What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia isn't a stranger no more. Thanks to it's many appearance in and out of the hospitals, we all have heard it, well, I think most of us have. Pneumonia is a an illness which is related to the lungs and the respiratory system. What happens in the case of a pneumonia is the alveoli gets inflamed and the lungs are flooded with fluid.

What causes pneumonia?

There are a few possibilities that may pneumonia to occur:-

• Chemical injury to the lungs (directly or indirectly), inhalation of corrosive chemicals or toxic smoke from a fire.
• Diseases, including alcohol abuse and lung cancer.
• Infections that can be associated with parasites(toxoplasma gondii, stronsyloides stercoralis & ascariasis), fungi, bacterial or viral infection. These airborne microorganisms enters through inhalation and invades cell linings of airways and alveoli, leading to cell death by directly murdering the cell or persuading apoptosis(Cells attempts a suicide). 

In the case of a viral infection, more damages to the lung occurs as the immune system tries to handle the invading viruses, as the white blood cells (leukocytes & lymphocytes) releases a mix of cytokine chemicals to handle the situation, more fluid is allowed to leak into the lungs causing cell destruction. And when fluids drowns up the lungs, O2(Oxygen) transportation into the blood stream is impaired.

With a bacterial infection(Chlamydophila pneumoniae,Streptococcus pneumoniae,Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Neisseria meningitidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, or Haemophilus influenzae ), also airborne(mostly) triggers the similar immune response as viral infection, and if the bacteria make its way into the blood stream, it causes fatality or serious ailments that may result in low blood pressure, septic shock or damages to the brain, heart and kidneys. Sometimes when it enters the pleural cavity(area between lungs and chest wall), complications may arise, know as emphyema.

The most common cause results from bacterial infection, and sometimes a TB(tuberculosis) patient might have a higher risk of developing it due to a weaken immune system. (Symptoms : Weight loss and night sweats)

Symptoms of pneumonia

• Infectious pneumonia : greenish/yellowish sputum  sometimes blood-stained, high fever sometimes accompanied by chills, shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain/ sharp, shivering fits, stabbing pain that gets worse with coughs or deep breathing, abdominal pain(caused by legionella) or diarrhea.

• Pneumonia : Coughs with blood, headaches, sweat/clammy skin.
• In elderly : May develop new/worsen confusions or may experience unsteadiness that may lead to falling.
• In infants : Symptoms may refer as below, usually they lose appetite and seem drowsy.
• Other symptoms : Fatigue, loss of appetite, blueness of the skin, due to shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting,muscle aches, a long lasting cold and joint pains.

The risk factors

• Cerebral palsy sufferers
• COPD(Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder)
• Bronchitis & cystic fibrosis
• Smokers & cancer patients
• Neurological disorders
• Unconsciousness
• Warded at a hospital
• A recent respiratory tract infection/disorder or a recent surgery.
• Weakened immune system
• spleen removed
• alcohol abusers
• Chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disorder, bronchitis, asthma and diabetes.

Types of pneumonia

I'm not done yet, oh no, we still got a long way to go. Now keep it cool, let's unearth the many types of pneumonia:-

1. CAP(community-acquired)-->Most common type, develops after a flu or it comes in contact with you from public places.
2. Hospital acquired--> well, simply means you get it while you were at the hospital, being warded or retrieving from a surgery, since it infects ill people(who else goes to the hospitals) it can be dangerous, as the immune system is already dampen.
3. SARS
4. BOOP(bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia)--> Inflammation of small airways to lungs, also known as COP(cryptogenic organizing pneumonia)
5. Atypical/ Mycoplasma/ walking pneumonia
6. Aspiration pneumonia-->The leading cause of death, as the airways protection barriers are impaired and lack of adequate protection, infections hastily spreads and deteriorated the host. Usually caused when minute particles enter the lungs through eating(from the food) or vomit reflux, resulting in an inflammation in the lungs.(Foul smelling sputum)
7. Bacterial,viral and fungal pneumonia.
8. Chemical pneumonitis-->A result of toxic inhalation into the lungs.(Causes sudden shortness of breathing, pink frothy sputum and fever)
9. Eosinophillic pneumonia--> Eosinophils(a type of white blood cell) appears elevated in the lungs and bloodstream. (Possible causes are drugs, bacteria, parasites or fungi)

Natural remedies

fenugreek

sesame seeds

These foods are said to offer great help in treating pneumonia(I do not guarantee this, my blog is personal and I'm simply sharing what I found out from other sources)

• Fenugreek(make tea out of its seed) 
• Olive oil, containing palmatic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, steanic acid, myristic acid and glycerides Serves as a tonic, gulp it down or use it to massage the chest to relief any discomfort.
• Garlic
• Dates and honey
• sesame seeds
• parsnip juice, carrot juice and spinach juice(have either or combine an extra oomph..)
• Add up your diet with more raw stuff-not meat, veggies and fruits.
• Lay low on caffeinated beverages and teas. (uncertainty here, some say white tea cures pneumonia)

Possible complications

• Respiratory & circulation failure. Triggers acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS), a result of infection and inflammatory response, causing lungs to rapidly fills up with fluid and becomes stiff, creating the need for mechanical ventilation as breathing becomes difficult.
• Sepsis/septic shock. A common occurrence following a bacterial pneumonia. Happens when bacteria makes its way into the bloodstream and triggers an immune response that leads to secretion of cytokines and blood leakage that swells up tissues. The infected individual may need hospitalization(ICU) to prevent their blood pressure from dropping too low. Sepsis may cause liver, kidney or heart damage. In some cases it's fatal.
• Pleural effusion, emphyema and abscess. Occasionally, microorganisms which infects the lungs causes fluid build ups (effusion) in the pleural cavity(spaces surrounding lungs), the fluid can be drained out through a needle inserted into the chest area(thoracentesis), however this does not solves the problem as the fluid will consistently floods the pleural cavity. Sometimes a surgery is required. The accumulated fluid may persist on infection and leads to an abscess(pocket fluids) which is detected with an X-ray or CT scan.

That will be it. Thank you very much for being attentive. I'm off now. Thanks again and salam.