In this article you are going to learn about the causes & symptoms of the pneumonia.
The pneumonia is a respiratory infection, which is an infection of the lungs caused by various viruses, fungi or bacteria that live, for example, in your nose, sinuses or mouth, which spread latter to the lungs and causes the pneumonia .
The germ that causes pneumonia in adults is the most common Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcal, however, in infants and young children, bacterias are the most common cause of pneumonia .
The major risk factors are: cerebral palsy, COPD, smoking, neurological disorders (dementia or stroke), immune system problems, severe cardiac or liver disease, surgery or trauma, or respiratory viral infections.
The most common pneumonia symptoms are mild or high fever, cough, accompanied in some instances, yellow mucus, accompanied by green or bloody mucus, chills, difficulty in breathing, although this may only occur occasionally.
Additionally there may be other symptoms like excessive sweating and clammy skin, loss of appetite, fatigue and sharp chest pain.
The breathing becomes faster and sounds are hissing and grunting noises when breathing, making labored breathing. There may be vomiting and abdominal pain and in extreme cases, the lips and fingernails may become blue or purple.
When pneumonia is caused by bacteria , which usually occurs in children, the disease progresses rapidly and patient experience a sudden onset of high fever and rapid breathing. When pneumonia is caused by a virus, symptoms tend to appear more gradually and are often less severe than in bacterial pneumonia.
