Health

12 Common Signs And Symptoms Of Pneumonia

Healthline

Pneumonia is a lung infection that infects the air sacs of either one or both lungs. These air sacs, also called alveoli, fill up with fluid or pus that causes symptoms such as fever, chills, phlegm and pus production, making it hard to breath. When the lack of oxygen reaches the bloodstream, it can cause other infections to form like fungi, bacteria, and viruses which tend to be contagious.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5 in the United States. In fact, over 800,000 children died of pneumonia in the United States back in 2017. Moreover, around 100 million adults in the United States are hospitalized annually due to pneumonia, while 50,000 actually die from this condition. It is also the second most common medical issue why people are admitted to the hospital, but the top reason why children are hospitalized.

While some cases of pneumonia are mild, such as “walking pneumonia”, where the person infected may not even know they have it, others can be extremely serious and life threatening, requiring medical attention and a bout in the hospital to get better. Stronger pneumonias tend to affect those that are 65 years and above or infants two years old and below, mostly because their immune systems are too weak to fight the infection off.

There are also different types of pneumonia. One of the most common forms is bacterial, where it’s caused by a bacteria, with the most common one being Streptococcus pneumoniae.  Another type is viral, which as the name suggests, is caused by a virus like influenza, otherwise known as the flu. In fact, according to John Hopkins Medicine, the flu is responsible for ‘about one-third of all pneumonia cases.’  

Like with many other sicknesses and diseases, lifestyle habits, like smoking and drinking too much alcohol, have also been linked to pneumonia. While some of the signs and symptoms of pneumonia are quite similar to other medical conditions like the common cold or having the flu. However, these symptoms are not only stronger, they last much longer and usually get worse over time.

Here are 12 signs and symptoms of pneumonia.

1. Fever

As with many other sicknesses, one of the most common symptoms of pneumonia is fever. According to Penn Medicine, a ‘fever is the temporary increase in the body’s temperature in response to a disease or illness.’ For adults, this is normally when the temperature goes above 99°F to 99.5°, while for kids, when it’s above 100°F or above. Getting a fever is the immune system’s response to sickness by raising the temperature of the body in order to kill anything that is causing an infection. Pneumonia is known for causing high fevers, as well as other symptoms like a cough, congestion, chest pain and difficulty breathing. If you experience any of these, make sure to get yourself checked right away.