Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs. The term is almost always used to refer specifically to infections of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or other parasites; however, it can also refer to lung injury caused by physical or chemical irritants, in which case the term pneumonitis is used to differentiate the condition from infectious pneumonia. This article uses pneumonia only in the first sense, that of infection. Pneumonia may occur in people of all ages, although young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients are especially at risk. Antimicrobial drugs are often used to treat pneumonia.

Therapy

Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for bacterial pneumonia. They are not effective in viral pulmonary infections, but are sometimes used against concommitant bacterial superinfection. The choice of antibiotic depends on the nature of the pneumonia, the microbes known typically to cause pneumonia in the geographical region, and the immune status of the patient. In the United Kingdom, Amoxicillin is used as first-line therapy in the vast majority of patients who acquire pneumonia in the community, sometimes with added clarithromycin. In North America, where the "atypical" forms of community-acquired pneumonia are becoming more common, clarithromycin, azithromycin, and the fluoroquinolones have displaced the penicillin-related drugs as first-line therapy. In hospitalized patients and immune-deficient patients, local guidelines determine the selection of generally intravenous antibiotics.

Related Topics:
Antibiotic - Amoxicillin - Clarithromycin - Azithromycin - Fluoroquinolones - Intravenous

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Patients who have significantly compromised respiratory function due to pneumonia may require supplemental oxygen. Severely affected patients may require artificial ventilation as a life-saving measure while their immune system fights off the infective cause with the help of antibiotics and other drugs. In cases of viral (interstitial) pneumonia where influenza A or B are thought to be causative agents, patients who are seen within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms may be treated with oseltamivir or zanamivir. There is no known effective treatment for pneumonia caused by SARS coronavirus, adenovirus, hantavirus, or parainfluenza virus.

Related Topics:
Oxygen - Artificial ventilation - Viral (interstitial) pneumonia - Oseltamivir - Zanamivir - SARS coronavirus - Adenovirus - Hantavirus - Parainfluenza

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