Preview

Pneumonia: the Silent Killer

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
895 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Pneumonia: the Silent Killer
Running Head: PNEUMONIA: THE SILENT KILLER

Exploring Pneumonia: A Silent Killer

Abstract

This paper explores Pneumonia and the respiratory disease process associated with bacterial and viral pathogens most commonly located in the lung. The paper examines the process, symptoms and treatments most commonly viewed in patient cases of Pneumonia. My goal is to educate the reader and to warn of the

Exploring Pneumonia: A Silent Killer

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. Many different organisms can cause it, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Pneumonia can range from mild to severe, and can even be deadly. The severity depends on the type of organism causing pneumonia, as well as your age and underlying health. Pneumonia is a common illness that affects millions of people each year in the United States.
Bacterial pneumonias tend to be the most serious and, in adults, the most common cause of pneumonia. The most common pneumonia-causing bacterium in adults is Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Respiratory viruses are the most common causes of pneumonia in young children, peaking between the ages of 2 and 3. By school age, the bacterium Mycoplasma Pneumoniae becomes more common.
In some people, particularly the elderly and those who are debilitated, bacterial pneumonia may follow influenza or even a common cold. People who have trouble swallowing are at risk of aspiration pneumonia. In this condition, food, liquid, or saliva accidentally goes into the airways. It is more common in people who have had a stroke, Parkinson 's disease, or previous throat surgery.
It is more difficult to treat pneumonia in people who are in a hospital, or a nursing facility. In the early stage, a person with bacterial pneumonia may have these classic symptoms - coughing, sputum production, chest pain, shaking, chills, and fever. A doctor may hear an abnormal breath sound called crackles and discover signs of pleural effusion, abnormal fluid buildup in the



References: Lutfiyya MN, Henley E, Chang LF, Reyburn SW. Diagnosis and treatment of community- acquired pneumonia. Am Fam Physician. 2006;73:442-450. Li JZ, Winston LG, Moore DH, Bent S. Efficacy of short-course antibiotic regimens for community-acquired pneumonia: a meta-analysis. Am J Med. 2007;120:783-790. Limper AH. Overview of Pneumonia. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D. Goldman: Cecil Medicine. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders; 2007:chap 97. Spaude KA, Abrutyn E, Kirchner C, Kim A, Daley J, Fisman DN. Influenza vaccination and risk of mortality among adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia. Arch Intern Med 2007;167(1):53-59. Brown K.?Pneumonia.?In: Pediatric Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide.?2nd ed.?2002:219-25.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Krista Vs Curb65 Case

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages

    (2014). Health promotion, risk stratification, and treatment options to decrease hospitalization rates for community-acquired pneumonia in adults. Journal of The American Association Of Nurse Practitioners, 26(10), 537-549. doi:10.1002/2327-6924.12072…

    • 373 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Unit 1 Case Study

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages

    R.S. is a long-time smoker who developed bronchitic chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). He also has a history of coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. His arterial blood gas (ABG) values are pH = 7.32, PaCO2 = 60 mm Hg, PaO2 = 50 mm Hg, HCO3 - = 30 mEq/L. His hematocrit is 52% with normal red cell indices. He is taking an inhaled ß agonist and theophylline to manage his respiratory condition. At his clinic visit, it is noted that R.S. has an area of consolidation in his right lower lobe thought to be consistent with pneumonia.…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    My first encounter with this 21-year-old male’s case made me initially think “influenza”, but many diseases start with flu-like symptoms, for example, the quintessential sore throat and dry cough. The person of interest was probably thinking it is just a cold plus I have that exam to study for. As time went by the symptoms progressed, which finally forced him to visit the campus clinic. The 21-year-old male college student has now developed a productive cough, a headache, a runny nose, a fever, and general weakness all over his body. The thought of “it’s just a cold” turns out to be much greater than expected. The result is pneumonia.…

    • 801 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The role of the infection control team is to decrease the incidence of preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), which includes policy, surveillance data, risk assessment, and infection prevention interventions. The CEO must explain the active involvement of all health care professionals in preventing ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) as well as the past data and outcomes of cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), furthermore ensuring that all patients will be under the care of all evidence-based recommendations.…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Red Flags Case Study

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Also pneumonia generally presents after influenza. There is not enough information to assume she has had pneumonia previous to the onset of these current symptoms. Immobilization is also an increased risk factor of pneumonia, which we also do not have evidence of from our case study. (2)…

    • 1205 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    I was unaware that the vaccines of pneumococcal, Haemophilus influenza type b, pertussis, varicella, measles, and influenza all prevent infections that can lead to pneumonia. I thought that the only vaccination and prevention for pneumonia was the pneumococcal vaccine. I also learned that there are many different strains of pneumonia, resulting from various infectious organisms. I thought that there was only one strain of pneumonia, that could be contracted in different ways. I’m glad this assignment broadened my pneumonia…

    • 1642 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pneumonia is an infection causing inflammation of the air sacs in one or both lungs. The air sacs may be filled with pus or fluid resulting to cough with phlegm or pus, chills, fever, and difficulty breathing. Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and a variety of organisms can cause pneumonia.…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Biology Cheat Sheet

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages

    | pneumonia caused by Pneumocystis, which causes wheezing; brain infection with toxoplasmosis which can cause trouble thinking or symptoms that mimic a stroke; widespread infection with a bacteria called MAC (mycobacterium avium complex) which…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Vacp Bundle Analysis

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Al-tawfig and colleagues (2010) wanted to determine the effectiveness of implementing the Ventilator Associated Pneumonia (VAP) bundle in their hospital to reduce the VAP rate.…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dust Pneumonia is a serious lung infection caused by inhaling too much dust. “ Dust…

    • 543 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Pneumonia Core Measure

    • 3467 Words
    • 14 Pages

    The goal of the core measurements in terms of best practice and standardization of care include a very specific treatment regiment for each established condition. For example, when a patient is admitted to the hospital with Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP), the standard of care within the CAP core measure includes initiating antibiotic treatment within four hours. This standard of practice has been associated with a 15% lower risk of mortality. As with this example, each core measure has been established as a result of successful and specific evidence based…

    • 3467 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Wolff, M., & Lucet, J-C. (2010). Long-term impact of a multifaceted prevention program on ventilator-associated pneumonia in a medical intensive care unit. Oxford Journals of Medicine. Clinical Infectious Diseases. Vol. 51. Iss. 10. p. 1115-1122.…

    • 478 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Infectious Disease

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Explain the pathophysiology, signs and symptoms, most common bacterial etiologies and associated resistance patterns, severity of illness scoring systems, and diagnostic techniques for pneumonia.…

    • 1147 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Influenza

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia, either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia, even for persons who are usually very healthy. In particular it is a warning sign if a child (or presumably an adult) seems to be getting better and then relapses with a high fever as this relapse may be bacterial pneumonia. Another warning sign is if the person starts to have trouble breathing.…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Aspiration Pneumonia

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To find the most relevant predictors of aspiration pneumonia, four models of different categories of subjects were developed. The four categories were medical state parameters, swallowing and nutritional intake parameters, functional status parameters, and oral and dental parameters. Each model consisted of several measures in order to collect more accurate…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics