How to determine pneumonia of the lungs. They can be completely different. chestnut compress

Inflammation of the lungs or pneumonia is a fairly common complex disease. It can occur both in one and in two lungs, and lead to many complications, including death.

So how to determine pneumonia? To answer this question, you need to learn more about the disease. And let's start by finding out the causes of the disease.

1. Thermal or chemical lungs;
2. flowing in the respiratory tract;
3. Congenital defects in the development of the respiratory system;
4. Vomit that has entered the lungs.
5. The impetus for the development of the disease can be a transferred ARVI or flu, or rather an infection or bacteria that have entered the respiratory tract during these diseases.

Why is pneumonia dangerous?

Pneumonia is a rapidly developing disease that requires immediate treatment. However, the primary task is to make an accurate diagnosis. You can determine the inflammation yourself, knowing exactly the symptoms of the disease.

The first signs of pneumonia in adults and children

1. Pneumonia is always accompanied very much, which is difficult to bring down with the help of antipyretic drugs, but even if this can be done, it will soon rise to its previous high rates.
2. , which accompanies a lot of diseases, with pneumonia can be different, depending on the cause of the disease. As a rule, it is accompanied by expectoration of sputum, sometimes even with blood. However, there are exceptions: if the lungs are affected by a viral infection, then the cough can be dry and quite rare. It must be remembered that very young children up to six months may not cough at all, because they do not have a reflex.
3. Pneumonia is often given by the pallor of the skin around the nose and lips.
4. Pneumonia involves blockage of the lung alveoli, which makes it difficult to breathe. For this reason, auxiliary respiratory muscles are included in the respiratory process: on inspiration, retraction of the ribs and characteristic fluttering of the nasal wings are observed, for men, breathing is characteristic of the stomach.
5. The inflammation is accompanied by wheezing. They can be both in a specific area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lungs, and along the entire surface of the back. The latter speaks of the neglect of the disease. Wheezing can be heard with your ear or with a stethoscope. For the average layman, wheezing will resemble the sounds of bursting bubbles. When diagnosing severe pneumonia, you should definitely consult a doctor.
6. Pneumonia is accompanied by shortness of breath, loss of strength, chills, weakness, drowsiness and lack of appetite.
7. In some cases, pain in the chest area may be present, but this symptom is not mandatory.

First aid for pneumonia

If a disease is detected, the patient must observe an increased drinking regimen and follow the treatment prescribed by the doctor. Along the way, you can use the advice of traditional medicine, which can be easily applied at home. An effective treatment is to take decoctions and teas that promote sputum discharge and inhalations based on essential oils.

Folk methods of treatment

Folk remedies for pneumonia are used at the first signs of the disease and as additional methods of treatment, in parallel with traditional methods.

Homemade sweet medicine for children

With inflammation of the lungs in a child, you can prepare an effective mixture that will help cope with the disease. To prepare such a medicine, you will need radish and beet juice, as well as a little.

You should thoroughly wash fresh beets, then boil and grate the finest fraction. Juice is squeezed out of the resulting porridge. To exclude the ingress of the fibers of the beet itself, it is recommended to use gauze in several layers. In the same way, get juice from black radish, but not boiled, but raw. The final stage in the preparation of the medicine is the mixing of all three components (juices and honey) in equal proportions.

The mixture should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than a day. It is taken several times a day ten minutes before eating or drinking, in a state warmed to room temperature.

The resulting medicine is sweet enough and children take it with pleasure. In addition to inflammation, the mixture will also help cure a common cough if consumed in a teaspoon before meals for a week. A further course of treatment is to take a teaspoon per day.

chestnut compress

Chronic inflammation of the lungs can be cured with compresses based on an alcohol tincture of chestnuts. To do this, 30 chestnuts are put into a liter jar and filled with half a liter of alcohol, after which they are infused for three weeks in a dark place.

It should be noted that only brown, ripe chestnuts harvested in autumn should be used to prepare the tincture.

After the tincture is fully prepared, gauze is moistened with it and applied to the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lungs, covered with cellophane. The compress can be fixed by tying it with a scarf, which will also warm. This "linkage" is left for the whole night.

The compress is covered with cellophane as tightly as possible, since the tincture, hitting the linen, will leave stains.

Most inflammation in the lungs is called pneumonia. Its reasons are quite varied. And, despite the fact that pneumonia is most often a complication of other past diseases, it itself causes no less severe consequences, especially if its symptoms are mild and remain without due attention.

Instruction

1. Pneumonia or inflammation lungs may vary in form and severity. And its development is facilitated by a bacterial, viral or fungal infection, poisoning by inhaled chemical, toxic substances, as well as various injuries and prolonged bed rest.
2. Damage to the lung tissue in pneumonia can be complete or partial. The severity of the disease and its outcome depend on this, since increased blood flow to the inflamed area causes the filling of the pulmonary vesicles with inflammatory effusion, and the displacement of air from them. This, in turn, leads to compaction of the lung tissue and disruption of gas exchange. The inflammatory process in lungs reversible if timely measures and appropriate treatment are taken. But for this you need to be able to recognize the signs of inflammation. lungs.
3. To the main signs of inflammation lungs include fever up to 39-40 ° C, severe chills, coughing. However, these symptoms are characteristic of many colds, so pains on the side of the chest, when inhaling and exhaling, coughing and sneezing, should be most alert. At first they appear periodically, and then they are of a constant aching character. Because of this, breathing becomes frequent and superficial, shortness of breath appears. Due to the high temperature, the skin becomes dry and flaky.
4. No less significant sign of inflammation lungs is a blush on the cheeks, more pronounced on the part of the lung affected by the inflammatory process. Herpetic eruptions may appear around the lips and nostrils. For 2-3 days after the onset of the disease with a cough, brown-rusty sputum begins to stand out. Urine also acquires a dark color and is excreted in small quantities.
5. If you do not see a doctor in time, there may be a violation of the cardiovascular and nervous systems, which is manifested by heart palpitations and headaches. But the most severe consequence is swelling. lungs which leads to death. With a favorable course of pneumonia, improvement occurs on the 7-9th day.
6. With focal pneumonia, when certain parts of the lung are involved in the inflammatory process, the symptoms can be mild and most often resemble bronchitis. The disease can continue for a long time, then calming down, then forming new foci of inflammation. Often, due to the lack of proper treatment, focal pneumonia leaves adhesive processes in lungs.
7. A visit to the doctor should be at the first doubtful pain in the chest. This will allow you to get timely and proper treatment of inflammation. lungs and help to avoid all possible complications.

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How to determine pneumonia: general rules

• Peculiarities
• How to determine

An intense pace of life, a changeable climate, a consistently bad environment, frequent colds, a high level of microbial resistance to antibacterial drugs - all this undermines the body's defenses and can lead to serious diseases, many of which are often almost asymptomatic.

Inflammation of the lungs, otherwise pneumonia, is in the wake of this kind of "silent killers": the symptoms can be subtle, and the consequences are critical and even fatal.

Therefore, it is so important for each person to be able to orient in time and recognize the symptoms of the disease as early as possible in order to be able to seek help in time.

There are a number of "pre-stationary" symptoms that allow you to answer the question of how to recognize pneumonia.

Conditionally they can be classified:

1. General or extrapulmonary symptoms - high fatigue, decreased performance, weakness, fever, chills, muscle pain, severe sweating, fever, shortness of breath, both in motion and at rest, dyspepsia and skin rash may occur.
2. Pulmonary symptoms - wet cough, copious sputum, pain when trying to take a deep breath. Sometimes there are purulent discharge with streaks of blood.

Features of the development of the disease depending on the form of its manifestation

The nature of the course of pneumonia depends on the pathogen, the affected area, the general condition of the patient, his immunity, and age. The causative agents can be conditionally pathogenic microorganisms that are constantly present in the human body, pathogenic microorganisms, viruses, fungi.

Depending on the focus of distribution, the following forms of pneumonia are distinguished:

1. Croupous form, in which the infection penetrates the parenchyma of the lung lobes.
2. Focal form or bronchopneumonia.
3. Atypical.

How to determine inflammation of the lungs croupous form?

The croupous form is easier to diagnose. Its characteristic feature is a sharp rise in temperature, which is above 39 C, headaches, shortness of breath, cough, at the beginning of the disease it is dry, but on the 5th day “rusty” sputum often appears, chest pains. The causes of lung damage of this nature are often hypothermia and overwork.

How to recognize inflammation of the lungs of a focal form?

Focal inflammation of the lungs occurs as a complication of respiratory diseases. The development of the disease is far from being as rapid as that of the croupous type.

There is a slight increase in temperature (usually not higher than 38.5 C), and in people with a weakened immune system, the temperature may be normal at all, exhausting cough, mild mucopurulent sputum, chest pain and shortness of breath may be absent. This form of inflammation is dangerous because many patients, despite increased fatigue and weakness, endure it "on their feet", which threatens with serious complications.

How to determine pneumonia of an atypical type?

The nature of the development of an atypical type of pneumonia depends entirely on the causative agent of the disease. So, with pneumonia caused by a dangerous legionella, an extremely severe course is characteristic. Dry cough, chest pain, dyspeptic disorders, pain in the joints are observed, the heart rate decreases. This form often gives severe complications to the internal organs.

In children, pneumonia is observed, the causative agents of which are chlamydia and mycoplasma. Frequent markers of an atypical form are sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, muscle pain, runny nose, etc.

How to determine pneumonia at home and in a hospital

With special responsibility it is worth approaching the issue of timely detection of pneumonia in people at risk: alcohol abusers, immunodeficiency sufferers of various etiologies, the elderly, people in a socially dangerous position.

There are several main provisions:

• it is worth suspecting pneumonia with a sharp decrease in activity, the occurrence of apathy, refusal to eat, increased drowsiness, difficulty moving in the elderly;
• in those suffering from alcohol dependence, the nature of the course of the disease is extremely severe, often complicated by alcoholic psychosis that occurs against the background of pneumonia;
• the appearance of wheezing over a healthy lung with increased shortness of breath indicates the possibility of pulmonary edema;
• specific indicators of pneumonia are unilateral flushing of the cheeks, a significant increase in dyspnea, an increase in heart rate, and dryness of the tongue.

Should be understood

No doctor will risk diagnosing a patient based only on the presence of any general signs, without confirming it with appropriate studies. However, the presence of a history of markers of pneumonia is a signal for an immediate visit to a specialist.

Diagnosis of pneumonia in the clinical setting

1. The main and most informative way to confirm suspicions of pneumonia is to conduct a chest x-ray in two projections. X-ray allows you to see the focus of the disease in the picture and confirm or refute the diagnosis.
2. In addition, laboratory tests are required.: to establish the pathogen, a bacteriological analysis of sputum, bronchoscopy is performed, specific blood tests and other studies are prescribed as needed.

Due to the high likelihood of severe complications, it is extremely important to treat pneumonia in a hospital under the vigilant supervision of medical professionals.

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The cause of inflammation of the lungs is their infection with bacteria, viruses or fungi. There are a lot of microorganisms, including the causative agents of pneumonia, they live even in the human mouth, but if the immune system works well in the body, they do not penetrate the respiratory tract. When it weakens, an inflammatory process begins to develop. It is important to identify this disease in time, because it is very dangerous and poses a serious threat to life.

Instruction

1. Look for signs of inflammation lungs: general weakness, profuse sweating, headache and chest pain, shortness of breath, and cough. Cough is with colorless sputum, and sometimes interspersed with blood. But these symptoms can also be mild.
2. Sometimes a person with pneumonia changes the color of the skin, becoming darker or redder due to poor oxygen saturation of the blood - this is called cyanosis. First of all, it manifests itself around the mouth. Cheeks can be colored differently - one is brighter than the other.
3. Observe the process of breathing. Undress the patient to the waist and ask him to take a few deep breaths, and then hold his breath and exhale sharply. The half of the chest affected by pneumonia moves more slowly or does not move at all.
4. Do not delay the doctor's call: the sooner he diagnoses inflammation, the faster and easier this disease will pass. Diagnosis begins with listening lungs. The doctor may hear weakened breathing on the affected side. inflammation m, moist rales or even friction and dry rales if the pleura is affected.
5. The doctor also performs percussion (percussion) of the chest. The place where pneumonia develops differs in sound from a healthy one.
6. The next step in the diagnosis is fluorography. Pictured lungs you can see the focus of inflammation, and the radiologist, perhaps, will determine the cause of the disease.
7. Sick children are usually not given x-rays until they are 15 years old - because of the danger of x-ray exposure. If necessary, the disease is confirmed by X-ray. The difference between this method and a fluorographic examination is that the images lungs can be done from different positions.
8. A sputum test is also required to diagnose pneumonia. First of all, the laboratory assistant finds out whether there are mycobacteria, the causative agents of tuberculosis, in the culture of the test substance. Next, sensitivity to antibiotics is determined: those that most effectively fight the pathogen that hit the patient's lungs are identified. This is necessary for the appointment of treatment.
9. A general blood test is also required for the diagnosis of the disease, with the help of which the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the number of leukocytes, as well as the content of eosinophils, are calculated.
10. To establish a diagnosis and exclude diseases similar to pneumonia, a large number of special studies are required that cannot be carried out at home, which means that in case of suspicion of inflammation lungs you should contact a specialist as soon as possible.

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Pneumonia symptoms. how can you tell if you have pneumonia

Answers:

Olga Morozova

Keeps temperature; chest pain (with pleuropneumonia); difficulty breathing; blush on one cheek

Through the fencing

x-ray picture, plus clinical picture. These are the only two mandatory features. the absence of any of them is ruled out.

Vladimir Reyzin

Stick a phonendoscope in your ears - listen to your wheezing. Percuss your chest - perhaps there is a dullness of percussion sound. Well, if you have an x-ray machine at home - then the flag is in your hands - take an x-ray of your lungs - from the picture you will understand if you have pneumonia or not.

Julia Smirnova

It can pass almost asymptomatically in a kuotshchik: he has a little fever, coughed a little ... Therefore, if there is a suspicion, it is better to check with a doctor.

The first signs of pneumonia in children and adults

Pneumonia is a disease that has an infectious origin and is characterized by inflammation of the lung tissue when provoking physical or chemical factors occur, such as:

• Complications after viral diseases (influenza, SARS), atypical bacteria (chlamydia, mycoplasma, legionella)
• Exposure to the respiratory system of various chemical agents - toxic fumes and gases (see chlorine in household chemicals is dangerous to health)
• Radioactive radiation, which is attached to the infection
• Allergic processes in the lungs - allergic cough, COPD, bronchial asthma
• Thermal factors - hypothermia or burns of the respiratory tract
• Inhalation of liquids, food, or foreign bodies can cause aspiration pneumonia.

The reason for the development of pneumonia is the occurrence of favorable conditions for the reproduction of various pathogenic bacteria in the lower respiratory tract. The original causative agent of pneumonia is the aspergillus fungus, which was the culprit in the sudden and mysterious deaths of explorers of the Egyptian pyramids. Pet bird owners or city pigeon enthusiasts can get chlamydial pneumonia.

Today, all pneumonias are divided into:

• out-of-hospital, arising under the influence of various infectious and non-infectious agents outside the walls of hospitals
• hospital, which cause nosocomial microbes, often very resistant to traditional antibacterial treatment.

The frequency of detection of various infectious pathogens in community-acquired pneumonia is presented in the table.

When confirming the diagnosis, depending on the type of pathogen, the age of the patient, the presence of concomitant diseases, appropriate therapy is carried out, in severe cases, treatment must be carried out in a hospital, with mild forms of inflammation, hospitalization of the patient is not required.

The characteristic first signs of pneumonia, the vastness of the inflammatory process, acute development and the risk of serious complications in case of untimely treatment are the main reasons for the urgent appeal of the population for medical help. Currently, a fairly high level of development of medicine, improved diagnostic methods, as well as a huge list of broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs have significantly reduced the death rate from pneumonia (see antibiotics for bronchitis).

Typical early signs of pneumonia in adults

The main symptom of the development of pneumonia is a cough, usually at first dry, obsessive and persistent (see antitussives, expectorants for dry cough), but in rare cases, the cough at the beginning of the disease may be rare and not strong. Then, as inflammation develops, the cough with pneumonia becomes wet with the release of mucopurulent sputum (yellow-green).

Any catarrhal viral disease should not last more than 7 days, and a sharp deterioration in the condition 4-7 days after the onset of SARS or influenza indicates the onset of an inflammatory process in the lower respiratory tract.

Body temperature can be very high up to 39-40C, and may remain subfebrile 37.1-37.5C ​​(with atypical pneumonia). Therefore, even with a low body temperature, coughing, weakness and other signs of malaise, you should definitely consult a doctor. A second jump in temperature after a light interval during the course of a viral infection should alert.

If the patient has a very high temperature, then one of the signs of the presence of inflammation in the lungs is the ineffectiveness of antipyretic drugs.

Pain when taking a deep breath and coughing. The lung itself does not hurt, as it is devoid of pain receptors, but the involvement of the pleura in the process gives a pronounced pain syndrome.

In addition to cold symptoms, the patient has shortness of breath and pallor of the skin.
General weakness, increased sweating, chills, decreased appetite are also characteristic of intoxication and the onset of an inflammatory process in the lungs.

If such symptoms appear either in the midst of a cold, or a few days after improvement, these may be the first signs of pneumonia. The patient should immediately consult a doctor to undergo a complete examination:

• Pass blood tests - general and biochemical
• Take a chest X-ray, if necessary, and computed tomography
• Take sputum for culture and determine the sensitivity of the pathogen to antibiotics
• Pass sputum for culture and microscopic determination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The main first signs of pneumonia in children

Symptoms of pneumonia in children have several features. Attentive parents may suspect the development of pneumonia with the following ailments in a child:

• Temperature

Body temperature above 38C, lasting more than three days, not brought down by antipyretics, there may also be a low temperature up to 37.5, especially in young children. At the same time, all signs of intoxication are manifested - weakness, excessive sweating, lack of appetite. Young children (like the elderly) may not have high temperature spikes with pneumonia. This is due to the imperfection of thermoregulation and the immaturity of the immune system.

• Breath

Rapid shallow breathing is observed: in babies up to 2 months of age 60 breaths per minute, up to 1 year 50 breaths, after a year 40 breaths per minute. Often the child spontaneously tries to lie on one side. Parents may notice another sign of pneumonia in a child, if you undress the baby, then when breathing from the side of the diseased lung, you can notice the retraction of the skin in the spaces between the ribs and the lag in the process of breathing on one side of the chest. There may be disturbances in the rhythm of breathing, with periodic stops in breathing, changes in the depth and frequency of breathing. In infants, shortness of breath is characterized by the fact that the child begins to nod his head to the beat of breathing, the baby can stretch his lips and puff out his cheeks, foamy discharge from the nose and mouth may appear.

• SARS

Inflammation of the lungs caused by mycoplasma and chlamydia is distinguished by the fact that at first the disease passes like a cold, a dry cough, runny nose, and sore throat appear, but the presence of shortness of breath and a consistently high temperature should alert parents to the development of pneumonia.

• The nature of the cough

Because of the sore throat, at first only a cough may appear, then the cough becomes dry and painful, which is aggravated by crying, feeding the child. Later the cough becomes wet.

• Child behavior

Children with pneumonia become capricious, whiny, lethargic, their sleep is disturbed, sometimes they can completely refuse food, and diarrhea and vomiting appear, in infants - regurgitation and refusal of the breast.

• Blood analysis

In the general blood test, changes are detected that indicate an acute inflammatory process - increased ESR, leukocytosis, neutrophilia. Shift of the leukoformula to the left with an increase in stab and segmented leukocytes. With viral pneumonia, along with a high ESR, an increase in leukocytes due to lymphocytes is observed.

With timely access to a doctor, adequate therapy and proper care for a sick child or adult, pneumonia does not lead to serious complications. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of pneumonia, medical assistance should be provided to the patient as soon as possible.

Infectious inflammation of the lungs is a dangerous disease that often progresses in patients under 2 years of age and over 65 years of age. People with a weakened immune system are at risk. If you find out how pneumonia develops, then a person will become afraid for his health, and he will definitely take care of timely prevention, prevent the disease.

The first symptoms of pneumonia in an adult

The main task of the doctor is to timely differentiate the characteristic ailment, since its symptoms are similar to those of the flu and the common cold. At first, the patient does not pay attention to changes in general well-being, referring to a cold. The first signs of pneumonia characterize the stage of the tide, which is represented by migraine attacks and severe chills. Additional symptoms are listed below:

• weakness of the limbs (feeling when "cotton legs");
• minor violations of the temperature regime;
• dry cough;
• dyspnea;
• periodic flushes, which are replaced by a state of cold sweat.

Specific symptoms of pneumonia

When a patient does not react in any way to changes in the general condition for a long time, the course of the pathology only intensifies. If the first signs of pneumonia in adults reduce performance, but allow you to carry the disease on your feet, then the specific symptoms of the disease become a strong argument for the immediate hospitalization of a clinical patient. It:

• high fever, fever with possible hallucinations;
• cough with streaks of blood in the separation of sputum;
• accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood, impaired gas exchange of lung tissue;
• prolonged sneezing;
• increasing pain in the head;
• decreased physical activity, constant fatigue.

Extrapulmonary syndromes in pneumonia

It is important to note that this is an infectious disease that is caused by increased activity of the pathogenic flora. This may be a fungal, bacterial, mixed and mycoplasmal nature of the pathology, but doctors do not exclude the increased activity of other dangerous pathogens that have not been studied clinically. Noticing, the patient can prevent the development in the near future of such extrapulmonary complications as:

• heart failure;
• myocarditis, endocarditis;
• infectious-toxic shock;
• symptoms of iron deficiency anemia;
• meningoencephalitis and meningitis.

How pneumonia manifests itself with bilateral inflammation

Not all patients know how to determine pneumonia at home, so you should not experiment with your health and start the pathological process. Otherwise, doctors do not exclude inflammation of the vital organ on both sides. If bilateral pneumonia progresses, the symptoms are atypical, detailed below:

• blue lips, fingertips;
• heavy, confused breathing;
• continuous dry cough with sputum;
• shortness of breath, weakness in the whole body;
• lack of appetite.

If bilateral pneumonia progresses, symptoms in adults begin with a high temperature that exceeds 38.5 degrees. The patient begins to have a fever, the disease progresses, and requires immediate resuscitation. The clinical outcome depends entirely on how soon the patient and his immediate environment respond to signs of pneumonia in an adult.

Syndromes with pneumonia of various types

If the signs of lung disease are obvious, it is problematic to determine the nature of the pathogenic infection in community settings. The sluggish pathological process only complicates the clinical picture, and the disease may soon acquire an already incurable chronic form. To avoid complications, it is important to know the manifestation of pneumonia for a particular nature of the pathological process.

Symptoms in adults of viral pneumonia are as follows:

• heat;
• progressive rhinitis, conjunctivitis;
• dry cough;
• nausea, lack of appetite, less often - vomiting.

Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia in adults are:

• fever;
• cough with yellow mucus;
• chest pain;
• symptoms of arterial hypertension in adults;
• lack of appetite, weight loss.

Symptoms in adulthood are as follows:

• dry cough, myalgia;
• the presence of streaks of blood in the sputum;
• opening of the abscess, the spread of pus into the pleura;
• soreness of the lymph nodes;
• cardiovascular failure.

Signs of pneumonia in an adult of mycoplasmal nature are similar to the fungal form, require immediate medical attention, diagnosis. A mixed variety of the disease is characterized by symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections, flu and colds, but occurring in a complicated form. The disease must first be identified, and then transgressed to immediate antibiotics.

What are the symptoms of pneumonia of various forms

If a disease is suspected, differential diagnosis is required first. If we classify the main symptoms of pneumonia in adults, we can distinguish atypical, interstitial, croupous and focal (bronchopneumonia) forms of this disease. The clinical outcome depends entirely on the precise definition of the clinical picture. Below is a detailed description of the symptoms of inflammation of the lungs in adults with one form or another of the disease.

With an atypical form of pneumonia in an adult, the following signs of pathology take place:

• manifestations of a cold, SARS, flu, familiar to patients;
• other symptoms depend on the nature and activity of the pathogen.

The focal form of the disease has the following symptoms in the body of an adult patient:

• separate sections of the alveoli and neighboring bronchi are involved;
• sluggish pathological process at an early stage, resembling the symptoms of SARS;
• high temperature from 38 degrees;
• separation of sputum with impurities of bile, pus, mucus;
• acrocyanosis, cyanosis;
• paroxysmal chest pains;
• pronounced shortness of breath.

In adults, it manifests itself in the body with the following symptoms:

• body temperature up to 40 degrees;
• cutting pain behind the sternum;
• general weakness, aches all over the body;
• unproductive cough with rusty sputum;
• fine bubbling rales;
• persistent fever;
• hyperemia of the skin of the fingers, lips, cheeks.

The interstitial (hidden) form of a characteristic ailment is manifested by the following changes in general well-being:

• increasing shortness of breath and cough;
• pain in the joints and muscle tissues;
• absence of bronchial obstruction;
• pulmonary hypertension;
• sharp weight loss;
• lack of temperature and sputum with blood.

How to identify pneumonia

At the first signs of the disease, it is important to urgently undergo a complete diagnosis in a hospital setting. This is a really working method, how to recognize inflammation of the lungs in adults and proceed to intensive care in a timely manner. Differentiating the diagnosis is very problematic, so doctors resort to a comprehensive clinical examination, which includes a number of laboratory blood tests. Mandatory medical measures necessary for the patient are presented below:

1. Method of palpation at the doctor's appointment for probing compacted lung tissue. On the side of the lesion, the patient's voice will begin to tremble, somewhat changing its usual tone.
2. X-ray examination. The method helps to determine the lesions of the lung tissue, their number, specificity, structure and prevalence in the broncho-pulmonary system.
3. Fibrobronchoscopy. An invasive diagnostic method in complicated clinical pictures, which studies the composition of the secret taken from the patient's respiratory tract.
4. Ultrasound of the pleural cavity, echocardiography. The method helps to identify pleural effusion.
5. General blood and urine tests. Additionally, it does not hurt to perform a laboratory test for HIV.
6. Baconal analysis of sputum. This method determines individual antibiotic susceptibility to accurately determine a safe intensive care regimen.

Video

Editor

Daria Tyutyunnik

Doctor, forensic expert

Pneumonia or pneumonia is one of the most common and dangerous lung diseases, mainly of an infectious nature.

With pneumonia, you must consult a doctor, since only a specialist can take the necessary measures to identify the disease and treat it. But knowledge about the causes of the development of the disease, its symptoms, methods of self-diagnosis is also important, because only by discovering the problem on your own, you can seek help in time.

Causes of development in adults

Before talking about how to recognize a disease, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​​​the causes of its occurrence. This knowledge will reduce the risk of infection or be useful in the process of diagnosis and treatment.

The main development of pneumonia is considered to be a decrease in immunity. It is this factor that “gives way” to pathogenic microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi, as a result of which lung tissue is damaged with further consequences.

In addition to the fact that the body is not able to suppress pathogenic microbes, there are a number of factors that contribute to both a decrease in immunity and infection directly:

• contact with the patient;
• hypothermia;
• susceptibility to stress;
• chronic fatigue and sleep disturbances;
• bad habits (especially);
• concomitant chronic diseases;
• untreated, accompanied by damage to the upper respiratory tract.

Important! The slightest weakening of the immune system can provoke the development of the disease. Thus, even an unbalanced diet, in which the human body receives an insufficient amount of vitamins, indirectly, can cause pneumonia.

pathogens

An important role in the diagnosis and success of further treatment is played by the understanding of which pathogen caused the development of pneumonia. The type of developing disease and the clinical picture depend on this.

In most cases, there are 4 types of pneumonia:

1. bacterial- the most common type of pneumonia, the causative agent of which are various pathogenic bacteria (pneumococci, staphylococci, streptococci and others).
2. Viral- the second most common species, in this case, the cause is the damage to the body and lung tissue by herpes viruses, parainfluenza, adenoviruses.
3. fungal- The causative agents of fungal pneumonia can be viruses of the Candida family, Aspegilla, Pneumocysts.
4. Atypical- in rare cases, the disease develops due to damage to the body by "atypical" types of microorganisms. In this case, the clinical picture is unpredictable, as is the development of pathology, as well as possible consequences and complications.

In addition to the types of disease described, pneumonia can begin when the body is damaged by helminths. Moreover, there is a combined type of pneumonia. In these rare cases, an associated bacterial-viral lung injury occurs. It is difficult to make a diagnosis without the help of a doctor and special diagnostic measures, not to mention treatment.

Symptoms

How to know that a person is sick by doing it yourself at home? Of course, the most accessible method is the knowledge of the symptoms and the ability to compare them. To do this, you need to have an idea about the clinical picture of pneumonia and, although depending on the type of disease, the symptoms may differ, it is enough to highlight the most common:

• Cough- the main symptom of pneumonia. Initially, the cough is dry, but as it progresses, it becomes wet, accompanied by copious accumulations of sputum, which is poorly expectorated. In this case, the cough throughout the disease is strong, paroxysmal. If there is pus or streaks of blood in the sputum, it is urgent to seek help.
• Respiratory system disorders- are manifested mainly by shortness of breath, which is present even at rest. There is an inability to breathe deeply, as well as a persistent feeling of lack of air.
• Pathological murmurs in the chest area- in the initial stages of the disease, wheezing, gurgling and other noises can only be determined by a doctor by auscultation. But as the disease progresses, the noises in the process of breathing become audible both to the patient himself and to people nearby.
• Chest pain- appear and worsen as inflammation of the lungs develops, areas of inflammation are localized. The intensity of the symptom increases during bouts of coughing, attempts to take a deep breath, yawn, sneeze.
• Feverish state- thermometer readings for different types of pneumonia can vary greatly. But in most cases, we are talking about a high body temperature, when the thermometer reaches 39°C and exceeds this mark.
• General intoxication- due to the inflammatory process in the lung tissues and aggravated as the temperature rises. We are talking about severe weakness and drowsiness, fatigue, headaches, aching joints and muscles, excessive sweating and other manifestations of acute intoxication.

Attention! The described symptoms persist for a long time, they do not go away even after 1-2 weeks and become only more intense.

It is important to understand that the cough is practically not relieved when consumed, which also indicates a serious illness,. When the first clinical signs are found, you should consult a doctor.

Differences from bronchitis

The complexity of diagnosis in an adult is that this pathology can be masked. In its clinical picture, it often resembles other diseases, and in most cases, patients “sin” for bronchitis. In order not to get confused and distinguish pneumonia from bronchitis, consider the main differences between these diseases:

• Both diseases are accompanied strong cough, but in pneumonia it becomes deep and moist, with profuse accumulation of sputum, and is accompanied by pain in the chest. With bronchitis, the cough is predominantly dry and superficial, and also painless.
• Temperature- if during inflammation of the lungs it is very elevated and stable, persists for more than 3 days without changes, then with bronchitis the thermometer rarely rises above 38°C and after a few days the temperature subsides.
• The main difference between these pathological processes is that with bronchitis there are no respiratory disorders in particular shortness of breath.
• A characteristic distinguishing feature, which was not mentioned earlier, is in the region of the nasolabial triangle. This clinical sign is present in pneumonia, because we are talking about certain forms of oxygen starvation of the body. With bronchitis, there can be no talk of any cyanosis.
• The last thing to pay attention to - intoxication. With bronchitis, it is expressed to a much lesser extent than with inflammation of the lungs.

These characteristics will help distinguish the two diseases, but in both cases it is important to seek professional help. Self-medication even with bronchitis can lead to the progression of the disease and the development of very serious complications.

How to know if you have pneumonia at home?

You can independently detect pneumonia in yourself or your loved one by comparing the symptoms described earlier. A cough that does not go away for a long time and does not respond to medication should lead to the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bpneumonia and make you see a doctor.

Obvious signs are fever, the appearance of shortness of breath and pain in the chest. However, there are several signs that allow you to more accurately check whether there is a development of pneumonia, however, they do not appear in the first days of the disease:

• With damage to the lung tissue and the spread of inflammation, chest may rise unevenly. When pneumonia affects only one lung, one or more foci are formed, or the inflammatory process covers an entire lobe of the lung. It is from the side of the localization of the pathological process that the chest rises less or with a delay when inhaling. To check this, lie on your back, straighten up and take a few deep breaths - the pathology will be noticeable.
• opaque color. With bacterial pneumonia, which is the most common, sputum becomes brownish and contains impurities of pus. In this case, an unpleasant or even fetid odor from the mouth appears.
• In the later stages of pneumonia, urine color changes. The urine becomes darker, and if urine is collected in a container for analysis, a precipitate may form in it.

When to see a doctor?

The diagnostic methods described above appear mainly in the later ones. But it is important to understand that the deterioration of general well-being, the appearance of cough, shortness of breath and fever, are already a good reason to seek help from a specialist.

Important! The sooner you go to the doctor, undergo the necessary diagnostic measures and start treatment, the less harm will be done to your health and the lower the risk of complications.

Conclusion

Self-diagnosis of pneumonia at home is possible, but we are talking only about the suspicion of the development of pneumonia. That is, the appearance of the described signs indicates the need for assistance from a specialized doctor.

Experienced pulmonologists and therapists know how to identify pneumonia in their patient. This disease is otherwise called pneumonia. Recently, more and more inflammation occurs in an atypical form, which makes it difficult to make a diagnosis. When examining a patient, it is necessary to exclude other pathologies of the respiratory system (bronchitis, tuberculosis, laryngitis).

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How to detect pneumonia?

Not everyone knows how to recognize pneumonia. This disease is manifested by non-specific signs (cough, fever, sweating, chest pain, chills, sputum production), so a final diagnosis can only be made on the basis of an instrumental study. Both the patient himself and his close relatives are capable of suspecting inflammation.

This can be done according to the existing risk factors. These include:

• hypothermia;
• chest trauma;
• allergic reactions;
• foci of chronic infection;
• prolonged bed rest;
• aspiration of vomit or other fluid.

Often pneumonia develops against the background of bronchitis in the absence of proper treatment. Inflammation can be suspected if a person is on bed rest and at the same time coughs.

Pneumonia in adults - how does pneumonia manifest itself?

Determining the symptoms of the disease

An integral part of the diagnosis is the collection of anamnesis. The attending physician determines the main complaints of the patient. Lobar and focal pneumonia proceed differently. The disease is infectious, so the symptoms of intoxication of the body come to the fore. The following signs indicate the development of lobar (croupous) pneumonia:

• fever above 39ºC;
• chest pain;
• dyspnea;
• chills;
• weakness;
• productive cough with rusty sputum;
• redness of the skin.



The focal form of inflammation develops more calmly. The temperature rarely exceeds 38.5ºC. ARVI or tracheobronchitis may precede the disease. Sputum has a mucopurulent character. When inhaling and coughing, such people experience severe pain. If the foci merge with each other, then the condition worsens.

An experienced doctor can distinguish lobar pneumonia from congestive pneumonia. The latter is caused by a violation of blood flow. With congestive pneumonia, body temperature rises slightly or remains within the normal range. There may be hemoptysis. Frequent signs are increasing shortness of breath and weakness. There are symptoms of the underlying disease (heart attack). It is most difficult to suspect aspiration pneumonia, since it occurs in a latent form.



Physical examination data

Not everyone knows how to diagnose pneumonia. Of great importance are the results of physical examination and examination. Palpation, percussion and auscultation are performed. Pneumonia is indicated by the following changes:

• lag in the act of breathing of the affected side;
• increased voice trembling;
• moist rales of various calibers;
• shortening of percussion sound in certain parts of the body;
• hard or bronchial breathing;
• the presence of pathological respiratory sounds;
• weakening of breathing.

Wheezing is heard in most patients with pneumonia. They are noises produced during breathing. When inflamed, they are wet. Wheezes are finely bubbling, medium bubbling and large bubbling. It depends on the caliber of the bronchi in which the patency is impaired. Moist rales occur due to the accumulation of exudate.



In the early stages, pneumonia can be identified by the presence of crepitus. This is the sound that is heard during inhalation. It looks like crack. Crepitus is a consequence of the filling of the alveoli with liquid contents. If pleurisy joins pneumonia, then a pleural friction rub is heard. Normally, in a healthy person, a clear sound is determined above the lung tissue. With inflammation, foci with reduced airiness appear.



Diagnosis based on x-ray results

Pneumonia can be detected in the process of instrumental research. The easiest way is to take an x-ray of the chest cavity, including the lungs. This study allows not only to identify inflammation, but also to determine the form of pneumonia. With a focal lesion, the following changes are detected:

• peribronchial or perivascular infiltration;
• darkening of a separate area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe lung;
• signs of pleurisy;
• enlargement of the roots of the lung;
• change in lung tissue.



Recognizing this form of inflammation is the most difficult. At the resolution stage, the picture is more blurred. The infiltration disappears. With the help of x-rays, it is possible to find out if a person has lobar (croupous) pneumonia. It is distinguished by the totality of defeat. The main symptom of this pathology is the presence of a shadow of medium intensity. The radiograph reveals mediastinal displacement, changes in lung tissue and the position of the dome of the diaphragm, heaviness of the roots. Homogeneous foci of infiltration are found.

Laboratory methods

Not everyone knows how to recognize pneumonia. If pneumonia is suspected, the following laboratory tests are mandatory:

• general clinical blood and urine tests;
• biochemical research;
• polymerase chain reaction;
• sputum examination for mycobacteria;
• cytological analysis.



How to detect pneumonia is known to all pulmonologists. The following changes are found in the blood of patients:

• acceleration of ESR;
• an increase in the concentration of sialic acid and fibrinogen;
• increase in the level of leukocytes;
• formula shift to the left;
• dysproteinemia.

C-reactive protein is often found. In some cases, leukopenia is observed. To exclude tuberculosis, a Mantoux test and diaskintest may be required. You need to know not only how to identify pneumonia, but how to identify the pathogen. They can be bacteria, viruses, fungi. This is important for subsequent treatment. For research, it is easiest to take the patient's sputum.

Conducting differential diagnosis

How to determine pneumonia at home, everyone should know. A differential diagnosis is required. It is necessary to exclude the following diseases:

• acute bronchitis;
• tuberculosis;
• laryngitis;
• flu;
• SARS.

First of all, the doctor should identify the main complaints. Bronchitis most often occurs with moderate fever. With it there is a strong, barking cough with the separation of viscous sputum. The reason is bronchial obstruction. Often this is preceded by symptoms of a viral infection (runny nose, sore throat, perspiration).

With bronchitis, sputum is viscous and mucopurulent. With pneumonia, it is often mixed with blood. The hallmarks of tuberculosis are severe sweating, weakness, weight loss, hemoptysis. There may be an increase in lymph nodes. Laryngitis is manifested by hoarseness of voice, tickling and sore throat, dry cough, sensation of the presence of a foreign body.

Diagnosed disease requires treatment. With pneumonia, antibiotics, expectorants, proteolytic enzymes are most often prescribed. To eliminate the pulmonary inflammatory process, physiotherapy and chest massage are performed. In severe cases, infusion therapy is organized. Confirm the diagnosis of pneumonia is possible only with the help of instrumental research.