Pneumopathy is a term used to qualify diseases related to lung and respiratory system. Depending on symptoms and causes, different treatments are put in place.
Pneumonia corresponds to a lung pathology that may concern one or more parts. Pneumonia of infectious origin are the most frequent. “”In France, the pneumococci is the first cause of pneumonia community bacterial“Indicates public health France. What are the symptoms ? Is pneumopathy Take care? What is the healing time pneumonia?
Definition: What is pneumonia?
Pneumopathy is a disease that affects one or more parts of the lung. It occurs so gradual Or brutal. Pneumopathies can be of infectious origin or not. THE Infectious origin pneumonia are the most frequent. They testify to an infection in the lungs. Other types of non -infectious pneumonia are the interstitial pneumonia now called “diffuse infiltrative pneumopathies”.
It takes about two weeks to treat pneumopathy
What are the causes of pneumonia?
► infectious pneumonia are mainly of bacterial origin. One of the bacteria most often involved is the pneumococcusResponsible for the classic frank lubaire pneumonia,. Other so -called atypical germs can also be accused as for example The Haemophilus influenzae or the legionella pneumophilia. The darling can also give very disabling pneumopathies.
► They can also be viral originthe virus of the flu, chickenpox and measles are then most often involved.
► More rarely, pneumonia can be caused by mushrooms (pneumocytosis) or parasites (microsporidiasis). This type of condition mainly concerns immunocompromised people.
► interstitial pneumonia Designates all diseases affecting the interstitial pulmonary tissue, which corresponds to the lung support fabric. Interstitial pneumopathies correspond to several types of lung tissue affections, which can, In the most serious cases, evolve in respiratory failure or in pulmonary fibrosis (involvement of the alveolar structure). This type of pneumonia has different causes: infectious (bacteria, viruses, parasites), cancer, pneumoconiosis (inhalation of smoke or toxic substances), medicationetc. In many cases, the causes are undetermined. Other chronic evolution diseases such as sarcoidosis are possible. These pneumopathies are most often chronic and very variable evolution. The main symptoms are difficult breathing and cough Only only during activity, then for less and less important efforts.
► Inhalation pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs caused by an abnormal gastric reflux In the pulmonary system or by passing food in the respiratory tract during a false road. Inhalation pneumonia mainly affects Elderly people in poor health and people in a coma. More rarely, it can be an undesirable effect of a anesthesia. The main symptoms of inhalation pneumonia are dyspnea (respiratory difficulty), fever and cough with spit. Inhalation pneumonia can be fatal. Treatment is generally to put the patient under oxygen and give him antibiotics.
► Pneumopathy or community pneumonia is a pulmonary infection occurring in an extra-hospital environment. The infectious agent is generally a bacteria of the genus pneumococcusbut other bacteria, even viruses, can trigger community pneumonia. Sometimes theInfectious agent conveyed by the ventilation or air conditioning system, this is the case for legionelloses).
“The criteria that must worry the doctor are a high respiratory frequency and a heart rate greater than 120 per minute”
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
“”Clinical signs can be a generral, a fever, a fatty cough, sometimes chest pain and a respiratory gene. But no sign is really specific for the patient. The criteria which must worry the doctor are a polypnea (high respiratory frequency) and a heart rate greater than 120 per minute“Explains Dr. Marie-Pascale Schuller, pulmonologist. Depending on the nature of pneumonia, the symptoms of this disease can be variable:
► We talk about atypical pneumonia When the symptoms are not as brutal and characteristic as during acute frank lobaire pneumonia. Atypical pneumonia is often difficult to diagnose because the symptoms involved (eg:: convulsions, headache, vomiting, abdominal pain) may be reminiscent of another pathology like A crisis of appendicitis. This kind of pneumonia is often due to a bacteria. The treatment is then based on antibiotics.
► A Hypoxemia pneumonia is a pulmonary pathology deteriorating pulmonary alveoli and blood capillaries, which causes a hypoxemia. Hypoxemia is characterized by an insufficient quantity of oxygen in the blood circulation. Many different pneumopathies can cause hypoxemia, such as infectious pneumonia or inhalation pneumopathy. The main symptoms of hypoxemic pneumonia are Fever, a great difficulty in breathing, tachycardia (too fast heart rate) and cough. Hypoxemia can degenerate into acute, fairly serious respiratory distress syndrome. It must therefore be monitored scrupulously.
► chicken pneumonia is a serious complication of chickenpox, Essentially affecting immunocompromised adults (weakened immune system) or non -immune pregnant women Contracting chickenpox during their pregnancy. The symptoms of chicken pneumonia are normally triggered a few days after the appearance of Skin rashes If characteristic of chickenpox. These symptoms are a chest pain, shortness of breath and cough First dry then oily with expectoration of bloody sputum. Treaty very early with specific antivirals, chicken pneumonia can be healed. Poor or not treated, it can be potentially dangerous.
“First of all, the doctor goes hear a crackling home during auscultation“Explains Dr. Schuller. The diagnosis will then be confirmed by various exams:
- A clinical examination of the patient,
- A radiological assessment (thoracic radiography, computer tomography, computed tomography, etc.),
- In case of hospitalization, other exams Can be carried out, in particular if there are severity criteria: hemoculture, serology, pulmonary fibroscopy with bacteriological samples.
How long is the healing of pneumonia?
It takes about two weeks to treat pneumonia, with a more or less long convalescence (one month in general).
What are the treatments to treat pneumopathy?
► For bacterial pneumopathies an antibiotic therapy is the most suitable treatment. “”The doctor prescribes so -called “probabilistic” antibiotic therapy in first intention, in the event of non -improvement within 48 hours, a second consultation must be made to adapt the care “, Specifies Dr. Schuller.
► In case of acute lubaire frank pneumonia, of Oral amoxicillin, or intravenous route will be prescribed.
► In case of atypical pneumonia, macrolides orally or intravenously.
When to hospitalize pneumonia?
In the elderly or with signs indicating serious damage : hospitalization, bacteriological diagnosis, and suitable antibiotic therapy and intravenous route are indicated.
“If the clinical evolution is favorable a control radiography must be carried out in The 6 weeks after the firstre radio. After this episode, an antipneumococcal vaccination is recommended. This vaccination can also be requested by patients with Fragility factors (chronic bronchitis, asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart problem, immunosuppressive treatments for cancer or chronic disease treated with biotherapy, etc.)
Thank you to Dr Marie-Pascale Schuller, pulmonologist in Île-de-France
