If Youve Had Pneumonia Once Is It Easier to Get It Again
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a type of chest infection. It affects the tiny air sacs in your lungs, chosen alveoli. When you accept pneumonia, these air sacs get inflamed and fill with fluid. This makes information technology harder for you to breathe.
More people become pneumonia in winter. This is because respiratory viral infections that spread easily from person to person, such every bit flu, are more than common in the winter, and these increment your risk of developing pneumonia.
If you have a long-term lung condition, or care for someone who does, it's a practiced idea to take a influenza jab every year. Influenza can exist very serious, and cause complications such as pneumonia.
The flu vaccine is commonly free for people at risk and is available from your GP and many high street chemists. It's all-time to have your vaccine before the flu virus starts to circulate, which is ordinarily mid-Dec.
Most people with pneumonia can exist completely cured. Only it can be life-threatening, and you should accept it seriously even if you're young and fit.
This folio includes:
- what causes pneumonia?
- what are the symptoms of pneumonia?
- who is nearly at risk of getting pneumonia?
What causes pneumonia?
Many kinds of bacteria and viruses can cause pneumonia.
The near common type of pneumonia is community-acquired pneumonia, which is when pneumonia affects somebody who is not already in infirmary. The most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia is a bacterium called Streptococcus pneumoniae simply there are many other causes. Community-acquired pneumonia is much less contagious than influenza or a common cold, because most people's allowed systems tin can kill the bacteria that causes it before they can cause an infection. Most people with community-caused pneumonia are unlikely to give the disease to some other person.
Too every bit customs-acquired pneumonia, other types include:
Hospital-caused pneumonia: this is when pneumonia develops while you lot're in hospital being treated for another status or having an performance. People in intensive care on breathing machines are at most risk.
Viral pneumonia: common causes include the flu in adults and respiratory syncytial virus, particularly in children; this form of pneumonia is often contagious and tin can spread to affect others
Aspiration pneumonia:this is when pneumonia is caused past nutrient going down the incorrect way, or inhaling vomit, a foreign object or harmful substance. It's fairly common in the elderly, or people who have conditions that cause swallowing difficulties or reduced level of consciousness
Fungal pneumonia: this is when pneumonia is caused by fungi. It'southward rare in the UK and more likely to affect people with a weakened allowed organisation
Y'all might also hear the term 'double pneumonia'. This means when yous go pneumonia in both lungs. Information technology's a term used in America.
Tin you lot take hold of pneumonia more than one time?
Aye. Pneumonia is caused by many different microbes, and and so getting it once does not protect you lot from getting it again. If you lot become pneumonia more than than once y'all may need to have more than investigations to empathise why this has happened. It could exist due to a problem in your breast or your immune system, and you may be referred to a specialist.
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
If you have pneumonia, you'll have symptoms that are similar to having flu or a breast infection. Symptoms may develop gradually over a few days but can progress much faster.
The chief symptom is coughing. You may experience generally unwell, weak and tired, and you'll probably have at to the lowest degree one of these symptoms too:
- cough up fungus that may become yellow or light-green
- a high temperature – you might also sweat and shiver
- difficulty breathing or getting out of jiff quicker than normal
- chest hurting or discomfort
- loss of appetite
Even if you lot accept pneumonia, you lot may not accept all these symptoms.
More severe cases may also cause:
- quick breathing
- confusion
- depression blood pressure
- coughing up blood
- rapid heartbeat
- nausea and vomiting
Some people get a precipitous pain in their chest when they breathe in and out. This may be considering the thin lining between the lung and ribcage, called the pleura, is infected and inflamed. This inflammation, chosen pleurisy, stops your lungs moving smoothly as you exhale.
The symptoms of pneumonia are often very similar to those of other chest infections, such as bronchitis, COPD flare-ups or bronchiectasis flare-ups. To become a proper diagnosis you lot'll need to visit your GP.
If you feel unwell with these symptoms, see your GP or call 111. If you lot have breast hurting, a rapid heartbeat, quick breathing, shivers or defoliation, get urgent advice from your GP or telephone call 999. Take extra intendance if yous're over 65.
Who is most at gamble of pneumonia?
You tin can get pneumonia at any historic period. Each yr in the United kingdom, nigh five-eleven adults out of every ane,000 become pneumonia.
Some groups of people are at higher risk from pneumonia. If yous're in 1 of these groups, y'all should have extra care to reduce your chances of communicable pneumonia.
People in these at-run a risk groups include:
- babies and young children
- people over 65
- people with long-term centre, lung, brain, liver or kidney diseases, or diabetes
- people with cancer, especially those having chemotherapy
- people who smoke or drink alcohol to excess
- people on drugs that suppress the immune organisation, and those with HIV
People in hospital for other bug sometimes develop pneumonia while they're there. This can be for several reasons including the use of mechanical ventilators, recent antibody apply or considering their resistance to infection has been weakened past other medical problems.
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Source: https://www.blf.org.uk/support-for-you/pneumonia/what-is-pneumonia
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