Pneumonia-Causes,Signs And Treatment.
Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lungs. It often occurs after other respiratory illnesses such as :
- Measles.
- Whooping cough.
- Flu.
- Bronchitis.
- Asthma or any very serious illness, especially in babies and old people.
- Also a person with AIDS may also develop pneumonia.
PNEUMONIA SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
- Sudden chills and then high fever.
- Rapid, shallow breathing with little grunts or sometimes wheezing. The nostrils may spread with each breath.
- Fever (sometimes newborns and old or very weak persons have severe pneumonia with little or no fever).
- Cough (often with yellow, greenish, rust colored or slightly bloody mucus).
- Chest pain (sometimes).
- The person looks very ill.
- Cold sores often appear on the face or lips
A very sick child who takes more than 60 shallow breaths a minute probably has pneumonia.
If breathing is rapid and deep, check for dehydration or hyperventilation.
PNEUMONIA TREATMENT
- For pneumonia, treatment with antibiotics can make the difference between life and death. Give co-trimoxazole, penicillin or erythromycin. In serious cases, inject procaine penicillin. Adults : 400,000 units (250 mg) 2 or 3 times a day or ampicillin 500 mg, 4 times a day. Give small children 1/4 to 1/2 the adult dose. In children under 6 years old, give ampicillin; it is usually the best.
- Give aspirin or acetaminophen (paracetamol) to lower the temperature and lessen the pain.
- Give plenty of liquids. If the person will not eat, give him or her liquid foods or Rehydration Drink.
- Ease the cough and loosen the mucus by giving the person plenty of water and having him or her breathe hot water vapors. Postural drainage may also help.
- If the person is wheezing, an anti asthma medicine with theophylline or ephedrine may help.
Most times, pneumonia caused by a virus usually clear on its own when taken care of. You can as well use ibuprofen to ease fever and pain.
You can use the following vaccines to prevent pneumonia. They are :
- The Hib vaccine (haemophilus influenzae type B). The vaccine is used to prevent the influenzae.
- The pneumovax 23.
- The flu vaccine.
- The prevnar 13.
