Pneumonia: Risk Factors, Impact on Lifestyle, and Management

This report provides a comprehensive overview of pneumonia, a lung infection caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. It explores the causes, including bacterial, viral, and fungal infections, and discusses diagnostic methods such as chest x-rays and blood tests. The report details various treatme...Read More

Running head: PNEUMONIA
Pneumonia
Student’s Name
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Pneumonia
Introduction
Pneumonia is one of the diseases that have been linked to high mortality rates among
different populations, in spite of various developments to address its causes and impact on
human health. Jain and Bhardwaj (2018) define pneumonia as an infection of the lungs caused by
bacteria, virus, or fungi. The infection causes alveoli in lungs to fill up with fluid, making it
impossible for lungs to function properly. There are two types of pneumonia classified according
to the method of their acquisition. Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) occurs when the
person has not come into contact with a physician or any other person working in healthcare
environment. This paper focuses on diagnosis, treatment, prevention, the population at risk, and
the impact of pneumonia on patients’ lifestyle.
Causes, diagnosis, and treatment of Pneumonia
Pneumonia is caused by different types of bacteria, viruses, and fungi that infect alveoli
in lungs. The risk factors may be environmental, age, or health status of the person. According
to Steel, Cockeran, Anderson, and Feldman (2013), a bacteria called pneumococcal bacteria is
responsible for causing pneumonia. The bacteria may occur on its own or after a person has
suffered from flu or cold. Koldwiz and Ewig (2017) explain that viruses that affect the upper
respiratory tracks also cause pneumonia. Compared to bacterial infections, viral infections last
short time. In adults, influenza virus has been found to be the common cause of pneumonia.
Mattila, Fine, Limper, Murray, Chen, and Lin (2014) add that fungi pneumonia is pronounced in
people with chronic health issues and those that are exposed to high volume of infected soils and
environments. People undergoing treatments for HIV/AIDS and those on cancer treatment are at
high risk of developing fungi pneumonia due to their weakened immune system (Pahal &

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Sharma, 2017). Pneumonia is prevalent among children because their immune system is still
developing, similar to people above the age of sixty-five years because their immune system
weakens as part of the aging process.
Two methods are preferablefor diagnosis of pneumonia. While chest x-rays are preferred
to determine how the lungs are working (Prina, Ceccato, andTorres, 2017) recommend the
complete blood count test to determine how the body is fighting the infection. Other diagnosis
methods include CT scan for patients above the age of sixty-five years and pleural fluid test
where a sample of fluid is taken to determine the type of infection in the body. Treatment options
vary depending on the severity of the condition and the age of the patient. People above the age
of sixty-five years may be hospitalized due to their weakened immune system or if they are
suffering from other chronic are-related diseases. Children below the age of five years may also
be hospitalized. For community acquired pneumonia, some patients may be treated at home or
taken to ICUs depending on the severity of infection (Restrepo ,Sibila, &Anzueto, 2018).
Different types of medications are available including painkillers, antibiotics, and cough
medicine. Antibiotics kill the bacteria spreading infection.
Even though the patient may respond positively to treatment, Kolditz and Ewig (2017)
explain that the feelings of weakness may persist for a while. There are also chances of the
patient taking long to respond to medications. Mattila et al. (2017) explain that since it may take
time for the doctor to determine the specific type of bacteria causing the infection, doctors may
prescribe another type of antibiotic if the infection persists. During the recovery process, it is
recommended that the patient stays hydrated by drinking a lot of water and resting enough to
allow the immune system to fight the infection. The patient should not carry out heavy tasks until
the temperature has returned to normal.

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Both community acquired pneumonia and hospital acquired pneumonia can be prevented.
Since the risk of infection increases with hygiene, it is recommended that people practice good
hygiene to avoid bacterial infections. Some of the measures on hygiene include washing hands
regularly, washing fruits before eating, staying in a clean environment, and quitting smoking for
people at the risk of developing the infection. Children can be vaccinated annually against the
bacterial infection by getting pneumococcal vaccines (Restrepo ,Sibila, &Anzueto, 2018). Aging
patients with chronic diseases should stay aware of their health status by staying in contact with
their doctors whenever they have symptoms that persist more than three days. There is also a
need for other people in community to develop awareness about this disease as it is among the
leading killer diseases for children and other adults.
Effect of Pneumonia on the Body and a Person’s Lifestyle
Since pneumonia causes the fluid to fill in alveoli, it prevents the oxidation of blood that
occurs in lungs. This affects the whole functioning of the body due to lack of oxygen in vital
organs of the body such as lungs, kidney, heart, and liver. The respiratory system is affected
where the patient experiences difficulties in breathing and chest pain due to infection in alveoli.
Fluid build-up in lungs extends the complications of the disease and a physical removal of the
fluid may be required to help the patient breath normally (Mantero et al., 2017). Infections in
lungs may also spread to other vital organs through the circulatory system. This is fatal as it
directly affects normal functioning of other organs and can lead to death.
Pneumonia has a significant impact on a person’s lifestyle. Patients recovering from
pneumonia require enough time to rest and gain full recovery. A person that was physically
active may be unable to engage in activities such as sporting or racing due to infections in the
body. This reduces physical activity due to lack of strength in the body. According to Mattila et

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al. (2014), patients suffering from pneumonia may be forced to adjust their lifestyles due to high
costs of medication and treatment. The virus and bacteria that cause pneumonia also weaken the
immune system the person, making them vulnerable to other infections. It is evident from these
effects that the person’s lifestyle is affected directly and one needs to recover before resuming
normal functioning.
Conclusion
Pneumonia is an infection of alveoli in lungs. The infection may spread to other vital
organs through the circulatory system, causing death due to damage to vital organs. Pneumonia
infection may come from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. The doctor performs chest x-rays
to determine the where the infection has occurred. Treatment options vary depending on the
nature of the infection.

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References
Jain V., & Bhardwaj, A. (2018). Pneumonia Pathology. NCBI. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526116/
Kolditz M., & Ewig S. (2017). Community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Dtsch Arztebl
International 114(49):838-848. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2017.0838. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5754574/
Mattila, J.,T., Fine, M.,J., Limper, A.,H, Murray, P., R., Chen, B.,B., Lin, P.,L., (2014).
Pneumonia, treatment, and diagnosis. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 11(4),
189-192. doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201401-027PL. Retrieved from
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Mantero, M., Tarsia, P., Gramegna, A., Henchi, S., Vanoni, N., & Di Pasquale, M. (2017).
Antibiotic therapy, supportive treatment and management of immunomodulation-
inflammation response in community acquired pneumonia: review of recommendations.
Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine, 12, 26. doi:10.1186/s40248-017-0106-3.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5628439/
Pahal, P. & Sharma S. (2017). typical bacterial pneumonia. NCBI. Retrieved from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534295/
Prina E, Ceccato A, Torres A. (2017). New aspects in the management of pneumonia. Critical
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Restrepo M., Sibila O., Anzueto A. (2018). Pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease. Tuberculosis Respiration Diseases (Seoul), 81(3):187-197. doi:

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10.4046/trd.2018.0030. Retrieved from
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Steel, H. C., Cockeran, R., Anderson, R., & Feldman, C. (2013). Overview of community-
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