protein that neutralizes viruses. What to do? Try to drink as much as possible - remember the connection between blood rheology and sputum rheology. We drink a lot, which means we “thin” the blood, which means we make it easier to remove liquid sputum.

If the room is hot and stuffy, or it’s summer outside, and the patient refuses to drink, high body temperature becomes extremely dangerous - antipyretics should definitely be used.

Now about the cough. In principle, a productive cough is secondary - that is, if there is a sufficient amount of liquid (not dried) sputum, then the cough, of course, will be productive. But this is in principle. People are very fond of various cough medicines and very often actively “help” themselves stop coughing. This, in turn, contributes to impaired sputum discharge and the occurrence of pneumonia.

It should be clearly understood that, just as coughs are different, cough medicines are different. Many drugs supposedly “for cough” actually do not stop the cough, but make it productive - this is very important and very necessary. The constituent components of such drugs act either on the bronchial epithelium, promoting the formation of sputum and improving the functioning of the cilia of the epithelium, or directly on the sputum itself - diluting it.

They are obtained mainly from plants (typical representatives are mucaltin, bronchicum), and there are thousands of options for tablets, syrups and mixtures. There are also a small number (no more than 10) of very effective chemical substances (not of plant origin) that have an effect on sputum, for example, bromhexine or lazolvan.

The drugs mentioned are called “expectorants”, and their use in acute respiratory viral infections significantly reduces the likelihood of pneumonia, but (!) with the obligatory fulfillment of two preconditions - plenty of fluids and clean, cool air (one good heater will easily defeat 1 kg of bromhexine).

At the same time, in addition to expectorants, there is a fairly large group of drugs that help eliminate or weaken cough. They act in different ways, affecting, for example, directly the cough center in the brain, reducing its activity. They are used in situations where the body, by and large, does not need a cough; due to the characteristics of the disease itself, it does not bring relief, but only causes suffering to the patient. What diseases are these? For example, whooping cough or chronic bronchitis. What drugs are these? For example, broncholithin, glaucine, stoptussin, paxeladin. Using these medications for ARVI and thus reducing cough activity, it is very easy to achieve accumulation of sputum in the lungs and a wide variety of complications - primarily pneumonia.

The loss of sputum properties is not the only cause of pneumonia. After all, it is not sputum itself that causes an inflammatory process in the lung tissue. The presence of a specific microbe (streptococcus, pneumococcus, staphylococcus, etc.) is also necessary. In most people (no matter whether it is an adult or a child), these microbes live peacefully in the nasopharynx, and their reproduction is restrained by factors of local and general immunity. Any ARVI leads to the activation of bacteria, and if this factor is combined with the loss of sputum’s protective properties, then such a situation is quite sufficient for complications to arise.

The information that ARVI is accompanied by the activation of bacteria leads to very wrong actions - to the prescription of antibacterial drugs, primarily antibiotics or sulfonamides (this is called preventive antibiotic therapy). These drugs have no effect on viruses at all, but bacteria are activated! So my hands are itching to crush these same bacteria. But you can’t crush everyone!

Among a dozen bacteria, there will always be some that an ingested antibiotic has no effect on. They will cause pneumonia, and it will not just be pneumonia, but pneumonia caused by a microbe that is resistant to antibiotics.

But that’s not even the main thing. The bacteria that inhabit the nasopharynx form a kind of community, the members of which coexist peacefully with each other and inhibit each other’s reproduction. By taking antibiotics for viral infections, we contribute to the fact that some members of the microbial community die, while others, having lost their natural rivals, begin to multiply. So it turns out that Preventive antibiotic therapy for ARVI increases the likelihood of pneumonia 9 times!

Signs to suspect the development of pneumonia.

Cough became the main symptom of the disease.

Worsening after improvement or any "cold" lasting more than 7 days.

It is impossible to take a deep breath - such an attempt leads to a coughing attack.

Severe pallor of the skin against the background of other symptoms of ARVI (fever, runny nose, cough).

Shortness of breath with low body temperature.

At high temperatures, paracetamol (Panadol, Eferalgan, Tylenol) does not help at all.

The doctor has quite sophisticated methods for detecting pneumonia. In addition to listening and tapping, in doubtful cases, a clinical blood test and x-ray examination are used - this almost always allows you to dot all the i’s.

Hospital or hospital. Choosing a treatment site

The choice of place of treatment is determined by a number of factors - from the age of the patient to the qualifications of the doctor and his desire to run to your home every day (despite the fact that the salary will not change from this).

A very significant and most fundamental point is the real severity of pneumonia itself. Complicated forms of the disease, occurring with respiratory or heart failure, with obstructive syndrome (obstruction is precisely the blockage of the bronchi with thick sputum), with pleurisy - are treated exclusively in the hospital. Uncomplicated pneumonia can be treated at home.

How is Pneumonia treated?

Everything that was important at the prevention stage becomes even more important as pneumonia develops.

It is impossible to do without the use of pharmacological agents, and the main thing, and this is unambiguous, is the choice of antibiotic, its dose and method of entry into the body. Regarding the method, it should be noted that administering an antibiotic by sticking needles into the buttocks is not absolutely necessary - at least 80% of all pneumonias are successfully cured with the help of tablets and syrups.

In addition to antibiotics, drugs that dilate the bronchi are used, for example, aminophylline, vitamins, and, of course, a complex of expectorants. As soon as the condition begins to improve, at least immediately after the body temperature normalizes, a variety of physiotherapy and massage are actively used. These activities significantly speed up the healing process. Sometimes a repeat X-ray examination is necessary to make sure that everything has completely “resolved”.

Editor

Doctor, forensic expert

The most common diseases of the respiratory system are acute respiratory viral infections (including influenza) and pneumonia (pneumonia). These diseases are completely different in appearance, but are not always distinguishable by clinical manifestations.

is an inflammatory process in the lung tissue with a predominant lesion of the respiratory parts of the lung. Acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) are a group of diseases that have a similar morphological and clinical picture, with damage to the upper respiratory tract of the catarrhal type.

In this article we will delve deeper into the fundamental differences between these diseases.

The mechanism of development of the common cold

A cold is a general hypothermia of the body, after which a disease develops (most often ARVI). In medical practice, the term “cold” means ordinary hypothermia, however, in everyday life it is used as a designation for the disease itself.

Attention! The cold itself is not the cause of the development of the disease, it only creates the preconditions for its development.

So how can a decrease in body temperature lead to the development of the disease? In this case, the body turns on a protective mechanism that is aimed at heating the “core”. The last one is all internal organs; the temperature in them is always higher and is about 37 o C. A spasm of the peripheral vessels of the skin and oral cavity occurs, which in turn prevents the entry of immune cells there through the bloodstream.

This leads to a weakening of the body's defenses and is manifested by increased susceptibility to infections. In addition, due to temperature stress, cortisone levels increase, which suppresses the activity of the body's immune system.

Constant temperature is necessary to ensure all chemical and biological reactions occurring in the body.

When its values ​​are normal, immune cells capture the infectious agent and die along with it, preventing its spread. During hypothermia, these processes are disrupted.

Temperature is also important for bacteria and viruses themselves. It has been proven that at low temperatures their outer shell hardens, which helps to increase their stability in the environment and better distribution.

It should always be remembered that diseases are caused by bacteria and viruses, not colds, and if they do not enter the body during cooling, then the disease will not occur.

Most often, colds cause the development of the disease in the autumn-winter period. This also has a rationale: people spend more time at home and in other poorly ventilated areas where there is a large concentration of microorganisms. Another significant factor is low air humidity, which causes dryness of the nasal mucosa, which reduces the protective properties.

ARVI

As mentioned earlier, ARVI is not a specific disease, but includes a group of similar pathologies. It is impossible to distinguish them without special laboratory tests, and since they all have the same course and treatment, this is not necessary. That's why they were combined into a group.

ARVI ranks first in the structure of global morbidity. All people have suffered from these diseases at least once in their lives, and many suffer from them several times a year. Due to their mild course, many people do not seek medical help and treat themselves; for this reason, it is impossible to fully calculate the incidence. Children of the first year of life practically do not suffer from these diseases, this is due to their passive immunization with mother's milk. But children from one to seven years old get sick most often (up to 10 times a year).

You can become infected from a sick person at the end of the incubation period and throughout the febrile period. The most common way of spreading infection is through airborne droplets. Sometimes it can be transmitted by contact, directly through direct contact (kiss, handshake) or through household items.

The cause of the disease is microorganisms. These are mainly viruses that have a very high index of contagiousness (infectiousness). These include:

• rhinoviruses;
• adenoviruses;
• influenza and parainfluenza;
• reoviruses and many others.

Clinical manifestations may resemble the initial stage of pneumonia. ARVI is characterized by a pronounced catarrhal syndrome:

• temperature rise to subfebrile levels (37 o C);
• headache;
• weakness;
• eye pain;
• cough;
• sore throat;
• runny nose;
• sneeze.

Attention! Treatment with antibiotics is absolutely pointless, since it has no effect on viruses.

You can use interferon drugs that have a detrimental effect on the pathogen. But most often only symptomatic therapy is used. It includes combination drugs of analgesics and antipyretics that relieve fever and pain.

Flu

Influenza is an acute inflammatory disease of the upper respiratory tract, which is caused by the influenza virus. It is included in the group of acute respiratory viral infections and occupies a special place in it.

The flu virus is incredibly contagious, which is why it spreads very quickly and causes pandemics. This pathogen affects all age groups without exception.

Once in the body, the virus penetrates the cells of the mucous membrane, destroying them, which in turn leads to the formation of reactions such as coughing, sneezing, and nasal congestion. The virus then enters the blood and causes viremia, which has toxic effects and manifests itself as intoxication syndrome. It leads to increased permeability of the vascular wall, which leads to edema, hemorrhage and other vascular phenomena.

Influenza occurs primarily in the trachea (tracheitis). A characteristic feature is pronounced intoxication, which appears from the first days of the disease and continues throughout the acute period.

The disease begins gradually with an increase in temperature from subfebrile to hyperpyretic numbers (37-40 o C). It is accompanied by weakness, myalgia, and headaches.

Catarrhal symptoms are mild, a runny nose is not typical, and dryness in the nose is more pronounced. A dry cough appears, causing chest pain.

If the course is favorable, the symptoms begin to subside after 3-4 days. But the flu leads to a significant weakening of the body, which creates favorable conditions for the addition of a secondary infection. Most often, bacterial pneumonia develops against its background.

Influenza is very difficult to differentiate from other acute respiratory viral infections, especially with an atypical course. This can only be done with a special virological study, which takes a lot of time. But distinguishing influenza from other acute respiratory viral infections is very important, since it has specific drugs for treatment (oseltamivir, rimantadine, zanamivir). Vaccination against influenza significantly reduces the incidence and alleviates the course of the disease.

Vaccination must be carried out no later than 2 weeks before the expected epidemic, otherwise the effectiveness is controversial.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammatory process of the lungs. The cause of its occurrence is most often bacteria, the leader of which is certainly pneumococcus. It accounts for about 95% of community-acquired pneumonia. In the structure, the first place belongs to Staphylococcus aureus.

The pathogenesis of pneumonia is based on damage to the blood-alveolar barrier, which leads to increased vascular permeability and exudation of plasma and blood cells into the alveolar cavity. This process takes place in, which ends in the cleansing of the lungs through the separation of sputum.

very similar to ARVI, especially when it is mild. Many people suffer from the disease “on their feet”, confusing it with ARVI. In this case, pneumonia is diagnosed retrogradely, during an X-ray examination for another reason. Classic pneumonia begins acutely and is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• severe fever (38-39 o C);
• lethargy, fatigue, weakness;
• myalgia, headaches, dizziness;
• chest pain;
• dry cough, after 3-4 days it is replaced by a productive one.

Antibiotics are the etiotropic therapy for pneumonia, which kill bacteria that cause inflammation. In addition, a large number of symptomatic drugs are used (NSAIDs, immunostimulants, and other drugs).

How to distinguish diseases?

Despite all their similarities, these diseases have a number of distinctive features by which they can be recognized. Let's look at the differences in a convenient table:

Sign	Pneumonia	ARVI
prodromal period	inconspicuous	pronounced, lasts about a day
onset of illness	gradual	fast, with increasing temperature
cough	appears from the first days, first dry and then wet	appears later, dry
runny nose	not typical	abundant
conjunctivitis	not observed	common symptom
fever	38-40°C	37-38°C
breath	weakened	normal, sometimes harsh
chest pain	with the development of pleurisy	No
sputum	at first absent, and then in large quantities	little or no
dyspnea	There is	No
general condition	severe or moderate	often satisfactory
intoxication	strongly expressed	moderate
blood test	leukocytosis with a shift to the left, increased ESR	more often normal or minor changes
radiograph	focus of infiltration (usually in the lower lobe)	norm
use of antibiotics	necessary and effective	not required

Conclusion

ARVI is a very common disease; it is not only similar in course to pneumonia, but can also be complicated by it. Therefore, it is necessary to consult a doctor for quality diagnosis and treatment. To prevent the occurrence of these diseases, it is necessary to follow all recommendations and lead a healthy lifestyle.

It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between acute respiratory viral infection and pneumonia (inflammatory lung disease). There are undoubtedly similarities in the clinical symptoms of pneumonia and ARVI. But with a more detailed examination, laboratory tests and physical examination, it is possible to make the correct diagnosis.

The clinical symptoms of ARVI and pneumonia are similar, and therefore it is important to distinguish them

Pneumonia as a complication of ARVI occurs in approximately 5-10% of cases. More often, an acute infection of the respiratory tract spreads to organs close to the respiratory system: ear (otitis media), sinuses (sinusitis and sinusitis), eyes (conjunctivitis).

Lungs of a healthy person and lungs affected by pneumonia

Pneumonia after acute respiratory viral infection does not appear immediately in terms of symptoms. There are several alarm bells that suggest damage to the lower respiratory tract: a persistent cough with sputum, constant weakness throughout the body, intractable fever, ineffectiveness of antiviral drugs.

Options for the development of events for two diseases:

• Full recovery. After some time after adequate treatment, symptoms decrease and the person feels better. But it should be remembered that this is the so-called clinical recovery. Restoration of cells and tissues lost from inflammation does not occur or does not occur in full.
• ARVI after pneumonia in a child occurs against the background of temporary immunodeficiency after intensive antibacterial treatment. Antibiotics kill not only harmful microorganisms, but also beneficial flora in the intestines, which are responsible for maintaining immunity;
• Pneumonia after ARVI is a more typical complication. Viruses “prepare the ground” for bacterial infection: they increase the permeability of cell membranes, promote tissue swelling, and reduce the rate of development of the immune response;
• Spread of infection- pleurisy, pyothorax (pus in the chest cavity), sepsis.

Pyothorax is one of the complications of ARVI and pneumonia

How antibiotics make it difficult to distinguish ARVI from pneumonia

With the beginning of the era of antibiotics in the middle of the last century, there was a lot of hope: it was finally possible to overcome the infection and significantly reduce the number of deaths! But it turned out to be difficult. Firstly, it turned out that antibiotics do not work on viruses. Therefore, over the next three decades, we had to look for an alternative - to develop antiviral drugs based on interferon. Secondly, after a certain time has passed since the beginning of the use of antibiotics in clinical practice, it turned out that microorganisms become resistant to them. This happens by “rewiring” the genetic material of bacteria, causing them to synthesize proteins against antibiotics. For example, staphylococci and E. coli have “learned” to produce penicillinase, an enzyme that destroys drugs of the penicillin group.

As a result of the described negative factors, it was necessary to improve the structure of the molecule of drugs against bacteria. But this cannot be done indefinitely - microbes still adapt to changing conditions and chemicals.

Reasons for decreased sensitivity to antibiotics in bacteria

1. mutations in DNA. They arise under the influence of unfavorable environmental conditions. Bacteria, like people, can get used to any environment.
2. uncontrolled use of drugs. Since antibiotics can be bought at any pharmacy without a prescription, people have begun to self-medicate. For example, frightened parents who do not know how to distinguish pneumonia from ARVI in a child, having read near-medical literature, buy this or that drug. And in 99% of cases they make the wrong choice, using the “wrong” antibiotic to cure the disease. Not only is a lot of money spent on a medicine that does not produce the desired effect. Often people, realizing that the drug does not help, and also because of their absent-mindedness and illiteracy, do not complete the course of taking the drug or arbitrarily reduce the dosage. The required concentration of the drug is not achieved in the tissues - the bacteria begin to adapt to non-lethal dosages of the active substance - resistance to the drug appears.
3. appointment on a “just in case” basis. Some doctors prescribe antibiotics for the slightest infection. Motivation: a bacterial infection will still occur, it must be prevented. The trouble is that antibiotics make the clinical picture of any disease “blurred” and atypical. Because of this, for example, it is not clear how to distinguish pneumonia from ARVI, but the treatment of these two pathologies is fundamentally different.

You cannot self-medicate!

The worst thing is not even the emergence of resistance to one or another antibiotic in humans. It is dangerous that in case of severe infections (sepsis, purulent complications), the drug could help, but resistance to it has already developed. Therefore, there are now a lot of antibacterial agents, but in the case of dangerous infections, it is not a fact that they will save you from death.

Due to antibiotic resistance, doctors are forced to prescribe other, stronger drugs, which are very toxic and lead to permanent impairment of body functions.

To avoid disastrous consequences from taking antibiotics, you should follow simple rules.

• For ARVI - no antibiotics! They can be used only after the addition of a secondary bacterial infection (for example, mucopurulent bronchitis). But if the sputum comes off well and the pus is normally evacuated from the body, you can do without antibacterial drugs.
• Use antibiotics only as prescribed by a doctor. Self-medication is unacceptable!
• Strictly follow the dosages and instructions for the drug.

Antibiotics are taken only as prescribed by a doctor

By following these rules, you will not have to face the consequences.