Understanding Pneumonia

We've all heard of pneumonia, but how many of us actually know what it is?

As a child, you may have heard your mother shout, "Get in out of the rain, you'll get pneumonia!" It sounded so strange and even a little scary.

As it turns out, pneumonia can be a very serious condition, particularly for those with already compromised health. It's a lung infection usually caused by viruses or bacteria. It's typically spread by direct contact with infected people. 

There are more than 90 strains of the pneumococcal bacterium, ten or so of which cause very serious illnesses. 

Causes of Pneumonia

Pneumonia, in it's bacterial and viral forms, can be contagious. Germs can settle in the alveoli (tiny air sacs inside the lungs) and multiply after a person breathes them in. The most common form of transmission is through coughing and sneezing, or being spread onto shared objects through touch.

When the body senses the infection, it sends white blood cells to attack, which causes the air sacs to become inflamed. The bacteria or viruses fill the lung sacs with fluid, causing pneumonia.

Symptoms of Pneumonia

The early stages of pneumonia are often mistaken for a bad cold. However, those symptoms are followed by:

- A high fever

- Chills

- A productive cough

The following symptoms may also occur (though not in all cases):

- Sharp chest pains

- Worsening cough

- Alternating fever / chills

- Headaches

- Malaise

- Muscle pains

- Loss of appetite

- Rapid breathing

- Wheezing or grunting during breathing

Pneumonia and Children

All UK-born children under two are given the PCV vaccination as part of the regular NHS programme, however, in other parts of the world where malnutrition and compromised health is an issue, pneumonia is a deadly affliction. Tragically, the World Health Organization reports that pneumonia accounts for 15% of all deaths of children under 5 years old. Efforts are ongoing to provide immunisation, improve nutrition and address environmental factors.

Prevention of Pneumonia

Thankfully, some types of pneumonia can be prevented through vaccination. The pneumococcal vaccine protects against infections caused by Streptococcus bacteria, which can lead to septicaemia and meningitis as well as pneumonia itself. The childhood vaccine PCV protects children against 13 strains of the infection and the adult vaccine, called PPV, protects grown ups against 23 strains of the disease.

The PPV vaccination is designed primarily for people aged 65 and over and those with already poor health who are at risk for pneumonia.

Learn more about pneumonia, the steps you can take to protect yourself and your family and book an appointment to speak with one of our trained staff here.