Awareness about Lung Infections

25/05/2020

Air Pollution

25/05/2020

08/05/2020

Coronavirus and Pneumonia
Most people who get COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms like coughing, a fever, and shortness of breath. But some who catch the new coronavirus get severe pneumonia in both lungs. COVID-19 pneumonia is a serious illness that can be deadly.

What Is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes inflammation in the tiny air sacs inside your lungs. They may fill up with so much fluid and pus that it’s hard to breathe. You may have severe shortness of breath, a cough, a fever, chest pain, chills, or fatigue.

Your doctor might recommend cough medicine and pain relievers that reduce fever. In the most serious cases, you may need to go to the hospital for help breathing with a machine called a ventilator.

You can get pneumonia as a complication of viral infections such as COVID-19 or the flu, or even a common cold. But bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms can also cause it.

What is novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia?

The illness tied to the new coronavirus was originally called novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia (NCIP). The World Health Organization renamed it COVID-19, which is short for coronavirus disease 2019.

COVID-19 Pneumonia Symptoms
A fever, a dry cough, and fatigue are common early signs of COVID-19. You may also have nausea, diarrhea, muscle aches, and vomiting.

If your COVID-19 infection starts to cause pneumonia, you may notice things like:

Rapid heartbeat
Shortness of breath or breathlessness
Rapid breathing
Dizziness
Heavy sweating
How Many People With COVID-19 Will Get Pneumonia?
About 15% of COVID-19 cases are severe. That means they may need to be treated with oxygen in a hospital. About 5% of people have critical infections and need a ventilator.

People who get pneumonia may also have a condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It’s a disease that comes on quickly and causes breathing problems.

The new coronavirus causes severe inflammation in your lungs. It damages the cells and tissue that line the air sacs in your lungs. These sacs are where the oxygen you breathe is processed and delivered to your blood. The damage causes tissue to break off and clog your lungs. The walls of the sacs can thicken, making it very hard for you to breathe.

Who’s Most Likely to Get It?
Anyone can get COVID-19 pneumonia, but it’s more likely in people who are 65 or older. Those who are 85 or older are at the highest risk.

People who live in nursing homes or who have other health problems like these also have higher chances of more severe illness with COVID-19:

Moderate to severe asthma
Lung disease
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Diabetes
Liver disease
Renal failure
Severe obesity, or a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher
Someone who has a weakened immune system may be more likely to get severe COVID-19 illness, too. This includes smokers, people being treated for cancer, people who have had a bone marrow transplant, people who have HIV or AIDS that’s not under control, and anyone who takes medications that slow the immune system, like steroids.

How Is COVID-19 Pneumonia Diagnosed?
Your doctor can diagnose COVID-19 pneumonia based on your symptoms and lab test results.

Blood tests may also show signs of COVID-19 pneumonia. These include low lymphocytes and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Your blood may also be low in oxygen. A chest CT scan may show patchy areas of damage in both your lungs. Doctors call this “ground glass.”

Are There Treatments for COVID-19 Pneumonia?
Pneumonia may need treatment in a hospital with oxygen, a ventilator to help you breathe, and intravenous (IV) fluids to prevent dehydration.

Clinical trials are looking into whether some experimental drugs and treatments used for other conditions might treat severe COVID-19 or related pneumonia:

Antivirals, including remdesivir, which the FDA hasn’t approved but which was developed to treat the Ebola virus
The malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, sometimes along with azithromycin, an antibiotic
COVID-19 Pneumonia Prevention
If you’re in a high-risk group for COVID-19 pneumonia, take these steps to prevent infection:

Wash your hands often. Scrub with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
If you can’t wash your hands, use a hand sanitizer gel that’s at least 60% alcohol. Rub it all over your hands until they’re dry.
Try not to touch your face, mouth, or eyes until you’ve washed your hands.
Avoid anyone who’s sick. Stay home and avoid others as much as you can.
Regularly clean and disinfect surfaces in your home that you touch often, such as countertops and keyboards.

The pneumonia vaccine protects against a kind of bacteria, not the coronavirus. But it can support your overall health, especially if you’re older or have a weak immune system.

07/05/2020

Symptoms of Pneumonia
Pneumonia symptoms can be mild to life-threatening. They can include:
• coughing that may produce phlegm (mucus)
• fever
• sweating or chills
• shortness of breath that happens while doing normal activities or even while resting
• chest pain that’s worse when you breathe or cough
• feelings of tiredness or fatigue
• loss of appetite
• nausea or vomiting
• headaches
Other symptoms can vary according to your age and general health:
• Children under 5 years old may have fast breathing or wheezing.
• Infants may appear to have no symptoms, but sometimes they may vomit, lack energy, or have trouble drinking or eating.
• Older people may have milder symptoms. They can also exhibit confusion or a lower than normal body temperature.
Causes of pneumonia
There are several types of infectious agents that can cause pneumonia.
Bacterial pneumonia
The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Other causes include:
• Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Haemophilus influenzae
• Legionella pneumophila
Viral pneumonia
Respiratory viruses are often the cause of pneumonia. Some examples include:
• influenza (flu)
• respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• rhinoviruses (common cold)
Viral pneumonia is usually milder and can improve in one to three weeks without treatment.
Fungal pneumonia
Fungi from soil or bird droppings can cause pneumonia. They most often cause pneumonia in people with weakened immune systems. Examples of fungi that can cause pneumonia include:
• Pneumocystis jirovecii
• Cryptococcus species
• Histoplasmosis species
Types of pneumonia
Pneumonia can also be classified according to where or how it was acquired.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)
This type of bacterial pneumonia is acquired during a hospital stay. It can be more serious than other types, as the bacteria involved may be more resistant to antibiotics.
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) refers to pneumonia that’s acquired outside of a medical or institutional setting.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)
When people who are using a ventilator get pneumonia, it’s called VAP.
Aspiration pneumonia
Aspiration pneumonia happens when you inhale bacteria into your lungs from food, drink, or saliva. This type is more likely to occur if you have a swallowing problem or if you’re too sedate from the use of medications, alcohol, or other drugs.
Pneumonia treatment
Your treatment will depend on the type of pneumonia you have, how severe it is, and your general health.
Prescription medications
Your doctor may prescribe a medication to help treat your pneumonia. What you’re prescribed will depend on the specific cause of your pneumonia.
Oral antibiotics can treat most cases of bacterial pneumonia. Always take your entire course of antibiotics, even if you begin to feel better. Not doing so can prevent the infection from clearing, and it may be harder to treat in the future.
Antibiotic medications don’t work on viruses. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral. However, many cases of viral pneumonia clear on their own with at-home care.
Antifungal medications are used to fight fungal pneumonia. You may have to take this medication for several weeks to clear the infection.
At-home care
Your doctor may also recommend over-the-counter (OTC) medication to relieve your pain and fever, as needed. These may include:
• aspirin
• ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
• acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Your doctor may also recommend cough medicine to calm your cough so you can rest. Keep in mind coughing helps remove fluid from your lungs, so you don’t want to eliminate it entirely.
You can help your recovery and prevent a recurrence by getting a lot of rest and drinking plenty of fluids.
Hospitalization
If your symptoms are very severe or you have other health problems, you may need to be hospitalized. At the hospital, doctors can keep track of your heart rate, temperature, and breathing. Hospital treatment may include:
• intravenous antibiotics injected into a vein
• respiratory therapy, which involves delivering specific medications directly into the lungs or teaching you to perform breathing exercises to maximize your oxygenation
• oxygen therapy to maintain oxygen levels in your bloodstream (received through a nasal tube, face mask, or ventilator, depending on severity)
Pneumonia risk factors
Anyone can get pneumonia, but certain groups do have a higher risk. These groups include:
• infants from birth to 2 years old
• people ages 65 years and older
• people with weakened immune systems because of disease or use of medications, such as steroids or certain cancer drugs
• people with certain chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or heart failure
• people who’ve recently had a respiratory infection, such as a cold or the flu
• people who’ve been recently or are currently hospitalized, particularly if they were or are on a ventilator
• people who’ve had a stroke, have problems swallowing, or have a condition that causes immobility
• people who smoke, use certain types of drugs, or drink excessive amounts of alcohol
• people who’ve been exposed to lung irritants, such as pollution, fumes, and certain chemicals
Pneumonia prevention
In many cases, pneumonia can be prevented.
Vaccination
The first line of defense against pneumonia is to get vaccinated. There are several vaccines that can help prevent pneumonia.
Prevnar 13 and Pneumovax 23
These two pneumonia vaccines help protect against pneumonia and meningitis caused by pneumococcal bacteria. Your doctor can tell you which one might be better for you.
Prevnar 13 is effective against 13 types of pneumococcal bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendsTrusted Source this vaccine for:
• children under the age of 2
• adults ages 65 years and older
• people between ages 2 and 64 years with chronic conditions that increase their risk for pneumonia
Pneumovax 23 is effective against 23 types of pneumococcal bacteria. The CDC recommendsTrusted Source it for:
• adults ages 65 years and older
• adults ages 19 to 64 years who smoke
• people between ages 2 and 64 years with chronic conditions that increase their risk for pneumonia
Flu vaccine
Pneumonia can often be a complication of the flu, so be sure to also get an annual flu shot. The CDC recommendsTrusted Source that everyone ages 6 months and older get vaccinated, particularly those who may be at risk for flu complications.
Hib vaccine
This vaccine protects against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), a type of bacteria that can cause pneumonia and meningitis. The CDC recommendsTrusted Source this vaccine for:
• all children under 5 years old
• unvaccinated older children or adults who have certain health conditions
• individuals who’ve gotten a bone marrow transplant
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)Trusted Source, pneumonia vaccines won’t prevent all cases of the condition. But if you’re vaccinated, you’re likely to have a milder and shorter illness as well as a lower risk for complications.
Other prevention tips
In addition to vaccination, there are other things you can to avoid pneumonia:
• If you smoke, try to quit. Smoking makes you more susceptible to respiratory infections, especially pneumonia.
• Regularly wash your hands with soap and water.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes. Promptly dispose used tissues.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle to strengthen your immune system. Get enough rest, eat a healthy diet, and get regular exercise.
Together with vaccination and additional prevention steps, you can help reduce your risk for getting pneumonia. Here are even more prevention tips.
Pneumonia diagnosis
Your doctor will start by taking your medical history. They’ll ask you questions about when your symptoms first appeared and your health in general.
They’ll then give you a physical exam. This will include listening to your lungs with a stethoscope for any abnormal sounds, such as crackling. Depending on the severity of your symptoms and your risk for complications, your doctor may also order one or more of these tests:
Chest X-ray
An X-ray helps your doctor look for signs of inflammation in your chest. If inflammation is present, the X-ray can also inform your doctor about its location and extent.
Blood culture
This test uses a blood sample to confirm an infection. Culturing can also help identify what may be causing your condition.
Sputum culture
During a sputum culture, a sample of mucus is collected after you’ve coughed deeply. It’s then sent to a lab to be analyzed to identify the cause of the infection.
Pulse oximetry
A pulse oximetry measures the amount of oxygen in your blood. A sensor placed on one of your fingers can indicate whether your lungs are moving enough oxygen through your bloodstream.
CT scan
CT scans provide a clearer and more detailed picture of your lungs.
Fluid sample
If your doctor suspects there’s fluid in the pleural space of your chest, they may take a fluid sample using a needle placed between your ribs. This test can help identify the cause of your infection.
Bronchoscopy
A bronchoscopy looks into the airways in your lungs. It does this using a camera on the end of a flexible tube that’s gently guided down your throat and into your lungs. Your doctor may do this test if your initial symptoms are severe, or if you’re hospitalized and not responding well to antibiotics.
Walking pneumonia
Walking pneumonia is a milder case of pneumonia. People with walking pneumonia may not even know they have pneumonia, as their symptoms may feel more like a mild respiratory infection than pneumonia.
The symptoms of walking pneumonia can include things like:
• mild fever
• dry cough lasting longer than a week
• chills
• shortness of breath
• chest pain
• reduced appetite
Additionally, viruses and bacteria, like Streptococcus pneumoniae or Haemophilus influenzae, often cause pneumonia. However, in walking pneumonia, bacteria like Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophilia pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumoniae cause the condition.
Despite being milder, walking pneumonia may require a longer recovery period than pneumonia.
Is pneumonia a virus?
Several different types of infectious agents can cause pneumonia. Viruses are just one of them. The others include bacteria and fungi.
Some examples of viral infections that can cause pneumonia include:
• influenza (flu)
• RSV infection
• rhinoviruses (common cold)
• human parainfluenza virus (HPIV) infection
• human metapneumovirus (HMPV) infection
• measles
• chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus)
• adenovirus infection
• coronavirus infection
Although the symptoms of viral and bacterial pneumonia are very similar, cases of viral pneumonia are often milder than those of bacterial pneumonia. According to the NIHTrusted Source, people with viral pneumonia are at risk for developing bacterial pneumonia.
One big difference between viral and bacterial pneumonia is treatment. Viral infections don’t respond to antibiotics. Many cases of viral pneumonia may be treated with at-home care, although antivirals may sometimes be prescribed.
Pneumonia in kids
Pneumonia can be a rather common childhood condition. Researchers estimate there are 120 millionTrusted Source cases of pediatric pneumonia worldwide each year.
The causes of childhood pneumonia can vary by age. For example, pneumonia due to respiratory viruses, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae is more common in children under 5 years old.
Pneumonia due to Mycoplasma pneumoniae is frequently observed in children between the ages of 5 and 13. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the causes of walking pneumonia. It’s a milder form of pneumonia.
See your pediatrician if you notice your child:
• is having trouble breathing
• lacks energy
• has changes in appetite
Pneumonia can become dangerous quickly, particularly in young children. Here’s how to avoid complications.

07/05/2020

Similarities between COVID-19 and TB

TB is airborne, which means they cause an infection in humans by being inhaled, or breathed in. TB bacilli can stay airborne for up to 6 hours, but their concentration is decreased by the movement of air (open windows, well ventilated spaces), and exposure to direct sunlight, which can kill them. Inhaling the TB bacilli can cause infection, and so being in close contact with someone who has TB disease, especially with symptoms such as cough, will increase the risk of being infected.

It is now clear that SARS-CoV-2 is spread by droplets, not aerosols. When someone sneezes or coughs, the droplets containing SARS-CoV-2 can become airborne immediately. The routes of transmission for droplet spread infections can be when it is inhaled while it is still airborne or when people come into contact with virus-containing droplets that fall onto a surface. Evidence to date shows that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on surfaces for several hours, which is why the focus has been on hand-washing to remove the virus after touching an infected surface. This is also why people should limit touching their face, in particular their mouth, nose and eyes, which can serve as an entry point to the rest of the body.

When we look at the infectivity of an agent, we usually refer to the reproductive number (R0 value) which can describe the transmission of an infectious disease. The R value gives a value of how many people a person with an infection can pass the infection on to.

Although the data for SARS-CoV-2 are still emerging, the early data indicate that the basic reproduction number (R0)is 2.2. This means that each person with COVID-19 can pass the infection on to an additional 2.2 individuals. The R0 value for TB in low-incidence countries can be below 1, so there may be little chance of infecting others. However, in low-income settings with a high TB burden, the R0 value for TB has been as high as 4.3 in China (2012) and 3.55 in Southern India (2004 to 2006). The R0 value for TB is variable as it is also affected by other factors such as environmental conditions and the health of population, so in settings with more TB in general, crowded living conditions and risk factors such as malnutrition and HIV, the R0 value is higher.

Once a person breathes in the TB bacilli, there are many variables that can affect the risk of developing TB infection and disease. These include:

age (being an infant or young child, younger than five years old or being elderly, older than 60 years)
immunosuppression, such as from HIV infection or severe malnutrition
having other comorbidities, such as diabetes
being a smoker or having a high alcohol intake
These variables can also make a person more likely to have severe TB and more likely to have a poor outcome (possibly even death).

For COVID-19, the risk of developing disease is not yet so well-known, but evidence to date suggests that older age and having comorbidities, such as hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease, are important risk factors of a poor outcome. It is not yet clear whether having comorbid lung disease like TB, or other infections such as HIV, will increase the severity of COVID-19 if infected with SARS-CoV-2, but there is increasing evidence that having chronic respiratory disease increases the chance of poor outcomes with COVID.

Both COVID-19 and TB cause respiratory symptoms – cough and shortness of breath. Both cause fever and weakness. One of the biggest differences is the speed of onset. TB symptoms do not tend to occur immediately after infection and when they develop, but are of a gradual onset, often over a period of weeks or longer, unlike COVID-19, where symptoms can occur within a few days.

TB usually has a period of time where bacteria are present in a person but the person is well and not infectious to others. During this time, the person has TB infection (sometimes referred to as latent TB), which has the potential to become TB disease in the future. Thus, a person exposed to TB bacteria may: become sick within weeks (likely due to a weakened immune system); sick after years of carrying the bacteria when the immune system becomes weakened and cannot fight off the disease anymore; or infected but never sick. (For more information on TB infection, The Union offers an open access online course here in English, with French and Spanish versions coming soon).

Currently, symptoms of COVID-19 may appear 2-14 days after exposure, if symptoms ever arise, with a median incubation period of 5 days, similar to that of SARS. It is not known if there is a latency period with SARS-CoV-2.

07/05/2020

Symptoms
The symptoms of a lung infection vary from mild to severe. This depends on several factors, including your age and overall health, and whether the infection is caused by a virus, bacteria, or fungus. Symptoms may be similar to those of a cold or flu, but they tend to last longer.
If you have a lung infection, here are the most common symptoms to expect:
1. Cough that produces thick mucus
Coughing helps to rid your body of the mucus produced from inflammation of the airways and lungs. This mucus may also contain blood.
With bronchitis or pneumonia, you may have a cough that produces thick mucus that may have a distinct color, including:
• clear
• white
• green
• yellowish-grey
A cough can linger for several weeks even after other symptoms have improved.
2. Stabbing chest pains
Chest pain caused by a lung infection is often described as sharp or stabbing. The chest pain tends to worsen while coughing or breathing deeply. Sometimes the sharp pains can be felt in your mid to upper back.
3. Fever
A fever occurs as your body tries to fight off the infection. Normal body temperature is typically around 98.6°F (37°C).
If you have a bacterial lung infection, your fever may rise as high as a dangerous 105°F (40.5°C).
Any high fever above 102°F (38.9°C) often results in many other symptoms, such as:
• sweating
• chills
• muscle aches
• dehydration
• headache
• weakness
You should see a doctor if your fever goes above 102°F (38.9°C) or if it lasts more than three days.
4. Body aches
Your muscles and back may ache when you have a lung infection. This is called myalgia. Sometimes you can develop inflammation in your muscles which can also lead to body aches when you have an infection.
5. Runny nose
A runny nose and other flu-like symptoms, such as sneezing, often accompany a lung infection like bronchitis.
6. Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath means that you feel like breathing is difficult or that you can’t breathe in completely. You should see a doctor right away if you’re having trouble breathing.
7. Fatigue
You’ll usually feel sluggish and tired as your body fights off an infection. Rest is crucial during this time.
8. Wheezing
When you exhale, you might hear a high-pitched whistling sound known as wheezing. This is the result narrowed airways or inflammation.
9. Bluish appearance of the skin or lips
Your lips or nails may start to appear slightly blue in color due to lack of oxygen.
10. Crackling or rattling sounds in the lungs
One of the telltale signs of a lung infection is a crackling sound in the base of the lungs, also known as bibasilar crackles. A doctor can hear these sounds using a tool called a stethoscope.