| Pneumonia refers to lung inflammation. There are 50 | | | | are atypical pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma |
| such lung inflammatory ailments. During such situations, | | | | pneumoniae, a mono cell organism lacking nucleus; the |
| the lungs inevitably experience build up of fluids. | | | | pneumonia caused by the harmless protozoan |
| Several micro-organisms cause pneumonia. Pneumonic | | | | Pneumocystis carinii; and Chlamydia pneumoniae. |
| inflammation of the lungs occurs due to collection of | | | | Atypical pneumonia: This is a common type of |
| cellular wastes and blood cells within the air sacs within | | | | pneumonia. Outbreaks of such forms of pneumonia |
| the lungs. Such pneumonic inflammation creates | | | | are generally witnessed among students in educational |
| breathing problems. | | | | institutions and also among soldiers. Normally, atypical |
| KNOWING PNEUMONIA | | | | pneumonia resolves by itself. However, antibiotics can |
| Pneumonia refers to lung inflammation. There are 50 | | | | also bring about relief. It is caused by a minute |
| such lung inflammatory ailments. During such situations, | | | | prokaryotic organism known as Mycoplasma |
| the lungs inevitably experience build up of fluids. | | | | pneumoniae. This single-celled micro organism is neither |
| Several micro-organisms cause pneumonia. Pneumonic | | | | a virus nor a bacterium. Pneumocystis carinii |
| inflammation of the lungs occurs due to collection of | | | | Pneumonia: This form of pneumonia is caused by the |
| cellular wastes and blood cells within the air sacs within | | | | protozoan Pneumocystis carinii. This micro organism is |
| the lungs. Such pneumonic inflammation creates | | | | usually harmless. Such pneumonic incidences are |
| breathing problems. | | | | common among people suffering from impaired |
| PNEUMONIA CAUSES | | | | immune syndromes or also among many leukemia |
| Pneumonia is caused by infections. The culprits | | | | patients. This form of pneumonia has been the primary |
| responsible for causing such pneumonic infections are | | | | cause of deaths among people suffering from AIDS |
| protozoa or fungi, mycoplasma, rickettsia, and bacteria. | | | | (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). |
| Respiratory infections caused by rhinoviruses, | | | | Chlamydia pneumoniae: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a |
| adenoviruses, and influenza virus can also lead to | | | | contagious ailment caused by the Chlamydia set of |
| pneumonia. Most of the viral pneumonia cases are mild. | | | | bacteria. Chlamydia pneumoniae affects the upper |
| They also resolve within a week’s time with or | | | | respiratory tract. Chlamydia pneumoniae infections can |
| without any particular treatment. | | | | also strike the bronchitis, pneumonitis, and the |
| HOW DANGEROUS CAN PNEUMONIA BE | | | | pharyngitis. Chlamydia pneumoniae can also lead to |
| Every year, 90,000 deaths are reported to be | | | | heart attacks and coronary heart diseases. Besides |
| because of pneumonia in the United States. What is | | | | Chlamydia pneumoniae, the other two species of |
| more, approximately five million pneumonia cases are | | | | Chlamydia bacteria are Chlamydia psittaci and |
| registered in that country. | | | | Chlamydia trachomatis. |
| PNEUMONIA CAN BE LIFE THREATENING | | | | THE SECOND MAIN CAUSE OF DEATH IN USA |
| If detected early, a person with a good constitution and | | | | Chlamydia pneumoniae has been identified as the |
| proper treatment can recover quickly from an | | | | second main cause of pneumonia in US. Anybody |
| influenza bout. However, acute pneumonia attacks can | | | | between the ages of five to 35 can be affected by |
| be life threatening as well. More often than not, | | | | Chlamydia pneumoniae. The Chlamydia pneumoniae |
| pneumonia can prove to be fatal to patients having | | | | bouts are usually mild in nature. The Chlamydia |
| weak immune systems. Even healthy persons can | | | | pneumoniae symptoms are fever and cough. At times, |
| have complicacies if pneumonia is not detected early. | | | | there can be more sputum production. Sputum is a |
| There can be serious consequences if pneumonia | | | | mixture of various mucus and saliva. It arises from the |
| patients fail to get effective and prompt treatment. | | | | respiratory tracts. |
| LOBAR PNEUMONIA | | | | CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE SYMPTOMS |
| Lobar pneumonia is an acute form of infection. It is | | | | The Chlamydia pneumoniae symptoms may not be |
| caused by the Pneumococcus bacterium. The generic | | | | very visible initially. Or, at times, the Chlamydia |
| name of this bacterium is Streptococcus pneumoniae. | | | | pneumoniae signs may also point to the other forms of |
| Lobar pneumonia usually follows an extreme form of | | | | Chlamydia dysfunctions. One type is the chlamydia |
| viral respiratory infection, particularly of the upper | | | | type of illnesses caused by various strains of the |
| respiratory tract. The symptoms of lobar pneumonia | | | | trachomatis species. Another severe type of |
| are chest pain during breathing, or cough and fever | | | | chlamydia disease is caused by a strain of the |
| accompanied by chill and shaking. The patient’s | | | | fly-borne Chlamydia trachomatis. |
| body temperature hovers around 104° F (roughly | | | | DIAGNOSING CHLAMYDIA PNEUMONIAE |
| 40° C). The sputum is blood streaked. Notably, most | | | | To diagnose Chlamydia pneumoniae infections, patients |
| of the deaths before the invention of antibiotics were | | | | generally have to undergo various tests. These include |
| due to lobar pneumonia. Lobar pneumonia generally | | | | cell cultures that exclude other illnesses with similar |
| attacks a lung lobe or a portion of it. At times, lobar | | | | symptoms. The other ailments having similar |
| pneumonia strikes both the lungs; then it is known as | | | | symptoms are candidiasis, trichomoniasis, herpes, and |
| double pneumonia. | | | | gonorrhea. The modern method of diagnosing |
| DIFFERENT TYPES OF BACTERIAL PNEUMONIAS | | | | Chlamydia infections are immunoassays blood tests. |
| Besides the Streptococcus pneumoniae, the other | | | | These examinations pinpoint the specific antibody that |
| bacterial pneumonias fall in the bronchopneumonias | | | | may have been constituted by the patient’s |
| category. Bronchopneumonias fever is lower | | | | immune system against chlamydia infection. In 1939, |
| compared to the one experienced in Streptococcus | | | | major advances were made in pneumonia therapy. |
| pneumoniae. Moreover, bronchopneumonias symptoms | | | | Their wider application lowered pneumonia from the |
| appear slower than the Streptococcus pneumoniae | | | | third to the fifth leading cause of death in the USA. |
| signs. The bronchopneumonias primarily target the | | | | TREATING PNEUMONIA |
| bronchial tubes known as the bronchioles. Since these | | | | More often than not, antibiotics effectively deal with |
| small tubes are located nearest the lungs, they may | | | | the majority forms of bacterial pneumonia. For patients |
| become rather dangerous. The bacteria that can | | | | above 50 years, and for those suffering from the |
| cause bronchopneumonias are streptococci, different | | | | most acute types of pneumococcus, physicians |
| types of staphylococci, Haemophilus influenzae, | | | | generally recommend a vaccine. It also grants the |
| Klebsiella pneumoniae, and pneumococcus besides the | | | | people immunity against these virulent pneumonia |
| bacterium causing the Legionnaires’ disease, | | | | states. The vaccine is further given as an immunity |
| namely Legionella pneumophilia. | | | | measure to patients who have chronic liver, lung or |
| PNEUMONIA FORMS | | | | heart ailments. |
| There are basically three forms of pneumonia. They | | | | |