Sometimes mildly annoying, sometimes fearfully fatal, pneumonia is an infection whereby the alveoli—or air sacs—in the lungs are laden with fluid or pus secretions. This causes labored breathing while less oxygen gets to the bloodstream. Bad as it can get, pneumonia is a treatable ailment; its remedies depending on its severity and cause.

Causes of Pneumonia

The pathology of pneumonia will point to the best protocol for treatment. How did it get into the lung(s) in the first place? Physicians most often select from three culprits: bacteria, viruses, and fungi. The first two sources lead to a contagious form of the infection. One third of all cases are viral, which afflicts a patient more slowly and insidiously. The symptoms; however, are fairly similar.

Pneumonia Symptoms

Virtually all pneumonia patients suffer the following symptoms, though at varying degrees of intensity:

• Coughing
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Nausea
• Headache
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite

When these symptoms are mild, a subject is said to suffer from 'walking pneumonia.' The manifestations of pneumonia are most dangerous to pre-toddlers and senior citizens.

How Do Physicians Diagnose Pneumonia?

If symptoms point to pneumonia, doctors have several tests in hand to confirm it:

• Blood tests can often determine the source of the infection as well as discern its presence.
• Pulse oximetry measures the oxygen level in the bloodstream by clipping a probe to a finger, toe or ear lobe.
• Sputum tests also find the root cause of the infection by examining fluid produced by deep coughing.
• Chest x-rays show the doctor where the infection is centered within the thoracic cavity.
• A pleural fluid culture might be drawn—under serious circumstances—from between the ribs to get a more accurate sense of the source of the infection.
• CT scans are sometimes ordered when the infection is failing to respond to treatment. These are richer in detail than chest x-rays.
• A bronchoscopy is a procedure that allows the physician to stare down the throat into the chest cavity and perhaps remove tissue for examination.

What Treatments Are Available?

Treatments, of course, depend on how serious the condition and what the source of the infection is. At-risk people such as the very young and the elderly may require in-patient recovery at a hospital. Fluids, rest, supplemental oxygen, and fever reduction are recommended to help sufferers ride out the discomfort. For the less common fungal pneumonia, some practitioners recommend some natural supplements as an immune booster to supplement this regimen.

Top 5 Routes for "Pneumonia Treatment"

1. Johns Hopkins Medicine This web page is part of an online library compiled by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Pneumonia and other pulmonary ailments receive thorough explanation from qualified specialists.
2. The Mayo Clinic With 3,300 physicians and allied experts at its disposal, the word-renowned Mayo Clinic shares its knowledge about pneumonia (and countless other health matters) with the world at this website.
3. The Cleveland Clinic One of the largest and most prestigious hospitals in the United States, the Cleveland Clinic maintains a voluminous online health library with extensive information related to the diagnosis and treatment of pneumonia.
4. Harvard Health Blog Produced under the auspices of the Harvard University Medical School, this blog offers succinct knowledge about pneumonia in all of its forms and degrees. It is always composed and edited by a physician member of the HMS faculty.
5. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health Encyclopedia The entries on pneumonia provide quick yet thorough facts on pneumonia and how to get over it. This cyber-encyclopedia is a collaboration among the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Cancer Center, the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock, and the Dartmouth University Geisel School of Medicine.