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