While you are recovering, try to limit your contact with family and friends, to help keep your germs from spreading to other people. Cover your mouth and nose when you cough, promptly dispose of tissues in a closed waste container and wash your hands often. If you have taken antibiotics, your doctor will want to make sure your chest X-ray is normal again after you finish the whole prescription. It may take many weeks for your X-ray to clear up. This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer.
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Thank you! You will now receive email updates from the American Lung Association. Select your location to view local American Lung Association events and news near you. Our service is free and we are here to help you. Pneumonia Treatment and Recovery. Section Menu. How Is Pneumonia Treated? Most people can manage their symptoms such as fever and cough at home by following these steps: Control your fever with aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen or naproxen , or acetaminophen.
DO NOT give aspirin to children. But they can make it less likely that people who are at risk will experience the severe, and possibly life-threatening, complications of pneumonia. Treatment for pneumonia depends on several factors. These include what caused your pneumonia, how severe your symptoms are, how healthy you are overall, and your age.
For bacterial pneumonia, your doctor will probably prescribe antibiotics. Most of your symptoms should improve within a few days. A cough can last for several weeks. Take all the antibiotic medicine that your doctor prescribes. This can cause your pneumonia to come back.
It can also increase your risk of antibiotic resistance. If you have viral pneumonia, your doctor will likely talk to you about ways to treat your symptoms. Over-the-counter OTC medicines are available to lower fever, relieve pain, and ease your cough. However, some coughing is okay because it can help clear your lungs. Be sure to talk to your doctor before you take a cough suppressant.
If your case of pneumonia is severe, you may need to be hospitalized. If you are experiencing shortness of breath, you may be given oxygen to help your breathing.
You might also receive antibiotics intravenously through an IV. People who have weakened immune systems, heart disease or lung conditions, and people who were already very sick before developing pneumonia are most likely to be hospitalized.
Babies, young children, and adults who are 65 years of age and older are also at increased risk. Your doctor may schedule a follow-up appointment after he or she diagnoses you with pneumonia. At this visit, he or she might take another chest X-ray to make sure the pneumonia infection is clearing up.
Keep in mind that chest X-rays can take months to return to normal. However, if your symptoms are not improving, your doctor may decide to try another form of treatment.
Pneumonia can be life-threatening if left untreated, especially for certain at-risk people. You should also call your doctor if you suddenly begin to feel worse after having a cold or the flu. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.
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Table of Contents. What is pneumonia? Symptoms of pneumonia The symptoms of pneumonia can range from mild to severe. They include: cough fever bringing up mucus when you cough difficulty breathing chills chest pain You may also sweat, have a headache, and feel very tired.
Practice good hygiene. Simple precautions, such as washing your hands frequently, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and disposing of used tissues cut down exposure and spread of germs. Get vaccinated. Pneumococcal vaccines protect against one of the most common causes of bacterial pneumonia. The flu shot can help avoid influenza -related pneumonia and COVID vaccines can lower your risk for pneumonia related to the coronavirus.
Turowski says. Complications are more common in children, seniors, and people who are already challenged with other serious diseases, according to the NHLBI. Possible complications include the following:.
Anyone can get pneumonia, but as noted above, young children and adults older than 65 are especially susceptible to developing an infection. The ALA offers a thorough review of pneumonia, explaining exactly what it is, the symptoms, treatment options, and tips on prevention.
The site also presents questions to ask your doctors to determine your risk and vaccines to consider. American Thoracic Society. This nonprofit focuses on improving care for pulmonary lung-related diseases, critical illnesses, and sleep-related breathing disorders. As part of its patient education information series, they provide an extensive summary of pneumonia, covering causes, diagnosis, treatment, and concerns.
The CDC not only delivers the essential facts on causes, management, and prevention, the federal agency also connects to studies on the spread of the illness and methods to reduce its prevalence.
The CDC stresses that smoking is a prominent risk factor for lung infection and offers resources and support to quit smoking , including advice from former smokers. Healthy Children. Children under age 2 and people over 65 are two groups that are most likely to develop pneumonia. This organization, created by the American College of Pediatrics, covers the essentials that parents need to know when it comes to their kids and pneumonia. Recommendations on vaccinations are detailed. This site addresses all major pneumonia concerns, including risk factors, screening and protection, symptoms and complications, diagnosis, and treatment.
The NHLBI also explains how to live with the infection, how to participate in clinical trials for new medication, and methods to manage the illness. Stop Pneumonia. It focuses on promoting interventions to protect against, prevent, and treat the illness. The site reviews important vaccines and practices that can help ward off the disease for all young people. Senior Living. Those over age 65 have a higher risk of getting pneumonia than younger adults.
They may be especially susceptible to community-acquired pneumonia, spread among large populations of elderly people in settings such as assisted living facilities. This organization, devoted to finding the best products and services for seniors, publishes advice on how older adults should handle prevention and care. United Against the Flu. Influenza is a common cause of pneumonia. Several national healthcare organizations and the CDC are collaborating in an effort called United Against the Flu to stress the importance of getting immunized.
By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. Reviewed: November 5, Medically Reviewed. Pneumonia is a lower respiratory lung infection that causes inflammation in one or both lungs. There are more than 30 different causes of pneumonia, including bacteria, viruses, airborne irritants, and fungi, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. When these germs enter the lungs, they can overwhelm the immune system and invade nearby lung tissues, which are very sensitive.
Once infected, the air sacs in the lungs become inflamed, causing coughing, fever, chills, and breathing problems. When both lungs are infected, the condition may be referred to as "double pneumonia," notes Kids Health. Signs and symptoms of pneumonia can vary from mild to severe, according to the American Lung Association ALA , and include:. Pneumonia can become severe if left untreated. If you have persistent or worsening flu-like symptoms, talk to your healthcare provider.
You may associate pneumonia with dramatic movie scenes involving prolonged hospital stays, oxygen tents, and family members whispering in bedside huddles. It's true that pneumonia can be serious. But more often pneumonia is an infection that can be easily treated at home without having to go to the hospital. Pneumonia pronounced: noo-MOW-nyuh is an infection of the lungs. When someone has pneumonia, lung tissue can fill with pus and other fluid, which makes it difficult for oxygen in the lung's air sacs alveoli to reach the bloodstream.
With pneumonia, a person may have difficulty breathing and have a cough and fever; occasionally, chest or abdominal pain and vomiting are symptoms, too. Pneumonia is often caused by viruses, such as the influenza virus flu and adenovirus.
Other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus RSV and human metapneumovirus , are common causes of pneumonia in young kids and babies. Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause pneumonia, too. People with bacterial pneumonia are usually sicker than those with viral pneumonia, but they can be treated with antibiotic medications. You might have heard the terms "double pneumonia" or "walking pneumonia. It's common for pneumonia to affect both lungs, so don't worry if your doctor says this is what you have — it doesn't mean you're twice as sick.
Walking pneumonia refers to pneumonia that is mild enough that you may not even know you have it. Walking pneumonia also called atypical pneumonia because it's different from the typical bacterial pneumonia is common in teens and is often caused by a tiny microorganism, Mycoplasma pneumoniae pronounced: my-co-PLAZ-ma noo-MO-nee-ay.
Like the typical bacterial pneumonia, walking pneumonia also can be treated with antibiotics.
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