An inflammation of the lungs have a lot of stored as an Old people’s disease. It can ignite the lung tissue so far, completely Healthy. The symptoms are the same first of all, often those of a cold. The consequences are disproportionately severe.
No infectious disease ends in Western Europe are more likely to be fatal than pneumonia. In Germany alone, up to 500,000 people per year are diagnosed, according to the Helmholtz center in Munich in mind. Not once patients get in the hospital, with corresponding germs are taken into account. About 35,000 die as a result of the infection, appreciate doctors. Worldwide, there are probably not to the four million Deaths each year, exact Figures are not available for many countries. In this country the number of cases is growing, especially in autumn and Winter.
Affected are mostly Elderly, infants, young children and people with a broken immune system. Your body can causative fight less well, germs have it easier, in the organism, to implant than in the case of people whose immune system is intact. Also, smokers and Asthma patients have an increased risk that your lung is inflamed.
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However, pneumonia is no longer an Old people disease or something that can only cause super germs from the clinic with a correspondingly serious pre-existing conditions. The danger is then much greater, but also healthy may develop a pneumonia – for example, if you procrastinate a cold or are stressed.
As a possible symptoms of the Helmholtz called the center:
- a heavy feeling of illness
- sudden-onset fever
- Chills
- Cough
- purulent sputum
- in infants and small children also drink weakness, pallor and a rapid pulse
Pain in the lungs do not belong to the usual signs of the disease. Particularly bad: Many connect with a pneumonia, high fever, and assume that the infection manifests precisely this. This fever is not a mandatory Symptom of lung infection. Cases without fever are known. In particular, in older patients, an increased body temperature often remains. Therefore, a pneumonia, to exclude, would be a fallacy – the dangerous can.
Because the infection of the respiratory organ is not treated on time, it can lead to death. Even in Germany, a country with a high Standard of care and universally good supply dies every tenth Patient who is being treated for a lung infection in the hospital, to the consequences of the infection.
Trigger pneumococci are usually
Blame bacteria, viruses or fungi are present in the majority of cases. Also, Legionella, and chlamydia can be triggered. For most of the infections outside of the hospital, however, are so-called pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae) is responsible.
The bacteria spread like a flu-like infection via droplet infection, i.e. through tiny saliva droplets that pass through the air on the other, declared that is to say the Helmholz centre: when Speaking, Laughing, Kissing, Sneezing, or coughing. In the body, arrived to settle the bacteria to the mucosa of the nose and throat area and disturb the bubbles of the gas exchange in the lungs. The body can not emit more freely oxygen in the bloodstream, locks and carbon dioxide.
Those infected with the bacteria is not necessarily sick, limit the physicians. In fact, many people are carriers of the germ, were but healthy, because their immune system destroys the pathogen either successfully keeps in check. So pneumococcal in the mucosa of up to 40 percent of all healthy children to prove.
Damage, you to usually only when the immune system of the body works properly. “Then can spread the pathogen to other organs and there is an infectious cause.”
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Pneumococcal infection is particularly treacherous
The pneumococcus-induced pneumonia is particularly treacherous, warns the Helmholtz centre. For severe symptoms such as acute shortness of breath and lack of oxygen can occur very often without warning.
In the case of suspicion on a pneumonia Affected should not wait, therefore, for days with the visit to the doctor or to artificially delay. The inflamed Gebwebe make Doctors then usually by means of an x-ray image visible. On the recording, it stands out brightly from the healthy tissue.
In order to contain the inflammation, prescribe doctors almost always antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin. “Ideally, the infectious pathogen is at the beginning of therapy known, to meet the seeds as accurately as possible,” explain the lung specialists at the Helmholtz centre. “Pneumonia is a very serious disease in which the Patient must be quickly treated. Is usually therefore selected on the basis of the clinical picture, an antibiotic, and the therapy started.“
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What is the diseased lung will help
The pathogen will be identified in the course of the treatment, could if necessary be converted to the treatment or supplements, it supplements. “The more precisely the causative agent is determined, the more antibiotics used and the risk of Resistance to be minimized in the case of the bacteria.”
In addition to antibiotic therapy, patients should drink enough and to spare. Medications that loosen mucus in the respiratory tract, supporting the healing.
So it not so far is that the lungs are inflamed to be dangerous, recommends the Constant Impfkommision of the Robert-Koch-Institute (Stiko) people whose risk for a pneumococcal is increased in infection to allow the doctor to vaccinate.
This applies in particular for:
- Babies from the age of two months
- Older people over 60 years
- People with chronic heart, circulatory and lung diseases – including Asthma – and COPD-patients
- People with treatment requiring special Diabtetes, or certain neurological diseases
- People with a weak immune system (immunodeficiency) or triggered by certain medication (immunosuppressants)
- People with a cochlear implant or a cerebrospinal fluid fistula, because these individuals are also more susceptible to pneumococcal Meningitis (inflammation of the brain)
A booster vaccination is not, according to current knowledge needed.
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The common cold doesn’t go away? So you can see whether she torments a super infection
FOCUS Online/Wochit The cold is not gone? So you can see whether she torments a super infection
