Pnemonia is a common infection that affects one or both the lungs and it is caused by viruses, bacteria or fungi. Before the antibiotics for this infection were discovered almost one third of the pnemonia cases resulted in fatalities. There are as many as 3 million people suffering from this condition in United States every year. Around half million of these cases need hospitalization and the death rate for this infection is around 5%.

This infection can be contracted by inhalation of the droplets containing the organisms responsible for causing pnemonia. Droplets enter the air when a person having this infection sneezes or coughs. In some cases the viruses or bacteria that are present in a person’s mouth may inadvertently gain entry in the lung. Many people tend to aspirate the secretions from the throat, mouth or nose and it can result in a person suffering from this condition. A person with weakened immune system can develop this condition.

Those individuals who suffer from heart and lung disease along with those who are alcoholics have a greater possibility of developing this condition. After the organisms gain entry in the lungs they settle within the air sacs and then grow in number. Eventually puss and fluid starts collecting in the lung area. There are some symptoms associated with pnemonia that can help in identification of this condition.

Pnemonia symptoms include high fever along with shaking chills and cough that has sputum. The sputum may be browning, yellowish or greenish in colour and in some cases it may even be bloody. Those suffering from this condition also tend to experience shortness of breath along with chest pain. In many cases the pain becomes sharp and tends to worsen when the patient takes a deep breath and this is called pleuritic pain.

In some cases of pnemonia the symptoms may develop rather slowly. Some patients may experience cough, muscle aches along with headaches while in some other individuals coughing may not be a major symptom. In some cases the skin colour of patients may become purplish or dusky because of poor oxygenation of blood. The diagnosis of this condition can be done through a physical examination along with some tests.

The doctor may listen to the chest sounds through a stethoscope and in the case of pnemonia often coarse breathing along with crackling sounds may be heard in the chest. A wheezing sound is also often heard in this infection and a confirmation of this condition can be obtained through chest X-rays of the patient. In some cases of pnemonia the infection affects one of more lobes in and this is called lobar pnemonia.

In some other cases the condition may have a patchy distribution. Sputum samples may also be collected and examined. A blood test can also measure the white blood cell count while a bronchoscopy can help a doctor obtain sample of the infected region in the lung for examination. In some cases the fluid within the pleural space may be examined. Antibiotics that are prescribed as a part of pnemonia treatment include amoxicillin, penicillin and clavulanic acid. Macrolides like azithromycin, claritromycin and erythromycin may also be prescribed.