How Long Does Pneumonia Last (And Why)?

How Long Does Pneumonia Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 1-2 Weeks

Pneumonia is caused by infections that occur due to viruses, bacteria, and sometimes by microorganisms too. It is an inflammatory condition of the lungs that primarily affect the small air sacs known as alveoli. It has some symptoms like fever, chest pain, dry cough, and especially breathlessness which is very uncomfortable. The seriousness of the infection depends upon the spread of bacterias and viruses.

Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among the very old, very young, and chronically ill in developing countries.

How Long Does Pneumonia Last

How Long Does Pneumonia Last?

Pneumonia is caused due to bacteria, viruses, and some dangerous pathogens and fungi. Scientists have discovered more than 100 strains of infectious agents but only a few are dangerous which are fatal too adversely affecting your health. In some complicated cases, people get infected by a mixture of both bacteria and viruses which is infectious for 45% in children and 15% in adults.

The most common pathogen found in humans is rhinovirus in 9% of patients, influenza virus in 6% of patients, and streptococcus pneumonia in 5% of patients.

There are many cases where patients don’t have detectable pathogens in their samples, and respiratory viruses are more frequently detected than bacterias. The percentage of cases like 23% patients have one or more than one virus, 11% patients have one or more than one bacteria, 3% patients have both bacterial and viral pathogen, and 1% patients have a fungal or mycobacterial infection.

There are many predispose to pneumonia include smoking, immunodeficiency, alcoholism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, sickle cell disease, asthma, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, biological aging, and many more. It includes some risk factors in children like they are not breastfed, exposure to cigarette smoke with other air pollutants, malnutrition, and poverty.

Type of PneumoniaDuration
Pneumonia1 Week
Walking Pneumonia6 Weeks

Why Does Pneumonia Last That Long?

Recovery from pneumonia is not very quick or easy. The patient needs plenty of bed rest to make their health better lie before. The fever should be drained by one week or the case may become worse. Your chest should be examined every week to find the production of mucus which should be controlled till week 4.

Pneumonia patients mainly suffer from cough which is painful and causes breathlessness in them till week 6 it is very important for the patient to get relief from cough. This recovery needs proper attention and care till the patient is fully recovered and gets the confirmation test.

Many people take their cough and cold lightly considering them normal seasonal viral which results in spread to the infection in most of the parts of the lungs. The diagnosis of pneumonia is very easy and easily available in almost every hospital and clinical center. It can be diagnosed by chest X-Ray and chest radiography the most modern technique used. The level of infection can be increased with the passing time if left untreated for long.

It is very important for the patients to show timely recovery otherwise they end up with some severe conditions like, they can reach on ventilation too. The patients on ventilation have really very fewer chances to survive. They can suffer from stroke and brain-dead-like conditions due to a lack of oxygen concentration in the brain. The doctors prescribe them edition which need to follow carefully and do deep breathing exercises to improve your breathing.

Conclusion

The exercises recommended by doctors are like taking a low deep breath and blowing air through the straw in the glass. This deep breathing will help the mucus to get clear from the lungs. This exercise has to be done at least 10-15 minutes two to three times a day for better results because a strong huff or cough will remove the mucus from the nose and lungs.

People should be aware of all the basic precautions and needs like many people are not aware of the pneumonia vaccine.

References

  1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673610614596
  2. https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1164/ajrccm.165.7.2105078
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Here at the EHL, it's all about delicious, easy recipes for casual entertaining. So come and join me at the beach, relax and enjoy the food.

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