Every year, more than 1 million people are hospitalized for pneumonia, a serious lung infection that inflames the air sacs in the lungs.
Pneumonia can range from mild, with shortness of breath and wheezing, to life-threatening, when it becomes almost impossible to breathe and you start drowning from fluid in your lungs.
At K&M Care, a primary care clinic treating kids and adults in Summerton, South Carolina, Miranda S Kerley, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, can inform you about the risks of pneumonia and when to take swift action to avoid dangerous lung inflammation.
Pneumonia is an infection that can develop when bacteria, viruses, or fungi gain access to your lung tissue. The introduction of such pathogens can trigger an immune response and serious inflammation, causing the air sacs in your lungs to slowly fill with fluid. This limits the amount of oxygen available to your body and makes it difficult to breathe.
Pneumonia symptoms include:
Chest pain can feel tight or sharp, and can worsen when you try to take a deep breath.
Pneumonia can quickly progress, causing serious complications if not treated promptly. A very real danger is infection spreading from the lungs to the bloodstream, causing sepsis.
Another dangerous complication is the formation of lung abscesses, or pockets of pus in the lungs. If pneumonia makes it too hard to breathe, you can end up in respiratory failure.
If you have an already weakened immune system, pneumonia can be especially dangerous, since your body is less equipped to fight off the infection. Even if you’re healthy before pneumonia, it can escalate from mild illness to life-threatening condition in just days.
Anyone can get pneumonia, but certain risk factors increase the likelihood of developing a more severe case. Heightened risk for severe pneumonia and pneumonia complications can be the result of:
Children under the age of 2 and adults over the age of 65 are particularly vulnerable to pneumonia, due to still developing or gradually failing immune systems.
Chronic disease like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) means you’re automatically at greater risk for pneumonia.
When you start out with compromised lung function or reduced infection-fighting ability, you’re at a disadvantage for infection, making it easier for pneumonia to take hold.
Being in the hospital or a long-term care facility can put you at higher risk of contracting a treatment-resistant strain of pneumonia.
People undergoing chemotherapy, taking immunosuppressive drugs, or living with HIV/AIDS have a sharply increased risk of developing severe pneumonia. Their weakened immune responses make it harder to fight infection.
Smoking damages your lungs, setting you up at high risk for pneumonia. Alcohol or drug abuse impairs your immune system and leaves your lungs vulnerable to pathogens.
Understanding your risk for pneumonia, recognizing the symptoms, accepting its dangers, and seeking timely medical care are the best ways to protect your health and the health of those you love.
Learn more with a consultation at K&M Care. You can reach us by calling 803-373-5399 or by booking an appointment online.
