Pneumococcal Pneumonia
Contents
Pneumonia is a lung disease that can be caused by a variety of
viruses, bacteria, and sometimes fungi. Pneumococcal pneumonia is an
infection in the lungs caused by bacteria called Streptococcus
pneumoniae. S. pneumoniae, also called pneumococcus,
can infect the upper respiratory tracts of adults and children and
can spread to the blood, lungs, middle ear, or nervous system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates
S. pneumoniae causes 40,000 deaths and 500,000 cases of
pneumonia annually in the United States. Annually, there are twice
as many cases of pneumococcal pneumonia in African Americans than in
whites. The disease is responsible for 3,000 cases of meningitis
(inflammation of lining of the spinal cord), 50,000 cases of
bacteremia (bacteria in the blood), and 7 million cases of otitis
media (inner ear infection) in the United States.
Pneumococcal pneumonia mainly causes illness in children younger
than 2 years old and adults 65 years of age or older. The elderly
are especially at risk of getting seriously ill and dying from this
disease. In addition, people with certain medical conditions such as
chronic heart, lung, or liver diseases or sickle cell anemia are
also at increased risk for getting pneumococcal pneumonia. People
with HIV infection, AIDS, or people who have had organ transplants
and are taking medicines that lower their resistance to infection
are also at high risk of getting this disease.
PNEUMONIA TRANSMISSION
At any given time, the noses and throats of up to 70 percent of
healthy people contain pneumococcus. Children, generally, harbor
more of the bacteria than adults. Pneumococcus is spread through
breathing the bacteria into the lungs, bypassing normal immune
system defenses. Researchers don’t know what causes it to suddenly
invade the lungs and the bloodstream to cause disease.
PNEUMONIA SYMPTOMS
Pneumococcal pneumonia may begin suddenly, with a severe shaking
chill usually followed by
- High fever
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid breathing
- Chest pains
There may be other symptoms as well
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Tiredness
- Muscle aches
PNEUMONIA DIAGNOSIS
A health care worker diagnoses pneumonia based on
- Symptoms
- Physical examination
- Laboratory tests
- Chest x-ray
Different bacteria, viruses, and other germs also can cause
pneumonia. Therefore, if you have any of the symptoms, you should
get diagnosed early and start taking medicine, if appropriate. The
presence of S. pneumoniae in the blood, saliva, or lung
fluid helps lead to a diagnosis of pneumococcal pneumonia.
PNEUMONIA TREATMENT
Your health care worker usually will prescribe antibiotics, such
as penicillin, to treat this disease. The symptoms of pneumococcal
pneumonia usually go away within 12 to 36 hours after you start
taking medicine.
Bacteria such as S. pneumoniae, however, are now capable
of resisting and fighting off the powers of antibiotics to destroy
them. Such antibiotic resistance is increasing worldwide because
these medicines have been overused or misused. Therefore, if you are
at risk of getting pneumococcal pneumonia, you should talk with your
health care worker about taking steps to prevent it.
PNEUMONIA PREVENTION
The pneumococcal vaccine is the only way to prevent getting
pneumococcal pneumonia. Vaccines are available for children and
adults.
The CDC National Immunization Program (NIP) recommends that you
get immunized against pneumococcal pneumonia if you are in any of
the following groups.
- You are 65 years old or older
- You have a serious long-term health problem such as heart
disease, sickle cell disease, alcoholism, leaks of cerebrospinal
fluid, lung disease (not including asthma), diabetes, or liver
cirrhosis
- Your resistance to infection is lowered due to HIV infection
or AIDS; lymphoma, leukemia, or other cancers; cancer treatment
with x-rays or drugs; treatment with long-term steroids; bone
marrow or organ transplant; kidney failure; nephrotic (kidney)
syndrome; damaged spleen or no spleen
- You are an Alaskan Native or from certain Native American
populations
NIP also recommends that all babies and children younger than 23
months old be vaccinated against this disease with the recently
licensed pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
PNEUMONIA POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS
In about 30 percent of people with pneumococcal pneumonia, the
bacteria invade the blood stream from the lungs. This causes
bacteremia, a very serious complication of pneumococcal pneumonia
that also can cause other lung problems and certain heart problems.
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