Pneumonia (pneumonia) in adults and children - treatment methods (antibiotics, folk remedies, home treatment, etc.), complications, prognosis, prevention. Rehabilitation after pneumonia. Frequently asked Questions. Inflammation of the lungs treatment b

• pneumonia
• medicines
• recipe
• not antibiotics
• lung disease

let's go in order: you need to set yourself a goal, in this case: Cure pneumonia without antibiotics, strive and desire the result to achieve the goal. start taking herbal medicines. do not skip doses. dress according to the weather, of course, strengthen the immune system so that situations do not arise: how to treat pneumonia, etc. These are the simplest, common truths that are known to everyone.

Now directly to the agenda: how to treat pneumonia without antibiotics? First, we need to get rid of the principles of some grandmothers who claim that milk improves the healing process: this is nonsense and a lie. Without going into details of how and why - milk slows down the healing process even with antibiotics by almost one and a half times. For example, if someone is sick for a week, he will leave in one and a half, or even two weeks. It is also worth abandoning the antibiotics themselves, this applies to “lovers” of “stronger and more reliable” drugs that will cure faster, but do not take into account the consequences, and do not take vitamins that are necessary during and after antibiotic treatment. And that is why answering the questions “How to cure pneumonia without antibiotics? » It is necessary to be treated with medicines based on herbs.

So, capitally: how to cure pneumonia without antibiotics: * consume a minimum of protein foods * start taking herbal remedies (not to be confused with homeopathic ones) * start strengthening and increasing immunity. * find ways to cheer yourself up, even if it is very bad. now more about each item: * What does a minimum of protein food mean? This means that you need to limit the amount of: milk, meat, soy products, etc. Protein that enters from the outside slows down the process of fighting the disease and treatment can be delayed, so it’s better to limit the intake of such food, otherwise all treatment is in vain and then you will definitely have to resort to “heavy artillery” » Antibiotics. Which will lead to even longer treatment, accompanied by the intake of drugs for the intestinal microflora.

What are these medicines? Yes, everything is simple: lemon, honey, lime blossom tea. Everything is just insane. Of course, this is not all, there are a lot of them, just remember a little and then hello life without illness. Well, among the pharmaceuticals, Marshmallow Root Syrup, an excellent remedy for liquefying sputum and its excretion, has been a great success. However, when they come to the pharmacy, not many people distinguish Althea syrup for 25 rubles and more than 100. A little secret: the one that is more expensive will bring more harm, the reason is simple - it contains citric acid, not natural, but the one that is used in the kitchen. Preparations containing artificial citric acid are often produced in Europe. Therefore, it is best to take the cheaper one. As they say "cheap and cheerful", especially the domestic manufacturer. Systematized intake of syrup, see instructions.

Also, from simple preparations, "Akvalor-throat" is very good, the basis is sea water. But here it is already the choice of the consumer and his financial capabilities, because the drug is good and the price, respectively. There are no complaints about it, the only thing that it should be taken during treatment is systematized. You can also use mint-based teas - they soothe coughs and perspiration, a little, but there is an effect. * how to strengthen the immune system? Here everyone decides for himself. Someone consumes ordinary garlic in the evenings, someone drinks tea with lemon, someone takes the well-known "immunal". Of course, hardening, BUT not during illness.

Questions: how to cure pneumonia without antibiotics? how to treat pneumonia without antibiotics? it is possible and necessary to approach from the side of the doctor, that is, so that it is a clear diagnosis, well, of course, a sick leave for those who work. you can take a prescription from a doctor, but the fact that he prescribes antibiotics is a trifle, you can simply not buy them, but buy something that is easier. The trend now is that antibiotics cease to help as such, traditional medicine (not for everyone) helps more, herbal preparations (it is advisable to purchase domestic preparations that are several times cheaper and less harmful than foreign ones, of course, not all and yet ...), well and of course the most important thing is to strengthen the immune system, and the transition to a more mobile life.

About the mood: the main canon is to always smile, of course, do not show a grin, but simply smile with the corners of your lips (Buddha's smile), or as they also call it - "idiot's smile." Already smiling like that and accepting the thought “I will recover! » recovery will go much faster and without consequences. Self-hypnosis sometimes helps a lot. To believe or not to the last fact, this is everyone's business. But for many, it works.

Treatment of pneumonia without antibiotics: is it possible?

Inflammation of the lungs is a serious disease that can lead to a number of tragic complications, including death. The clinical course of the disease is usually bright, with symptoms of fever, intoxication, and other manifestations. Therefore, therapeutic tactics should be combined, with the use of antimicrobial agents. Many people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to get rid of an unfortunate disease without taking antibacterial agents, because earlier, before the invention of antibiotics, this issue was somehow resolved.

Antibiotics are an excellent medical tool that appeared relatively recently (in the twentieth century), and with the help of which it is possible to save millions of human lives. Before their appearance, mortality from pneumonia was critical. This means that the diagnosis, pneumonia, sounded like a death sentence. And only a few managed to recover.

Description of the disease

Inflammation of the lungs is very dangerous for human life. With the wrong treatment, serious consequences can develop very quickly, which often ends in death, even in our days of medical progress. First of all, the organs of the respiratory system are affected, their functioning suffers, which entails a number of severe consequences.

Consider the main signs of pneumonia:

• cough, dry and wet;
• obstructive syndrome and severe shortness of breath;
• cyanosis and cyanosis of the skin;
• cardiopalmus;
• fever and manifestations of general poisoning of the body;
• soreness in the chest.

Dangerous manifestations that threaten life:

• intense shortness of breath along with frequent breathing;
• blue skin;
• high temperature values, which is observed for several hours and is not stopped by medicines;
• tachycardia: the pulse has over ninety contractions;
• a rapid drop in blood pressure.

If a person has dangerous signs of pneumonia, he must be urgently hospitalized in order to provide professional medical care.

Therapy of the disease is carried out with the help of special antimicrobial agents of the new generation. In order to enhance the therapeutic effect, doctors select combinations of two specific antibiotics. Treatment tactics are developed strictly individually in each individual case.

Principles of successful therapy

A quick recovery can occur only if a person reacted to the symptoms of the disease on time, went to the doctor, underwent an examination, followed all the doctor's instructions and did not take any independent measures. Fortunately, modern doctors act according to the developed effective therapy scheme. Depending on the characteristics of the disease, treatment actions may be as follows:

• antimicrobial tactics involves the use of antibiotic agents. Before prescribing such a serious remedy to the patient, the doctor examines all the data of the study, the peculiarity of the disease. Its task is also to make sure that a person does not have an allergic reaction to a particular drug. If there is an allergic reaction to a particular substance, you need to prescribe another one that will also be effective. If the course of the disease is severe, then the patient is given injections, if it is mild, tablet preparations are prescribed;
• At first, patients must strictly adhere to bed rest. An exhausted body needs complete calm to restore strength. A person should get up no earlier than on the fourth day from the start of the disease;
• be sure to take action to remove the mucus. For this, specialists prescribe mucolytics and bronchodilators, taking into account general well-being;
• treatment of the underlying cause of the pathology is also of great importance.

A person must drink a lot. This will help to influence the harmful effects of toxic components. In order to restore the functionality of the immune system, the use of special strengthening agents and vitamin complexes is indicated.

Treatment without antibiotics

Answering the main question, is it possible to cure pneumonia without the use of antibiotics, it is worth saying that modern doctors categorically do not accept such tactics. Many experts do not understand at all why to be treated in some dubious ways, if there is one effective and proven way that can save you from this terrible disease and its consequences.

Arguments "against" therapy without taking antibiotics:

• the practice of treating an ailment in this way is very rarely successful, often leading to severe complications and death. It was this disease that occupied the leading places in terms of mortality. If there were lucky ones who recovered from pneumonia, then after them there was not one effective recipe for getting rid of the disease without antibiotics;
• pathogens mutate regularly. Therefore, even the most modern antimicrobial agents one day become powerless. Therefore, highly qualified doctors understand that it is necessary to prescribe not one remedy, but two, which in combination will complement each other and enhance the effect of treatment;
• Over the past ten years, the human immune system has undergone many changes and not in the best way. This is due to the situation of the environment, errors in nutrition and a harmful lifestyle. Any source of infection in the body, even if not very dangerous, can become a serious threat to the patient.

All these arguments only confirm that the treatment of pneumonia without antibiotics is a risky, stupid and unconscious act that can lead to a number of serious consequences.

Time of antibiotic treatment

If a person was prescribed antibiotics, and if he arbitrarily decided to stop taking it already in the course of treatment, this is a very risky and unjustified step. As experts say, with pneumonia, it is necessary to drink antibiotics for at least a week. In advanced cases, therapy can be continued for up to two weeks. Many people, at the first sign of improvement in well-being, stop taking it.

What threatens self-interruption of antibiotic therapy:

• exacerbation of the pathological process;
• inflammation of associated tissues;
• the appearance of pathological serious consequences extending to the cardiovascular sphere, respiratory organs;
• the appearance of lung abscesses with further opening into the body;
• blood poisoning;
• severe inflammatory process, turning into a chronic stage.

All graduates urge not to be treated without antibiotics, and insist on following all the recommendations for taking them.

General criteria for the selection of a drug

Antibacterial agents in medicine are distinguished by the degree and strength of the impact. For intensive diseases that occur against the background of severe symptoms, strong drugs are used:

• mild pathology in young and middle-aged people is treated with penicillins or macrolides. At the same time, the therapy regimen is usually outpatient;
• persons who have reached the age of fifty, suffering from concomitant pathological conditions, are prescribed third-generation cephalosporins;
• the croupous form of the disease is always treated in a hospital, fluoroquinolones are prescribed.

In the hospital, medical workers monitor the regimen of taking medications. Home therapy involves self-organization from a person and the help of relatives.

Criteria for choosing home or inpatient treatment

Typical features of inflammatory processes in the lungs, such as shortness of breath, fever, cough, changes in blood pressure, suggest that treatment should be carried out in a hospital. On average, the disease is treated for about one month.

On an outpatient basis, the patient must follow all the recommendations of the doctor. The doctor monitors blood counts, x-rays, and other medical examination data.

Principles of home treatment

The main criteria for successful recovery include the following points:

• dietary support food. We must not forget that drugs leave an imprint on the work of the intestines, so you need to use fermented milk foods;
• a sick person needs to drink fluids in large quantities. Modern doctors advise to drink the patient every 15 minutes, giving 0.25 cups of warm broth with raspberries, cranberries, etc.;
• the person is obliged to endure the course of antimicrobial therapy to the end. Stopping the antibiotic, reducing the dose, and any other similar actions are unacceptable;
• the air where the person is located should be fresh, you need to do wet cleaning every day.

To fight the disease, the body leaves all the reserves, so it is necessary to observe a sparing regimen. If the patient begins to perform physical activities, calories will be expended, which should be aimed at suppressing the infection.

The course of antibiotic therapy must be maintained to the end, otherwise serious complications may occur. Family members and relatives should be attentive to the sick person. Patients require special care. If there is any deterioration in well-being, it is urgent to visit a doctor. Remember that pneumonia is not to be trifled with. As soon as these bacteria cease to be oppressed, a relapse of pneumonia will immediately occur. Do not put jars and install mustard plasters. Doctors do not recognize alternative therapy for this disease.

Features of clinical nutrition

All food consumed by a sick person during the period of illness should be easily digestible. This tactic is characterized by high energy consumption of the body's protective reserves, aimed at suppressing the infection. As a result, there may not be enough energy to digest food, which is fraught with problems with the functionality of the organs of the digestive system.

At the initial stage, the patient loses interest in food due to the presence of toxic elements in the blood that appear as a result of decay. In no case should you force the patient to eat. You need to eat more fruits and vegetables.

With the appearance of appetite, the assortment of the menu increases. Patients are allowed to lean on soups and broths. At all stages of therapy, you need to drink plenty of fluids to minimize the toxic effects on the body. It is very useful to drink raspberry teas, milk and honey.

In addition to medical treatment, you can add home methods. But to believe that everything will pass by itself in a few days is stupid. Frivolity in behavior with such a serious illness as pneumonia can result not only in disability, but also in death. There is no need to rely on traditional medicine recipes, because the timely pharmaceutical industry allows you to recover quickly and without consequences.

Treatment of pneumonia in an adult

Diseases of the respiratory system are of high danger to humans. One of these common pathologies is pneumonia, which causes inflammation of the lung tissue and irreversible changes in it. To avoid oxygen starvation of tissues, the disease must be treated on time.

How to treat pneumonia at home in adults

Pneumonia is more often of a viral nature, but even in other cases, bacterial infections join it, therefore, adults are required to undergo antibiotic therapy, prescribing 1-2 drugs at a time. Treatment standards take into account several factors:

• type of pneumonia
• volume of damage to lung tissue;
• health and age of the patient;
• concomitant diseases of the heart, kidneys or lungs.

Antibiotics

Adults are prescribed antibiotics for pneumonia, taking into account their age, and even with a slight effectiveness of one drug, it is not changed for 3 days or until the patient's sputum analysis is deciphered. For the treatment of pneumonia, modern popular drugs are used under the names:

1. Ceftriaxone. As a release form, white powders for the preparation of injections are used. The course of treatment for pneumonia is determined by the doctor depending on the severity. For an adult, the dose is 1-2 g daily. The solution for injections is prepared from 500 mg of the drug and 2 ml of a 1% solution of lidocaine, and 5 ml of sterile water is used for droppers. Price from 25 rubles, sold by prescription.
2. Sefpotek. Antibiotic, also allowed for a child from 12 years old. Effective in the treatment of pneumonia and other respiratory tract infections. Adults need to take 200 mg - 1 tablet, with an interval of 12 hours. It is necessary to finish the course of treatment in 2 weeks. Price from 120 rubles.
3. Sumamed. In addition to tablets, it is available as a powder or lyophilisate. It is indicated for infectious and inflammatory diseases, including the respiratory tract. From pneumonia, you need to take 500 mg of the drug per day with a course of treatment equal to 3 days. Price from 520 rubles.

Folk remedies

Alternative treatment of pneumonia in adults is effective in combination with medication if therapy is carried out at home. To do this, you can use the following recipes:

1. A decoction of raisins. Rinse 0.5 tbsp. dark raisins, pass it through a meat grinder. Fill with a glass of boiling water, sweat under the lid for about 10 minutes. It is necessary to treat pneumonia with such a decoction by drinking 1.5 tbsp. daily.
2. Fig milk. Prepare 3 dried white figs. Heat the milk, pour the fruits, cook over low heat for about half an hour. For pneumonia, drink 2 cups a day until symptoms improve.
3. Infusion on nuts. Take 500 ml of dry red wine. Fill them with 50 g of peeled nuts. Sweat the product over low heat for about a quarter of an hour. Use 1 tbsp. before every meal.

To begin with, it is recommended to change your position in bed more often and not lie on the side that hurts. After 3-4 days, when the acute period of the disease is already behind, you can start breathing exercises, for which lie on your back and put your hands on your stomach. You need to exhale after a deep breath, but do it slowly, tensing the abdominal muscles. Approaches should be at least 5 per day, each of which includes 15 repetitions. It is recommended to use exercise therapy for the prevention of pneumonia.

Features of the treatment of pneumonia

Treatment of pneumonia in an adult depends on many factors, the first of which is the type of this disease. Therapy for the elderly is carried out necessarily in a hospital, in other cases, the decision is made by the doctor. The treatment algorithm consists of several stages. First, pneumonia is diagnosed, then the focus of inflammation is eliminated with antibiotics. Further, additional drugs are prescribed for the remaining signs of the disease.

Segmental

In adults, this form occurs more often than others and is divided into right-sided and left-sided. A private variety is bilateral, when there are lesions in both lungs. Treatment of pneumonia in an adult is carried out in a hospital with the use of antibiotics, physiotherapy, inhalations and the elimination of allergic reactions. With a unilateral or bilateral form, it is necessary to ensure the correct position of the patient - semi-sitting to improve lung function.

Viral

Bronchopneumonia

This type of pneumonia is also called focal. It develops against the background of bronchitis, therefore it is especially dangerous for its consequences - pleuropneumonia, abscess and even gangrene, therefore, treatment methods are chosen only by a doctor. Antibiotics become mandatory in therapy, and they are chosen according to the degree of impact on the intestinal microflora. Ecoantibiotics are often used. In addition, adults are treated with agents that thin, remove sputum and restore the immune system.

atypical

The most serious of all is the atypical form, because it is caused by atypical pathogens and such pneumonia often occurs in an adult without fever. The disease is also insidious in that it has a latent period when symptoms are practically absent. Antibiotics are often unable to cope with the manifestations of this type of pneumonia, so an adult is prescribed immunoglobulins and special procedures to suck fluid in the lungs. Treatment is supplemented with a complex of vitamins and antipyretics.

Radical

Another complex form of pneumonia is hilar. It is difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms are similar to tuberculosis and central lung cancer. Drugs for treatment are prescribed immediately after diagnosis, and several drugs at the same time, so that the condition is alleviated after 2-3 days and the patient can be prescribed warm-ups and exercise therapy.

Treatment of pneumonia in the hospital

Indications for hospitalization are the deterioration of the patient's condition or the inability to use the necessary drugs at home. With timely treatment, relief occurs after 2-4 days, but possible complications increase the length of stay in the hospital up to 10 days, and often up to 4 weeks. The patient is given injections or put on droppers with antibiotics, then in the same way a saline solution is injected to detoxify the body. In combination with these drugs, adults are prescribed expectorants and antipyretics.

How long is pneumonia treated

Community-acquired pneumonia in adults is treated at home and takes 7 to 10 days. This adds a period for the recovery of the body, which may take from 1 to several months. The same can be done to fight chronic pneumonia. The duration of treatment depends on the timeliness of therapy. In addition, the effectiveness of the selected drugs is also important. In a hospital, therapy has an average duration of 9-10 days in severe form. Congestive pneumonia can be cured in 20-25 days.

Treatment of pneumonia

General Mode

• regular ventilation, but avoid drafts;
• air temperature should be within 19-22 o C;
• the air needs to be humidified, a dry and too humid microclimate delays the healing process, this requires regular wet cleaning, the use of air humidifiers, or you can simply put a mug of water near a heat source;
• It is undesirable to use strong-smelling disinfectants for cleaning the room.

Medical methods for the treatment of pneumonia

• Ceftriaxone (Medaxone);
• Cefobid;
• Augmentin injections for intravenous administration and many other drugs.

• Augmentin (capsules);
• Cefuroxime;
• Cefepime;
• Cefotaxime;
• Lopraks and others.

2. Bifidum- and lactobacilli- necessary to protect the intestinal microflora from the action of antibiotics:

• Acidolac;
• Simbi Plus and many others.

• Pectolvan C and others.

• Desloratadine and others.

• Vitamin C;
• Vitamins A and E;
• B group vitamins.

In case of severe pneumonia in a hospital setting, infusion therapy (droppers) is prescribed, this is necessary to reduce intoxication.

Treatment of pneumonia will be effective if it is carried out under the supervision of a doctor, self-medication can harm human life and health!

Inhalation for pneumonia

For inhalation through a nebulizer, you can use:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs (Dekasan, Pulmicort);
• Bronchodilators (Ventolin, Salbutamol) - are used in the presence of bronchospasm (characterized by shortness of breath and noisy wheezing);
• Eufillin - in the presence of shortness of breath;
• Expectorants (Lazolvan, Mukolvan, Ambroxol, hydrocarbonate mineral water "Borjomi", "Polyana Kvasova" and others).

For such inhalations, you can use saline and alkaline solutions, decoctions of chamomile herbs, calendula, St. John's wort, and so on.

Treatment of pneumonia at home

Indications for inpatient treatment of pneumonia:

• high temperature, which is not knocked down by antipyretics;
• the presence of shortness of breath, noisy breathing, signs of lack of oxygen;
• the appearance of blood in the sputum;
• the presence of pleurisy, lung abscess;
• interstitial pneumonia (fungal, viral);
• disturbance of consciousness;
• children's age up to 2 years;
• pregnancy at any time;
• elderly age;
• the presence of concomitant pathologies;
• drug allergies.

Folk remedies in the treatment of pneumonia

The most effective traditional medicine for pneumonia:

• honey, propolis and other bee products;
• foods rich in vitamin C (lemon, onion, garlic, ginger, viburnum berries, raspberries, elderberries, cranberries, and so on);
• infusions of herbs that increase immunity: eleutherococcus, ginseng, echinacea and more;
• infusions of herbs with anti-inflammatory action: chamomile, calendula, sage;
• pine buds;
• herbs that improve sputum discharge: coltsfoot, St. John's wort, licorice, thyme, marshmallow, anise and others;
• animal fats for rubbing the chest: goose, sheep, badger, bear and other fats;
• wax moth.

Is it possible to use mustard plasters and jars for pneumonia?

The principle of operation of mustard plasters:

• redness and increased blood circulation are observed on the skin under the mustard plaster;
• irritation of the nerve receptors of the skin triggers a complex mechanism of chemical and immune reactions, as a result of which a greater number of immune cells are released into the focus of inflammation;
• as a result - faster recovery, reduction of pain, liquefaction of sputum and improvement of its discharge.

• increased body temperature;
• tuberculosis, including the suspicion of this diagnosis;
• the presence of sores, wounds on the skin, other skin diseases, including psoriasis;
• oncological diseases;
• allergy to mustard;
• pregnancy at any time;
• children's age up to 3 years;

Is it possible to bathe, swim, overheat with pneumonia?

• possible increase in body temperature to very high numbers;
• big load on the heart;
• after the blood vessels expand, the risk of infection spreading into the blood increases, that is, the development of sepsis;
• overheating is stress for the body, and pneumonia already exhausts the patient.

Is it possible to walk with pneumonia?

But on the other hand, walking will be beneficial in recovering from pneumonia.

How long do you need to lie down with pneumonia?

Treatment of pneumonia at home and in the hospital: antibiotics, mucolytics, traditional medicine, inhalations, exercise therapy and breathing exercises - video

What are the predictions for pneumonia?

But with a late visit to the doctor, an aggressive infection, reduced immunity, inadequate or untimely treatment of pneumonia, complications can develop that are always difficult and can threaten the patient's life.

Possible complications and consequences of pneumonia

How does pneumonia progress without treatment?

How long does pneumonia last?

Fungal pneumonia can be treated for up to 2-3 months.

Rehabilitation after pneumonia

• Electrophoresis with aloe, lidase and potassium iodide.

3. Vitamins - it is advisable to take a course of multivitamins (Multitabs, Vitrum, Pikovit, Supradin and others).

4. Balanced diet.

5. Rejection of bad habits.

6. Chest massage in which vibrating movements predominate - lung drainage.

7. Respiratory gymnastics and physiotherapy exercises are aimed at improving lung ventilation, freeing the bronchial tree from sputum, strengthening immunity, and preventing the formation of adhesions.

8. Staying in salt rooms, caves or mines - strengthens the immunity of the respiratory system, makes it easier to expectorate, salt has an antiseptic effect, that is, it leads to the death of many microbes.

9. Yoga classes .

10. Spa treatment. After pneumonia, it is better not to change the climate, that is, local sanatoriums are recommended. The optimal climate for recovering from pneumonia is warm with moderate humidity. Climate change is possible only 2 months after suffering pneumonia, then you can go to the sea, go to the mountains or the forest.

Causes of death due to pneumonia

The most common causes of death due to pneumonia are:

• pulmonary edema;
• distress syndrome;
• respiratory failure;
• cardiovascular insufficiency;
• sepsis, toxic shock, infective endocarditis, renal failure;
• cerebral edema and other causes.

Prevention of pneumonia

• Proper balanced nutrition;
• active lifestyle;
• regular walks in the fresh air;
• avoidance of stress;
• giving up bad habits (smoking, alcohol abuse, drugs);
• regular medical check-ups;
• timely access to a doctor and treatment of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza and other diseases, including non-infectious ones;
• vaccination against influenza, Haemophilus influenzae and other infections, according to medical recommendations and the vaccination schedule.

Predictions and prevention of pneumonia. Is it possible to die from pneumonia. Is there chronic pneumonia - video

Features of pneumonia in children

Features of the respiratory system in children:

• the complete formation of the respiratory system occurs only by 7 years;
• narrow diameter and small longitudinal dimensions of the respiratory tract, especially the bronchi and bronchioles, which accelerates the spread of infection to the underlying structures;
• "tender" mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, which is prone to inflammation, reduced local immunity of the respiratory system;
• the cilia of the bronchial mucosa are poorly developed, which contributes to a faster penetration of infections into the lungs and a more difficult sputum discharge;
• a tendency to edema of the submucosa of the respiratory tract, including the bronchi, which leads to their narrowing and deterioration of lung ventilation;
• children's lungs are very abundantly supplied with blood, while the alveoli are not yet fully formed, therefore there is much less air in the lungs than in adults, this provides good ground for the reproduction and vital activity of infections and the rapid development of pulmonary edema;
• the lobes and segments of the lungs are separated from each other by very thin partitions, which contributes to an easier spread of inflammation from one segment to another.

Features of the course of pneumonia in children of preschool and school age

• The symptoms of intoxication are always expressed, the body temperature rises, the child becomes lethargic, refuses to eat, goes to bed;
• quickly develop signs of respiratory failure and lack of oxygen (hypoxia) in the form of shortness of breath, cyanosis around the eyes and nasolabial triangle;
• often against the background of pneumonia, a broncho-obstructive syndrome develops (narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi), which is manifested by shortness of breath, frequent dry cough, noisy breathing, remote wheezing and whistles;
• the main symptoms of pneumonia in children are similar to the main symptoms of those in adults;
• high risk of complications in the form of pulmonary edema or sepsis.

Features of pneumonia in newborns and children under 1 year

• Newborns may have congenital pneumonia caused by microbes that infect the amniotic fluid. Infection can occur while still in the womb or while passing through the birth canal. Aspiration pneumonia can occur, that is, the ingress of amniotic fluid into the lungs. Such pneumonia is always difficult, children often end up in intensive care.
• For children under 1 year of age, a fulminant course of the disease is characteristic, that is, the symptoms develop simultaneously and complications develop very quickly.
• The main signs of pneumonia in children are refusal to eat, lethargy, fever, pulsation of the large fontanel, blue nasolabial triangle, noisy breathing, retraction of the intercostal spaces and retraction of the abdominal muscles.
• Very high risk of developing sepsis and meningitis, so there is no time to think, you must urgently seek medical help even at the first symptoms of pneumonia.
• Febrile convulsions are often observed (against the background of elevated body temperature).

Principles of treatment of pneumonia in children

• Children with pneumonia under 2 years of age should be treated in a hospital setting.
• Antibiotics are mandatory in the treatment of pneumonia in children, and injections are preferred over syrups and tablets. The principles of antibiotic treatment are the same as for adults.
• Children under 1 year of age often require oxygen through a mask in the early days of pneumonia. Hypoxia in an immature organism can have a very negative impact on the baby's central nervous system and affect its further mental and physical development.
• The general principles of treatment and regimen for pneumonia in children are not much different from those in adults, except that medical supervision of such babies should be more thorough.

Pneumonia in children and pregnant women: causes, symptoms, complications, treatment - video

Answers to frequently asked questions

Which doctor should I contact with pneumonia?

Is pneumonia contagious?

In other cases, the risk of contracting pneumonia exists, but it depends on the state of the protective forces of the contact with the patient. A healthy immune system will not allow you to get sick only from contact with a patient with pneumonia.

Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally whether pneumonia is contagious or not. But important is the fact that pneumonia does not lead to the development of epidemics. Therefore, we are not talking about a high contagiousness of the disease.

Can pneumonia occur without fever, cough or symptoms at all?

What to do if after pneumonia the temperature is 37 o C?

It is necessary to exclude such pathologies:

• kidney disease;
• rheumatic diseases;
• thyroid disease;
• chronic diseases of ENT organs and teeth;
• intestinal dysbacteriosis against the background of taking antibiotics and some other pathologies.

But many experts still argue that nothing can be done with such a temperature, it is enough just to carry out all the measures for recovery and rehabilitation after pneumonia, and the temperature will normalize by itself.

In any case, if the body temperature after pneumonia has not returned to normal, you should consult a doctor, you should not wait for relief on your own.

What do frequent diseases of pneumonia mean?

Possible causes of frequent pneumonia:

• immunodeficiencies, including HIV infection;
• Chronical bronchitis;
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD);
• chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
• the presence in the lungs of large areas of pneumofibrosis - adhesions Maslennikova A.V. Doctor of the 1st category

Pneumonia "grandmother's" means is not treated! © Thinkstock

The first colds of some people are “rewarded”, others are put to bed with bronchitis. And especially “lucky” golden autumn gives pneumonia ...

Why does pneumonia occur?

The human lungs are a vital organ and are highly vulnerable to infectious diseases. Under certain conditions (high activity of microbes, violation of the qualitative composition of the inhaled air, etc.) - the infectious process is not localized only in the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx, larynx, trachea), but spreads down.

Sometimes inflammation of the bronchial mucosa occurs -. But it gets even worse. Inflammation occurs directly in the lung tissue. This is pneumonia - a dangerous enemy of our health, which is also called "pneumonia".

Signs of pneumonia

Experience shows that quite often pneumonia occurs as a complication of the usual SARS, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis.
You should know some signs that allow you to suspect the development of pneumonia:

1. Cough has become the main symptom of the disease.

2. After some improvement in health, a deterioration suddenly sets in.

3. Any cold that lasts more than 7 days.

4. It is impossible to take a deep breath - such an attempt leads to a coughing fit.

5. Severe pallor of the skin against the background of other symptoms of SARS (fever, runny nose, cough).

6. Shortness of breath at low body temperature.

7. At a high temperature, paracetamol and other antipyretic drugs do not help at all.

Can pneumonia be cured without the help of a pharmacy?

When treating pneumonia, one cannot do without the use of pharmacological agents - no “grandmother's remedies” will help here, and self-treatment of pneumonia can lead to the most sad consequences.

Therefore, you must definitely consult a doctor. Doctors, first of all, will determine the etiology (origin) of pneumonia - and it can be either viral or bacterial. In the first case, antiviral drugs are prescribed, and in the second - antibiotics.

Let's put in a word for antibiotics

In recent years, negative stereotypes have developed in relation to antibiotics. Indeed, these substances are quite strong in their effect on the body and are not suitable as prophylactic agents.

But when the disease came, especially as severe as pneumonia, it is antibiotics that are the most effective remedy and literally save lives.

How to choose an antibiotic

When choosing an antibiotic, first of all listen to the advice of your doctor. But it will be useful to have a minimum of knowledge about antibiotics yourself.

Original or generic? The situation in Ukraine is such that most antibiotics are generics, that is, analogues of some well-established drug. Generics are cheaper than original drugs, but as a rule they fall short of the originals in terms of quality.

Original drugs are required undergoing clinical trials and are manufactured in pharmaceutical plants in accordance with the strict GRP standard.

Original preparations usually contain fewer impurities than generics. In addition, original drugs have a minimum of side effects.

Treatment time for pneumonia - in direct proportion to the selected antibiotic

Pay attention to the course of treatment and the mode of administration. Is there time to be sick for a long time? The more effective the drug, the less time is required to achieve the desired therapeutic effect.

For example, the course of treatment with the antibiotic drug Sumamed (Croatia) is only three days. While the typical duration of treatment for diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia with most other drugs is 7-10 days.

And the last rule for people prone to pneumonia: take care of yourself! It is better to stay at home in the first two days of illness and actively treat yourself with "grandmother's remedies" than to wallow in bed for 10 days with pneumonia, coughing hoarsely and swallowing antibiotics of any quality.

After all, before somehow treated! Yes, they did, but they didn't. Before the invention of antibiotics, a diagnosis of pneumonia was tantamount to a death sentence. Units recovered. The few survivors subsequently recovered their health for a very long time. Even today, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in childhood. Worldwide, more children die from it than from measles, AIDS and malaria combined. The percentage of deaths from pneumonia and the streets of the elderly is high. This is due to low immunity and the presence of chronic diseases.

The mechanism of the development of the disease

To determine how to treat pneumonia, you need to know what processes occur in the lungs. First of all, you need to understand that pneumonia is an infectious disease, and therefore contagious. Bacteria, fungi and viruses can cause disease.

Inflammation of the lungs can be primary and secondary. In primary pneumonia, the pathogen enters the respiratory tract with inhaled air. The secondary form develops when microorganisms from other foci of inflammation in the body enter the bloodstream. Also, septic and infectious processes can be a source of pathogens.

Pneumonia can also develop for exogenous reasons. In the event of a decrease in immunity, the microflora in the respiratory tract is activated and provokes the development of pneumonia.

In response to the increased development of microorganisms on the alveoli (respiratory sacs of the lung tissue), leukocytes and sputum begin to be intensively secreted in the focus, which leads to local pulmonary edema. This process isolates the spread of the infection to nearby tissues and, through the blood, throughout the body.

Depending on which parts of the lungs are affected, pneumonia can be:

• focal;
• equity;
• segmental.

If the whole lung becomes inflamed, then we are talking about a total disease. When both lungs are involved in the pathological process, we are talking about bilateral inflammation.

Symptoms and complications

If pneumonia is caused by bacteria, the patient will present the following complaints:

• feverish state;
• severe pain behind the sternum, aggravated by coughing;
• chills;
• cough with viscous sputum;
• increased sweating.

Objectively, there will be an increase in heart rate and respiration. Lips and nails will become bluish.

When the disease is provoked by a viral agent, the clinical picture will be slightly different: dry cough, temperature rise to high values, headache, severe shortness of breath, severe weakness, muscle pain.

Pneumonia of fungal etiology, the symptoms will be less pronounced and similar to a bacterial or viral process in the lungs.

It must be borne in mind that after the flu and the common cold, the development of complications in the form of pneumonia is possible. If you treat the treatment of pneumonia without due attention and do not follow all the doctor's prescriptions, the disease can lead to very serious consequences.

Incorrect or incomplete therapy of pneumonia can lead to two types of complications - pulmonary and extrapulmonary.

Pulmonary:

• pleurisy (inflammatory processes in the pleura);
• abscess (accumulation of pus) of the lung;
• pleural empyema (accumulation of pus in the pleural cavity);
• gangrene (rotting) of the lung;
• destruction of lung tissue.

Extrapulmonary:

• sepsis (general blood poisoning);
• acute pulmonary heart (sharp overload of the heart muscle, leading to death);
• infectious-toxic shock;
• damage to the outer inner membranes of the heart and cardiac muscle;
• meningoencephalitis (inflammation of the brain and its membranes);
• thrombus formation;
• meningitis (inflammation of the meninges).

How to be treated correctly

Therapy of pneumonia should be carried out depending on the type of microorganisms that caused the disease. You should not prescribe treatment for yourself and take medicines without a prescription from your doctor. The patient will not be able to establish the etiology of the disease himself, and the effectiveness of the treatment depends on this!

Therapy with drugs is prescribed taking into account the ethology of the disease:

1. If the fungal microflora has become the cause of pneumonia, then the drugs should be from the antifungal group.
2. Pneumonia caused by viral agents should only be treated with antiviral drugs. Taking antibiotics for these two types of pneumonia will not only not be effective, but will also cause irreparable harm to the body, dramatically increasing the growth of pathogenic microflora in the respiratory system. Such inadequate treatment will very quickly lead to serious complications!
3. Pneumonia caused by various bacteria should be treated with antimicrobials, i.e. antibiotics. Treatment of pneumonia of bacterial ethology without antibiotics will be not only ineffective, but also a dangerous development of complications.

Uncontrolled intake of such drugs leads to increased resistance (resistance) of microorganisms to these drugs. And in the future, in case of urgent need, doctors will be stumped in the choice of drug therapy.

It is possible to accurately determine the type of causative agent of the disease only with the help of bacteriological culture of sputum. Only then can you make the right decision with confidence how to cure the disease.

If earlier pneumonia was cured with antibiotics without problems, now, due to the sharply increased resistance of the body to these drugs, antibiotics must be selected individually. For this, the bacteriological laboratory inoculates pathogenic microorganisms isolated from sputum on special media. The entire sowing area is divided into sectors, each of which is treated with antibiotics of different groups. For the treatment of pneumonia, a drug is selected from the group that most suppressed the growth of bacteria.

The doctor prescribes a course of antibiotic treatment depending on the general condition of the patient, the severity of the disease, the type of pneumonia and the size of the lung lesion. Therapy with these drugs is usually from 7 days to two weeks. During this time, all pathogenic microorganisms will be destroyed.

In no case should you interrupt the course of treatment prescribed by your doctor! Such initiative will lead to the development of the disease with renewed vigor. But antibiotics will not help in this case.

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Should pneumonia be treated without antibiotics?

Pneumonia is considered a disease that is complicated: with manifestations of fever, intoxication, severe concomitant pathologies. Accordingly, the treatment requires a complex, serious, with the use of antimicrobial drugs. Despite this, the question of whether pneumonia can be cured without antibiotics is being raised more and more often, especially among supporters of herbal medicine and homeopathy.

Antibiotics are a relatively new discovery of mankind, which became widespread in the 20th century. Before the invention of antibiotics, people also suffered from complex diseases, including pneumonia. Most of the patients died from a serious illness, but there were those who were cured without antimicrobial drugs.

The complexity of the course of the disease

Inflammatory pathologies of the pulmonary system are treated by doctors as diseases that can provoke complications, chronic failures, and combined health disorders. The lungs and bronchi of the patient suffer in the first place, and a violation of their functioning entails a number of serious failures in the patient's body.

Symptoms and signs of the inflammatory pulmonary process are:

• cough: both dry and productive;
• obstruction syndrome and severe shortness of breath;
• cyanosis of the skin, cyanosis of the perioral zone;
• symptoms of tachycardia;
• feverish conditions and signs of intoxication;
• chest pain.

Dangerous symptoms of pulmonary inflammation are:

• severe shortness of breath, accompanied by rapid breathing;
• cyanosis of the skin;
• high body temperature for several hours, difficult to correct;
• rapid heart rate over 90 beats per minute;
• a sharp decrease in blood pressure.

With symptoms indicating a dangerous and complicated course of pneumonia, the patient should be immediately hospitalized to provide qualified medical care.

Treatment of pneumonia in hospitals primarily involves the use of second and third generation antimicrobials, as well as a combination of two types of antibiotics to enhance the therapeutic effect.

Conditions for effective treatment of pneumonia

Quick and uncomplicated relief from the inflammatory pulmonary process is possible in conditions of a quick, timely and correct response. Fortunately, pneumonia is considered a complex but not fatal disease by modern physicians, thanks to the available step-by-step scheme for the treatment of pneumonia.

1. Antimicrobial therapy consists of treatment with a number of antibiotics. Before prescribing the drug that is most effective for this type of pathology, doctors study the patient's tests and medical history, at the same time making sure that the patient is not allergic to certain antibiotics. In the case of an existing allergy to a certain medicinal range, the doctors are replaced with an approved drug. In severe cases of the disease, antimicrobial drugs are prescribed by injection, with milder forms of pathology - in tablet form.
2. Doctors recommend bed rest to their patients strictly in the first few days of the disease, as the body. Weakened by pneumococcal agents and oxygen hypoxia of tissues, the body needs maximum rest to maintain strength. The patient is allowed to get up no earlier than on the fourth day from the onset of the disease.
3. The removal of sputum from the bronchi is considered a prerequisite for the effective treatment of pneumonia. To this end, doctors prescribe mucolytic agents and bronchodilators, based on the general condition of the patient.
4. Considerable importance is also given to the treatment of the primary source of the onset of the pathology, which provoked the subsequent pulmonary inflammation.

The patient is given plenty of fluids to drink, thereby weakening the destructive effect of toxins secreted by pneumococci. To normalize the functioning of the immune system, the patient is given immunomodulators and vitamin preparations.

Treatment of pneumonia without antibiotics

Despite the centuries-old experience of healing from pneumonia without the use of antibiotics, experts categorically warn their patients against such a rash step. When asked if pneumonia can be cured without taking antibiotics, doctors answer unambiguously in the negative.

There are many factors confirming the correctness of physicians.

1. First of all, the treatment of pneumonia without antibiotics, carried out a hundred years ago, often ended in death. In terms of the number of patients who died, pneumonia occupied one of the first places, second only to infectious outbreaks of epidemics. Rare cases of cure did not leave recipes for the main treatment, but only recipes for accompanying therapy.
2. Pneumococcal agents and bacilli that cause inflammation of the lungs are constantly mutating, so even conventional antimicrobials can become ineffective in treating pneumonia. Recently, doctors prefer to prescribe to their patients not one antimicrobial drug, but two, complementary and reinforcing each other's action.
3. The immunity of mankind in recent decades has undergone changes for the worse against the backdrop of the environmental situation, nutritional problems and addiction to bad habits. Any infection, even not too dangerous, can become a source of threat to humans, and pneumococci can become a terminal source.

All these factors suggest that the treatment of pneumonia without the use of antibiotics is a risky and unjustified step that can cause irreparable harm to the patient's body.

Duration of antibiotic therapy

Another unreasonably risky step is considered to be an independent reduction in the duration of antimicrobial therapy. Doctors say that antibiotics for pneumonia should be taken for at least seven days, and in severe cases - up to two weeks. Feeling the first signs of improvement, the patient may consider that he no longer needs antibiotic therapy, and will cancel the treatment on his own.

In such cases, the patient is threatened:

• acute recurrence of the pathological condition of the pulmonary system;
• inflammatory damage to nearby healthy lung tissues;
• the development of pathological complications affecting the cardiac system, bronchopulmonary pathways;
• the formation and progression of a lung abscess, followed by a breakthrough of purulent contents into the lung tissue;
• sepsis;
• severe inflammatory course of the disease, turning into a chronic form.

That is why doctors insist on continuous intake of an antimicrobial drug for several days, while the treatment regimen is adjusted by the doctor depending on the patient's condition and the speed of the recovery process.

General rules for choosing a drug

Antimicrobial drugs are classified according to the degree and intensity of exposure. For severe pathologies that occur against the background of severe symptoms, potent antibiotics are used.

1. Uncomplicated pneumonia in young and middle-aged patients can be treated with penicillins or macrolides. Inflammation of the lungs in this category of patients, which is mild, is often treated at home, since there is no need for urgent hospitalization of the patient.
2. In patients over the age of 50 with a "bouquet" of comorbidities in the form of diabetes mellitus, psychopathology, liver or kidney failure, pneumonia is treated with third-generation cephalosporins. Due to the possible severity of the course of the pathology, in these patients, the progression of several pathogens of the pathological pulmonary condition is possible at the same time.
3. It is customary to treat lobar pneumonia always in a hospital, which is why antibiotics of a number of fluoroquinolones are used.

In stationary conditions, doctors monitor the timely administration of medications and injections, and the treatment of pneumonia at home requires self-control from the patient and control from relatives.

Conditions for home therapy

The main conditions that contribute to the effective recovery of a patient with pneumonia at home include several important aspects.

1. Recovery and maintenance diet. Taking antibiotics can weaken the patient's immune system and provoke malfunctions in the gastrointestinal tract. It is necessary to introduce fermented milk products with lactobacilli, liquid cereals, broths and soups into the patient's diet.
2. The patient should be allowed to drink as much liquid as possible. Experts recommend in the treatment of any viral infection and bacterial pathology to give the patient a drink every quarter of an hour, giving him a quarter cup of warm raspberry broth, cranberry juice or just milk with honey.
3. The antimicrobial course of treatment must be sustained by the patient to the end, it is categorically not recommended to independently adjust the dosage and terms of taking the drug in the direction of reduction.
4. In the room where the patient is located, the air must be clean and ventilated: for this, the cross-ventilation method is used at least three times a day, after removing the patient from the room for several minutes.

Doctors categorically do not recommend stopping antibiotics on their own in the treatment of pneumonia, since the apparent relief of symptoms occurs against the background of the cessation of reproduction of bacterial agents. As soon as antimicrobial agents cease to enter the body, pneumococci recur and begin to multiply actively, provoking a new round of inflammatory disease.

It is almost impossible to cure pneumonia without antibiotics, and besides, it is quite risky. Such treatment will not only not give the proper timely effect, but can turn the pathology into a chronic course.

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Has anyone treated pneumonia without antibiotics?

Are there cases when pneumonia was cured without taking these drugs? Does anyone have a personal example?

From my own experience I can say that once in my childhood, I visited my grandmother in the summer. She got sick with pneumonia. The doctor who examined me suggested hospitalization. But my grandmother refused and treated me at home. Without physiotherapy and antibiotics.

But how is it for an adult?

When there were no antibiotics, people died from pneumonia everywhere. Even if we take into account that the immunity of people at that time was stronger than ours, only a few survived. These days, I have not heard of anyone self-healing at home without antibiotics! I tried at home with antibiotics alone to cure pneumonia and almost became disabled. Treatment of pneumonia is a complex of procedures that can only be carried out in a hospital. If you do not want to remain disabled for life, then get treated in the hospital.

Definitely, many treated pneumonia without antibiotics) That's true, it was at a time when they simply did not exist as such. Believe me, the outcome in 90% of cases was very sad, only a few survived.

Moreover, even insufficient antibiotic intake, or attempts to treat pneumonia at home, by independently buying any tableted antibacterial drugs and taking them, is a very risky activity, which can also lead, if not to death, then to disability for sure.

Pneumonia is a very serious diagnosis that requires adequate detoxification, antibacterial infusion treatment, in addition to constant monitoring of the dynamics of treatment by a doctor, this is practically impossible to do at home.

My opinion is that it is better not to joke with pneumonia, seek help from medical institutions, otherwise after experimenting with folk methods it may be too late.

I managed to cure hilar pneumonia, but I do not advise repeating my experience. There were no antibiotics at all, but the course did not give any effect. It was necessary to go to the 3rd course for geological practice (7 weeks), without passing it it was impossible to move on to the next course. By that time, I had been sick for over a month. I spat on everything and went. Since it was terribly cold (it snowed in the Moscow region in June), the hostel at the training ground was not heated, and the windows were broken, so we had to warm ourselves from the inside. There was little money and the guys bought a canister of Ferein alcohol (then they bought more). This alcohol was drunk almost all 7 weeks with short breaks. A week later I got to my feet and forgot about the disease. I really can't stand the smell of alcohol now :)

P.S. Alcohol did not affect grades and studies.

Pneumonia is not a disease that can be treated without antibiotics. Even taking these into account, you can get a lot of complications. And treating pneumonia with cough medicine alone can lead to the removal of a lung or even death if the infection invades both lungs. If a person has already developed pneumonia, this already indicates that the body is weakened. And he does not have the strength to fight the pathogen. And nothing but antibiotics can be so fast and effective.

And do not forget that a person suffering from pneumonia is contagious. And as a result, you can not only get sick yourself, but also infect your relatives.

Alas, with pneumonia, there is only one solution - antibiotics.

Perhaps it was not pneumonia, but bronchitis. But even with bronchitis you should not joke, not to mention pneumonia. We and our parents have been treated with medicines since childhood, our immune system cannot even overcome acute respiratory infections without pills, we do not know how to be treated with herbs and physical procedures, they do not affect us. Therefore, it is better not to take risks, to be treated as expected. With pneumonia, pulmonary edema can develop, and with untreated pneumonia, it will be necessary, in this case, antibiotics are unlikely to help.

Pneumonia is treated only with antibiotics, whether it is bacterial or viral. Here we are already talking about damage to the lungs, as well as about human life, so it is better not to joke with pneumonia, but to treat it in accordance with the recommendations of the attending physician. And the doctor will prescribe antibiotics and he will be right. Even bronchitis cannot always be cured without antibiotics, let alone pneumonia.

In general, it’s not worth risking pneumonia, a serious sore, when I served in the army, they often get pneumonia, and we had a current soldier, so he didn’t go to the doctor for almost two months when he was sick, well, he had complications in both lungs, and after we didn’t seen, though it remained to serve decently. Do not take risks, your health, in old age everything is a knitsa.

Any pneumonia must be treated internally. After all, this is not a runny nose that you can drip with medicine or rinse your nose, and not a throat that you can rinse or lubricate.

• either your grandmother knew some folk remedy akin to an antibiotic (some plants contain similar substances),
• or it was not pneumonia, but, say, bronchitis.

Indeed, in our time, you cannot get rid of pneumonia without antibiotics, because it has been proven that the cause of pneumonia is an infection. That's just pneumonia itself, in principle, is not terrible, its complications are terrible, some sometimes fatal. Therefore, I do not recommend that you let the disease take its course, especially since at present there are many fairly harmless antibiotics with a minimum of side effects. I adhere to the position that we have one health, and it is worth cherishing it and supporting it in every possible way. Indeed, in our world it is now not only necessary to be healthy, but even fashionable.

Pneumonia without antibiotics

Doctors may have different opinions, but they agree on one thing - it is unacceptable to treat pneumonia with "folk remedies"

Personally, I rarely refuse to treat patients. And in general, most doctors are very patient and tolerant people. Negativity, irritation, fatigue from illness often fall upon us. Often you have to explain, convince, persuade. But this is part of our job. In addition, we have to admit that doctors themselves often contradict each other ...

“How many doctors, so many opinions,” goes the saying. By the way, why? When people ask me why one doctor recommended one thing and another recommended another, I give the following example.

Let's imagine that you don't know how to get from St. Petersburg to Novosibirsk. Ask your friends, look on the Internet. It turns out that there are a lot of options.

For example, you can fly by plane. Fast. But expensive. Besides, you have aerophobia.

You can travel by train. Also not cheap. And longer than by plane. There are many fellow travelers in the carriage. No soul.

It is possible by car. Travel longer than by train. You will get very tired along the way. You can get into an accident. The car may break down on the road. But you can spend the night in a motel with comfort. You don't have to talk to fellow travelers.

You can by bike. Possibly only in the summer. A very long time. Relatively cheap. Dangerous.

Also, Novosibirsk can theoretically be reached on foot, in a hot air balloon, gyro scooter, etc.

Thus, there are many ways to solve one problem. Each method has its pros and cons. It's hard to choose. Some experts strongly advise one thing - others recommend something completely different.

And there is another option for those who still cannot decide. Send everyone to the bath and stay at home. Don't go anywhere. Do not be treated. Just lie on the stove, wait for something. Come on, stove, take me straight to Novosibirsk!

There are times when a patient (or his parents) fundamentally goes against everything and everyone. Opposes obvious conventional wisdom. And even when all the doctors say the same thing, he continues to stick to his line.

Once I was examining a five-year-old boy with the rare name Luka. The medical history was as follows. The child fell ill, had a temperature for 5 days, after which the parents decided that it was not about teething after all. (Which, however, could not be even in theory.)

The called district doctor, after listening to the child, said that he had pneumonia (pneumonia), and sent him to the hospital. They did an X-ray of the lungs, which confirmed the diagnosis. On the background of the antibiotic, Luka's condition quickly improved.

The parents fled the hospital three days later, and the antibiotic they were told to continue taking was abandoned due to the complete ideological rejection of any "chemistry". A day after discharge, the child fell ill again.

I examined the patient. On the right, in the lower sections, moist, finely bubbling rales were clearly heard, there was also a pronounced dullness during percussion. These were all clear signs of ongoing segmental pneumonia.

“We must be to blame,” Grandma said. - We were so afraid of these injections that we decided not to continue them at home. Moreover, the state of health was completely normal. But we continued to heal. Folk methods. They smeared it with honey. Interior fat. They added cabbage."

“The minimum treatment for pneumonia is seven days of antibiotics,” I replied. “And even longer.”

“Wait doctor,” my grandmother told me. - But after all antibiotics have appeared only recently? After all, they somehow treated pneumonia without them before?

“You are right,” I said. “Inflammation of the lungs can really go away without antibiotics.”

First, many pneumonias, especially in children under 5 years of age, are inherently viral. True, it is quite difficult to decide whether it is viral pneumonia or not. And even when a blood test does not show bacterial inflammation, if the child has a fever for more than 5 days and pneumonia is heard, no doctor will risk the patient's health in this situation.

What happens if you don't give antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia? Until the 1940s and 1950s, there were no antibiotics. Therefore, about a third of patients with pneumonia died. It should be noted that even now, despite the fact that we have the most powerful medicines, antibiotics and resuscitation, pneumonia claims hundreds of thousands of lives every year around the world.

Further, even those remaining two-thirds who eventually recovered from pneumonia without antibiotics did not have it easy. Recovery could take several months, during which the person was intensely ill, was on the verge of death.

Moreover, many of those who seemed to have recovered could not be said to have fully recovered. Often, the purulent process in the lungs became chronic, causing a constant cough and intoxication, the development of bronchiectasis, abscesses and adhesions, even requiring complex surgical treatment in the future. For those who do not believe, I recommend reading the book of the great Fedor Uglov "The Surgeon's Heart".

Now, small pneumonia is treated with antibiotics, often in just 10 days, without leaving any consequences and complications.

I told all this to my mother and grandmother, they nodded understandingly and promised to faithfully follow the doctor's recommendations.

I prescribed an antibiotic in the form of a delicious syrup, cough medicine. We phoned the next day, everything was going well, the temperature subsided - that is, the antibiotic began to work. We agreed to meet in five days to listen to the child.

It's been a week and my parents haven't called. Suddenly, after 10 days, my grandmother showed up, in extreme excitement: “Doctor, can you come to us urgently?” "What happened?!" - I ask. “Yes, again the temperature is 40. Luka is coughing terribly, some kind of pale, even bluish, breathing quickly. True, we didn’t finish the antibiotic, the bottle ended after 5 days, but the child felt great, only coughed, we decided that enough was enough. But the cabbage continued to be applied. Can you come?"

To be honest, I was just speechless. It turns out that everything I did was in vain. The parents gave up the antibiotic, and now we are getting a new round of the disease, it seems that it is even stronger than the last one.

“Call an ambulance and go to the hospital,” I said to my grandmother, with difficulty restraining myself so as not to yell with a good obscenity. - This cannot be treated at home. What if the guy already has pleurisy and needs a pleural puncture?

In fact, even if there was just a runny nose, I would still not go to these people now. What is the point of wasting your time and nerves if the recommendations are still not followed and the parents do what they want, to the detriment of their own child?

I would rather treat those patients who fulfill my prescriptions.

How it all ended there, I don’t know, because the cabbage grandmother didn’t call me anymore.

Inflammation of the lungs is a pathological inflammatory process that usually has an infectious nature and affects the lung tissue that covers the walls of the organ and the alveoli. Alveoli are called small vesicles, one side of which is connected to the alveolar duct. They are involved in ensuring the respiratory function and carry out gas exchange in the capillaries of the lung tissue, so their inflammation leads to respiratory failure and pain during inhalation and exhalation.

Pneumonia (a general term that refers to any inflammation of lung tissue) is usually caused by viruses or pathogenic bacteria. With improperly selected treatment, there is a risk of developing severe complications, for example, lung abscess, meningitis, or pleural lesions, therefore, in severe cases, the patient is hospitalized in an infectious diseases hospital. If the patient refuses hospitalization and wants to be treated at home, it is important to follow all the recommendations and appointments of specialists. Before using traditional medicine recipes, it is also necessary to consult a doctor, as some of them may have contraindications.

How to treat pneumonia at home

How do you know if a person has pneumonia?

Pneumonia in most cases has a fairly characteristic course, accompanied by typical symptoms, but only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis. To diagnose an inflammatory process in the lungs, differential diagnosis may be required - a set of examinations to exclude pathologies with a similar clinical picture. It can be bronchitis, pleurisy, candidiasis of the lungs or tuberculosis infection.

At home, it is almost impossible to make a diagnosis, but according to certain signs, you can determine the approximate localization of the pathological process and seek medical help in time.

The main symptoms of pneumonia

The symptoms of the disease include:

• general signs of intoxication (headache, poor appetite, weakness);
• dry, hacking cough;
• chest pain, the intensity of which increases with inhalation or coughing;
• temperature rise;
• shortness of breath, shortness of breath;
• increased heart rate (above 90 beats per minute);
• pallor of the skin of the face and limbs;
• signs of cyanosis (cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes of the lips);
• nasal congestion;
• rhinitis.

The state of the lungs with pneumonia

In some cases, pneumonia is accompanied by a drop in blood pressure. It is impossible to consider hypotension as an isolated symptom of pneumonia, but in combination with cough, chest pain and other manifestations, low pressure complements the clinical picture characteristic of this disease. The temperature in the first days of illness in adults can be kept at the level of subfebrile condition (not higher than 37.5-37.7 °), in children the disease immediately begins with a febrile syndrome, chills and a rise in temperature to 38 ° and above.

Cough at the beginning of treatment is always dry, painful, permanent. After the cough becomes productive, the patient will have a thick yellow sputum.

Symptoms of pneumonia

Important! In some cases, sputum with a wet cough may be white and small blotches. This picture is typical for candidal lesions of the lungs. Hemoptysis in pneumonia may occur due to damage to the rupture of small vessels or be a sign of tuberculosis. To correctly determine the cause of the pathological condition, you will need to undergo a diagnostic examination, which includes laboratory diagnostics (urine and blood tests, sputum sampling or discharge from the throat), chest x-ray.

The basics of treating pneumonia at home

Even if the patient refused inpatient treatment, this does not mean that it will be possible to cure pneumonia without the use of medications. The basis of drug therapy for pneumonia of bacterial origin is the use of antibiotics. The drugs of choice in adults are usually semisynthetic penicillins. These are drugs based on ampicillin and amoxicillin (Flemoxin, Augmentin, Amosin, Amoxiclav). These drugs have a wide spectrum of antibacterial activity, but they often cause an allergic reaction, so they can be replaced by stronger new-generation antibiotics: cephalosporins or macrolides.

Alveoli in pneumonia

Antibiotics used to treat pneumonia

Note! If pneumonia is caused by viral or fungal microorganisms, the use of antibiotic therapy will be ineffective. In this case, systemic antifungal drugs (Miconazole, Fluconazole) or antiviral drugs in combination with immunomodulators (interferon drugs, Imudon, Afobazole) may be required.

Symptomatic therapy at home

The main symptom of pneumonia is coughing. To make it productive, the patient may be prescribed expectorants and mucolytics. Most often, these are drugs containing acetylcysteine ​​or ambroxol. These include:

Treatment of patients with community-acquired pneumonia

They can be taken orally in the form of tablets, syrups and solutions, or used for steam inhalation using an inhaler or nebulizer. Excellent liquefies sputum and relieves dry cough "Lazolvan" in the form of a solution. If the pathology is accompanied by signs of obstruction (narrowing of the airways), therapy is supplemented by inhalations with Berodual and Berotek.

It is necessary to carry out inhalations 3-4 times a day. The dosage of the drug is 20 drops at a time (for Lazolvan - 25 drops), which must be diluted with 3-5 ml of saline. Of the local remedies, "Salbutamol" in the form of an aerosol has a similar effect. It should be used 4 times a day, making one injection during the inhalation phase.

Severity of pneumonia

Paracetamol preparations can be used to lower the temperature. If they do not give a sufficient effect, you can replace them with ibuprofen-based products or use combination drugs, for example, Next. To prevent an allergic reaction, histamine blockers (Diazolin, Claritin, Loratadin) may be prescribed.

Is it possible to recover in folk ways?

Treatment of pneumonia with alternative methods is justified only if the disease is caused by non-infectious causes, for example, the ingress of harmful substances or liquids into the respiratory tract. In other situations, alternative medicine can be a good addition to drug treatment, but in no case should you replace drugs prescribed by a doctor with folk recipes. Below are the most effective and safe recipes for the treatment of inflammation in the lungs, which, if necessary, can be used even in childhood.

Video - Treatment of pneumonia at home

Potato compresses with honey

Such compresses help to facilitate the discharge of sputum and reduce the severity of the inflammatory process, as well as reduce the intensity of pain when coughing, inhaling and sneezing. Do it every day at night for 5-7 days.

The medicine is prepared as follows:

• boil 2 potatoes in a "uniform" (it is desirable that the potatoes were young);
• mash potatoes;
• add 1 tablespoon of honey, 2 tablespoons of warm milk and 1 tablespoon of any vegetable oil;
• mix everything and wrap in cheesecloth.

Potato compress with honey facilitates sputum discharge and reduces the severity of the inflammatory process

To prevent the compress from moving out, you can fix it with a patch. You need to apply the mass to the area of ​​​​the bronchi on the back (from the side of the lesion). Relief usually occurs after the second procedure.

mustard ointment

A very effective remedy to help get rid of pain in the sternum, reduce the intensity of coughing and improve sputum relief. To prepare the ointment, you will need:

• natural mustard - 2 tablespoons;
• vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons;
• wheat flour - 1 spoon.

Mustard ointment helps relieve chest pain, reduce cough intensity and improve sputum relief

All ingredients must be mixed and warmed up a little in a water bath before use. Lay the patient on his stomach, cover the heart area with a thick flannel diaper. Apply a thin layer of ointment on the entire surface of the chest and feet (from the heel to the central part of the foot), cover with another diaper on top and leave overnight.

Even with a pronounced improvement in well-being, this procedure cannot be carried out every day, it is necessary to maintain a daily interval. In total, three such procedures need to be done - usually this is enough to stop inflammation.

Important! This recipe is not suitable for people suffering from heart disease, bronchial asthma and diabetes. It is forbidden to use mustard and mustard plasters at elevated body temperature. After the procedure, you need to take a warm shower (not hot!).

Video - How to treat pneumonia

Essential oils

Essential oils have a huge number of useful properties and can be used as part of a complex treatment for inflammation of the bronchopulmonary tissue. Eucalyptus, fir, juniper oils have a pronounced antibacterial effect and help to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. The tannins and phytoncides contained in them destroy the pathogenic flora and prevent the development of a secondary infection.

Tea tree oil, sandalwood, geranium and chamomile have a tonic effect and help fight inflammation. The essential oil of orange, bergamot, rosemary and grapefruit strengthens the immune system and helps the body cope with the disease faster.

Essential oils have a wide range of health benefits

Oils can be used in two ways: for chest massage or aromatherapy. You can apply a few drops of oil to the tip of a pillow or blanket, but this method is not suitable for people with hypersensitivity.

garlic oil

Garlic is the most popular folk remedy for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system. It contains many pungent essential oils and acids that help fight pathogens (including a mixed flora made up of several types of pathogens). Garlic can be used for inhalation or direct consumption. With pneumonia, it is not recommended to eat raw garlic - doctors recommend preparing garlic oil from it.

Garlic is the most popular folk remedy for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system.

To do this, 5 cloves of garlic must be chopped and mixed with 100 g of melted butter (high quality and fat content of at least 82.5%). After that, put the mixture in the refrigerator for several hours. The oil can be used for sandwiches or added to meat and vegetable dishes.

Video - How to treat pneumonia with folk remedies

How to speed up recovery?

During the entire period of treatment, the patient must comply with bed rest. It is strictly forbidden to go to work or school, as this can lead to infection of others and a deterioration in the well-being of the patient himself. The room in which the sick person is located should be isolated from the rest of the family. If this is not possible, it is important to ventilate the apartment at least 6-10 times a day and do regular wet cleaning using non-aggressive disinfectants. Healthy family members should wear gauze bandages.

The diet of the patient should be sufficiently high-calorie and varied. In inflammatory processes in the lungs, an increase in the amount of fermented milk products, fruits, vegetables, fresh juices, and protein foods is shown. Meat and fish dishes, as well as eggs, should be included in the menu 3-4 times a day. The drinking regimen should be plentiful - this is important for eliminating the symptoms of intoxication, thinning thick sputum and alleviating a painful cough. Preference should be given to fruit compotes, berry fruit drinks, natural juices, herbal teas and decoctions. It is better to refuse tea, coffee and carbonated drinks during this period.

What will speed up recovery

If necessary, you can take vitamin and mineral supplements. The drug should be selected by a doctor after examining urine and blood tests. The fact is that an excess of certain elements can cause disturbances in the functioning of organs. For example, with hyperthyroidism, the doctor will select a complex that does not contain iodine, and with hyperkalemia, you need to make a choice in favor of multivitamin preparations or combined supplements without potassium.

Treatment of pneumonia at home is a rather risky event, since the risk of complications in this disease is very high. If the patient insists on outpatient treatment, it is necessary to follow all the doctor's prescriptions and follow the recommendations on nutrition and regimen. It is also important to take all the tests in a timely manner and come for an examination - this will help the doctor evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment and notice the beginning complications in time. Some diseases that occur against the background of pneumonia (for example, meningitis) develop rapidly and have a high mortality rate, so you should not take your health lightly and refuse the help of specialists.

Less than two centuries ago, pneumonia was considered a very dangerous disease, from which many patients, despite the efforts of doctors, died. It would seem that with the discovery of antibiotics, everything should have changed for the better, but after a while a new obstacle arose - resistance ... The causative agents of pneumonia are becoming more and more resistant to antibacterial drugs every decade.

Past

The first mention of pneumonia is found in the works of the ancient healer Celsus. In 1684 English physician and anatomist Thomas Willis was the first to give a detailed description of the main symptoms of this disease: acute fever, cough and shortness of breath (shortness of breath). He also proposed to consider the disease as an acute respiratory disease.

In the 19th century, clinicians around the world embarked on an in-depth and science-based assault on heights called pneumonia. In 1830 the famous English doctor Laencom described the auscultatory picture of the disease, which made it possible, after a while, to identify the main forms of pneumonia: croupous, lobar and bronchopneumonia. After the discovery of X-rays, it became possible to more accurately diagnose the disease, the doctor could easily establish the localization, nature and prevalence of the inflammatory process. These discoveries formed the basis for the classification and diagnosis of pneumonia, which are used by modern doctors.

At one time, S. Botkin pointed out the infectious nature of pneumonia. An aerogenic transmission route was suggested, which was confirmed after pneumococcus, Klebsiella, Haemophilus influenzae and other microorganisms that cause pneumonia were discovered at the end of the 19th century. Thanks to these studies, an etiological classification of the disease was developed, a group of atypical pneumonias was identified, and a new treatment strategy was identified.

Modern look

According to modern concepts, pneumonia is an acute infectious disease of predominantly bacterial etiology, characterized by focal lesions of the lungs with intraalveolar exudation, accompanied by fever and varying degrees of intoxication.

Currently, clinicians distinguish between community-acquired (when a patient falls ill outside a medical institution), nosocomial, or hospital-acquired (in-hospital), aspiration pneumonia and pneumonia diagnosed in people with immunodeficiency conditions. This classification does not take into account the severity of the disease. Depending on the environment in which the disease developed, one or another pneumonia is isolated. Community-acquired pneumonia is classified according to severity into severe (treated in a hospital setting) and non-severe (treated on an outpatient basis). The diagnosis is confirmed by auscultation and x-ray examination. If necessary, bacteriological examination of sputum is carried out.

Pulmonologists believe that with a weakened immune system, more often after a viral infection, the bacterial microflora of the upper respiratory tract becomes reactive. During aspiration of mucus, pathogens from the nasopharynx enter the lungs and cause inflammation. Other ways of introducing bacteria - hematogenous, aerosol - are less relevant. Of the many microorganisms that colonize the upper respiratory tract, only a few have increased virulence and are able to cause an inflammatory response even with minimal violations of protective mechanisms. These include:

• pneumococci / streptococci (most often they are the causative agents of pneumonia, they are found in 30% of cases of the disease);
• mycoplasmas (more often cause disease in people under the age of 35, are sown in 20-30% of people with pneumonia);
• chlamydia (like mycoplasmas, cause disease in young people, in older age groups this pathogen occurs only in 1-3% of cases);
• Haemophilus influenzae (more often causes the development of the disease in smokers and patients with chronic bronchitis, isolated in 5-18% of patients with pneumonia);
• staphylococci (more often cause the development of pneumonia in the elderly and patients with chronic diseases, occurs in 5% of cases).

The listed pathogens, with the exception of staphylococcus, as a rule, lead to the development of non-severe community-acquired pneumonia, while legionella, enterobacteria, and staphylococcus aureus lead to a severe form of the disease, which is manifested by an aggravation of the severity of symptoms: weakness, fever, cough, shortness of breath and chest pain . With pneumonia caused by streptococcus, at the height of the disease, yellowness of the skin and sclera (hemolysis of red blood cells) can be observed. Staphylococcal infection is sometimes accompanied by the development of encephalitis and myocarditis. Inflammation caused by Haemophilus influenzae can acquire a protracted course and often leads to the development of chronic processes in the lungs. However, it should be remembered that in almost 50% of cases it is not possible to establish the etiology of the disease.

Treatment strategy

With the discovery of penicillin, a new era in the treatment of pneumonia began. Thanks to antibacterial drugs, pneumonia rarely transforms into a croupous form, in which the inflammation is not local, limited. Complications occur less frequently: pleurisy, abscess, gangrene of the lungs, as well as infectious-toxic shock, acute respiratory and heart failure. Mortality due to pneumonia has dropped significantly. But over time, many antibiotics lost their former effectiveness: pathogens turned out to be more insidious than doctors expected, they learned to mutate and adapt to the action of antibacterial drugs. Thus began a new page in the history of pneumonia - the fight against resistance ...

Today, in the treatment of pneumonia, the choice of antibiotic is approached differentially - they take into account the age of the patient, the severity of the condition, the presence of concomitant diseases, the conditions in which the treatment is carried out (at home, in the hospital, in the intensive care unit), previous therapy, etc. For the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia with a non-severe course without comorbidity and other “modifying” factors, the drugs of choice are aminopenicillins (amoxicillin) and new generation macrolides (azithromycin and clarithromycin). Tetracycline (doxycycline) is recommended as an alternative drug. For the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia with a non-severe course, comorbidities and / or other "modifying" factors, a protected aminopenicillin (amoxicillin / clavulanic acid) or a second-generation cephalosporin (cefuroxime axetil) is prescribed. As an alternative, macrolides (azithromycin and clarithromycin) or III-IV generation fluoroquinolones are recommended. In outpatient treatment, preference is given to oral forms of drugs. Antibacterial therapy is prescribed only by a doctor!

Against the background of antimicrobial therapy, mucolytic and expectorant drugs are indicated. After normalization of body temperature, physiotherapy procedures (inhalations, warming up), massage and therapeutic exercises can be carried out.

Prevention of pneumonia begins with the prevention of influenza, since pneumonia is most often a complication of this particular disease.

Vaccinations with an influenza vaccine are indicated for people over 65 years of age, patients with cardiovascular pathology, bronchopulmonary diseases and diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, etc. Vaccinations with pneumococcal vaccine once every 5 years are recommended for people over 65 years of age, younger patients with congestive heart failure, diabetes mellitus, cirrhosis of the liver and patients with immunological disorders. Vaccination of patients with risk factors will avoid such serious complications of pneumonia as meningitis, bacteremia and septic shock.

According to statistics, about 75% of all antibiotic prescriptions are for the treatment of infections of the upper (otitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis) and lower (exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, pneumonia) respiratory tract. Macrolides are among the most effective and promising antimicrobial drugs. True, some of them are already outdated, others may cause side effects. How to navigate in this variety of drugs and make the right choice?

From the history of the creation of macrolides

The first drugs of this group - erythromycin, and a little later spiramycin, oleandomycin, josamycin - appeared in the 50-70s of the twentieth century. At first, these antibacterial agents were not successful. At that time, practically nothing was known about intracellular pathogens (chlamydia, mycoplasma and legionella) and the spectrum of application of macrolides was quite narrow. For example, erythromycin was notable for the instability of absorption in the digestive tract, which did not allow a clear definition of the dosing regimen of the drug. In addition, against the background of the use of erythromycin, side effects often developed: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. Oleandomycin, as it turned out, did not show activity against intracellular pathogens. As for the other two representatives of the “early” macrolides, due to their narrow positioning, they were practically unknown to most doctors.

The 1980s and 1990s were marked by the rise of macrolides. After the intracellular activity of macrolide antibiotics was proven, it became possible to create new drugs - safer than the "early" ones. During these years, a whole constellation of new macrolides was born: azithromycin, roxithromycin, clarithromycin, dirithromycin, etc.

One of the representatives of a new group of macrolide drugs is azithromycin, which received the trade name Sumamed (Pliva, Croatia). Croatian scientists Gabriela Kobrehel and Slobodan Dokic were awarded the Heroes of Chemistry 2000 award by the American Chemical Association, one of the most prestigious, for the creation of this drug. Thanks to a number of unique properties, Sumamed has won a truly worldwide recognition over the course of 15 years of use.