Walking Pneumonia Symptoms

Walking Pneumonia Symptoms

Pneumonia is an inflammatory disease of the lungs.It is often described as inflammation on the lung alveolar and lung parenchyma; or alveolae that are filled by abnormal fluid. Pneumonia is actually a common disease in all age groups, and it is the leading cause of death among the elderly. Pneumonia rarely happens on children, but for children under 5 years, it often becomes a common cause of death, called bronchopneumonia.

Pneumonia can become epidemic. Outbreaks of this disease primarily occur in a limited group of people such as close contact school students, military members, and families. This outbreaks tend to spread slowly because the  incubation periode lasts between 1-2 weeks. Pneumonia, especially the form of walking pneumonia is most commonly found in spring season.

Classification

Pneumonia is globally divided into two: 

1. Hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP), also called nosocomial pneumonia; pneumonia that is acquired during or after hospitalization, or a procedure initiated at least 72 hours after a hospital admission.
2. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), an infectious pneumonia in a person who is not obtained from the hospital. CAP is the most common pneumonia. CAP is the fourth most common cause of death in the United Kingdom and the sixth in the United States. The term "walking pneumonia" has been used to describe a less malignant type, compared with others. Walking pneumonia is usually caused by an atypical bacteria called Mycoplasma pneumoniae.

Walking Pneumonia Causes

Similar bacterial organisms, named Mycoplasma sp. and Chlamydia sp. They usually causes milder form of pneumonia and are characterized by the more prolonged course of the disease.

Walking pneumonia often attacks young people and can cause symptoms outside the lungs (eg: anemia and skin rash), neurological syndromes (meningitis, encephalitis).  Walking pneumonia can be found in all age groups. It is about 5-15% of all cases of pneumonia. Generally it is mild, with low mortality.

Walking Pneumonia Risk Factors

1. Elderly
2. Heavy smokers
3. Patients with impaired immune function (HIV, TB)
4. Patients with chronic diseases (diabetes mellitus, etc)

Walking Pneumonia Symptoms

1. Cough (maybe dry or phlegm/secretory)
2. Headache
3. Shivering, fever (can be mild only)
4. Shortness of breath
5. Muscle pain, stiffness
6. Appetite decreasing
7. Malaise (feeling weak, unwell)
8. Rash (especially if the cause is Mycoplasma)
9. Diarrhea (especially if the cause is Legionella)

Walking Pneumonia Treatments

The main treatment is antibiotics. In mild cases, antibiotics can be administered via oral and patients do not need hospitalization. In severe cases (especially if caused by Legionella), antibiotics should be given intravenously and patients may need extra oxygen so they should undergo hospitalization.