How to know if you have pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a lung infection that usually causes fever and cough and can lead to shock, coma, or death. Below are some clues you might be experiencing pneumonia:

• 1) Gasping for breath between coughing fits.
• 2) A wet or dry “whoop” sound when breathing out (harsh crowing sounds).
• 3) Shortness of breath despite taking slow, deep breaths.
• 4) Chest pain with deep breaths and sometimes after taking a breath in.
• 5) Feeling dizzy when standing up from sitting down.
• 6) Chills or fever that won’t go away after several days.
• 7) Feeling really tired all the time.

The diagnosis of pneumonia is most often made by your doctor looking at your health history and listening to your lungs’ sounds while you breathe. Your doctor will usually perform a chest X-ray or a physical exam that shows how much room your lungs have to expand when breathing in. This can be checked with a simple instrument called an spirometer. It takes several minutes to use the spirometer, so it is done right before you go home at the end of your visit. To make sure that you haven’t had any other illness during this time, the doctor may want to do a blood test to check for antibodies (tests are usually not needed if you’ve had strep throat).

Also read: How to soothe sore throat?

How can you Prevent Pneumonia at the first place?

1. Stay away from germs.
2. Upgrade your immune system (medication).

Since pneumonia is often a disease of weakened immunity, it is important to have your immune system boosted with a routine course of vaccinations against influenza and pneumococcus bacteria. Other kinds of vaccines may be available in your workplace or local health clinic.

Pneumonia can be quite dangerous, especially if left untreated; so some state governments recommend antibiotic early treatment in adults when pneumonia is suspected, though others have reservations as not all adults with pneumonia require antibiotics, and this can lead to unnecessary side effects such as drug-resistant strains of pneumonia that are harder to treat later on.

FAQs about Pneumonia

1 ) What does it feel like to have pneumonia? -Pneumonia is an infection that affects the lungs and can cause flu-like symptoms and serious problems with breathing. It’s one of the major causes of death in young children worldwide, as well as among older adults and people who are immunocompromised because of HIV/AIDS or other medical conditions or situations such as living in India . There are two types of the disease: bacterial and viral

2) Is it contagious?
-Yes, but not always.

3) Does it have a cure?
-There is no cure, but it may clear up alone.

4) Is pneumonia a common disease?
-Yes, but not all people deserve the word ‘common’ or ‘predictable’. Not all people who get pneumonia are sick, so they don’t want to be told that they’re going to die. Many people with pneumonia aren’t even aware that they have it. There are many conditions that can cause similar symptoms and make it look like you have pneumonia.

7) Can pregnant women get pneumonia?
-Yes.

6) How do you know if your child has pneumonia?
-Look for a cough, which may be accompanied by other symptoms.