Pneumonia: under what symptoms require emergency medical assistance

Pneumonia exhausting cough, pain and fever, and can result in respiratory failure, sepsis and even death. What to do with the inflammation of the lungs and how to protect themselves, the doctors told him.

Pneumonia - an inflammatory disease of the lungs. The lungs are made up of the alveoli - small air chambers which fill with air when inhaling and from which oxygen enters the blood. Through them, the blood gets rid of carbon dioxide. When pneumonia alveoli are filled with fluid or pus, and the patient can not breathe fully.

Where does it come from

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses or substances into the lungs.

The most common bacterial pneumonia appears as a complication of diseases such as the flu, when the weakened body can not fight infections.

Pneumonia is more common in people whose immune system is lowered or poorly formed: children and the elderly, people with immune deficiencies and chronic diseases.

Symptoms of pneumonia, for which it is necessary to call the doctor

In certain signs of pneumonia can be distinguished from common colds and realize that everything seriously SARS:

Cough increased or appeared again when almost gone.

It's hard to breathe, so breathing becomes more frequent.

When breathing or deep breathing appears chest pain.

When coughing is allocated sputum yellow, green or light brown color.

Body temperature rises above 38 ? C and poorly reduced.

The skin pales greatly.

Can not manifest symptoms. Enough of three to suspect pneumonia. In this case, it is necessary to call a doctor.

Symptoms of pneumonia, for which it is necessary to call an ambulance

If severe pneumonia, you need to recover under the supervision of doctors, that is in the hospital. Rate the severity of the symptoms can be the following:

The patient confusion: it is slow to respond to questions, responds sluggishly to the environment, it is not oriented in space.

The patient breathes: doing more than 30 breaths per minute.

"Upper" pressure is decreased to 90 mm Hg. Art.

"Bottom" pressure less than 60 mm Hg. Art.

If there are at least two features, you need to call an ambulance.

Also, pneumonia is considered severe if the patient has at least one adverse factor from the list:

Age older than 60 years.

Chronic lung disease.

Diabetes mellitus, renal failure, circulatory failure.

Alcoholism.

Exhaustion.

Diseases that affect the brain.

How to treat pneumonia

First of all pneumonia is treated with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs that are prescribed by doctors.

It is important to observe the preparations and drink as much as assigned, instead of throwing them at the first sign of improvement. The full course is needed to finally eradicate the infection.

The doctor also prescribe expectorants to help bring phlegm.

In the second stage of pneumonia treated with bed rest. That is, the patient must lie down, drink plenty of warm liquids (tea or compote).

Because pneumonia respiratory system can not cope with their work: they do not clean the air, it is not heated and can not protect the body from germs that were on the mucosa. Therefore, the patient's room should not be a vacuum: carpets, heavy curtains, soft toys, open bookshelves.

Be sure to keep an eye on the air that the patient breathes.

Every day you need to wash the floor (water without household chemicals), and dust. Ideally - make or buy a humidifier and keep the relative humidity level: it must be within the range of 40-60%. Several times a day to ventilate the room: this is one of the ways to disinfect the air.

The room should not be too hot to hot air even longer irritates the respiratory tract.

When the patient gets better, you can do breathing exercises, go for a massage and physiotherapy treatments.

How not to get sick with pneumonia

The worse the air we breathe, the greater the risk to earn pneumonia. If you live in an industrial area, close to the apartment, if you or someone close is smoking, you need to care more about prevention.

Pneumonia clings to the weakening of the body, so it is important to lead a healthy lifestyle and do not run the disease.

Usually pneumonia - a complication of another disease, so you always need to be treated until the end and did not carry on his feet ailments and colds.

Do not create conditions for the development of pneumonia and does not dispose of the symptoms of colds, to endure and to work:

If you have a fever, drink a loading dose of an antipyretic (at least until the temperature rises above 38.5 ? C), and stay home and rest.

If you cough, do not take everything antitussives. Cough - a protective reaction of the organism, it can output sputum. And if you decide to drown this reflex, you risk to leave the site of infection in the body.

If you have a clogged nose and sore throat, do not suffer in the public transport, stuffy office, and generally less frequented areas with a large number of people. When the disease of the respiratory tract mucosa is irritated and unable to cope with security features. Therefore, in any of these places increases the risk of infection to catch the excess.

If you think that SARS is not worth much attention, remember that after the pneumonia body recovers about six months.