Influenza pneumonia

Influenza pneumonia is an inflammation of one or both lungs caused by an acute viral infection. If you have influenza pneumonia, the air sacs in your lungs fill with pus and other infected fluids. This makes it difficult to breathe, and the blood is poorly supplied with oxygen, making you feel weak and lethargic.

If there is too little oxygen in your blood, your body's cells cannot reproduce properly. Because the infection can spread throughout your body, pneumonia can be fatal. It is important to know that the risk of dying from pneumonia or the flu is higher in people with heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system.

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Which flu viruses cause pneumonia?

The 4 most common etiologies of viral pneumonia in children and adults are the immunocompetent influenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), adenovirus, and parainfluenza virus (PIV). Influenza virus types A and B are the cause of more than half of all community-acquired influenza pneumonia of viral origin, especially during influenza outbreaks.

Causes of influenza pneumonia

There is more than one cause of pneumonia. More than 30 different agents can cause pneumonia, but the most common are bacteria, viruses, mycoplasmas, and other infectious agents such as fungi. About half of cases of influenza pneumonia are believed to be caused by viruses. They can lead to less severe diseases, pneumonias caused by bacteria. Most pneumonias in children under 15 are caused by viral infections, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

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High-risk groups for influenza pneumonia

1. Doctors consider older people (over 65 years old) to be the patients with the highest risk of developing pneumonia.
2. The second place in the risk group is occupied by children of preschool and school age, whose immune system is not yet fully formed.
3. Next at higher risk are people with chronic conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
4. People with diseases that weaken the immune system, such as AIDS, and those undergoing cancer treatment are at high risk of developing influenza pneumonia.

Symptoms of viral pneumonia

Pneumonia often feels like the flu, starting with a high fever and cough, so you may not know exactly what you have. Symptoms can vary depending on your age and overall health.

Symptoms of pneumonia may include:

• Too high or, conversely, lower than normal body temperature in elderly people
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating
• Chills
• Chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing (pleurisy)
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Fatigue

Because the symptoms of influenza pneumonia can be very serious, call your doctor as soon as possible if you have a persistent cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, fever - especially a temperature of 102.4 F (39 C) or higher with chills and sweating. Also call your doctor if you suddenly feel worse after having had a cold or the flu.

Diagnosis of influenza pneumonia

Pneumonia may be diagnosed when a doctor examines a patient and listens with a stethoscope and hears rough breathing or crackling sounds when listening to part of the chest. He or she may hear wheezing or faint breath sounds in a specific area of the chest.

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X-ray of the lungs

A chest X-ray is usually ordered to confirm a diagnosis of pneumonia. The lungs have several segments called lobes. They are usually located two on the left and three on the right. When pneumonia affects one of these lobes, it is diagnosed as lobar pneumonia.

In some types of influenza pneumonia, the distribution is patchy and not associated with specific lung lobes. When both lungs are infected, the term "double pneumonia" is used.

Sputum samples

They can be collected for examination under a microscope. Such analysis can detect pneumonia caused by bacteria or fungi. Doctors keep the sputum sample in special incubators, and by its growth and development they determine the nature of pneumonia.

It is important to understand that for the best analysis, the sputum should contain some saliva from the oral cavity and be delivered to the laboratory as quickly as possible or collected directly in the laboratory.

Blood test

Your doctor may order a blood test that measures your white blood cell count. White blood cells, or leukocytes, can tell you how severe your pneumonia is and whether it's caused by bacteria or viruses. An increase in neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, is seen with most bacterial infections, while an increase in lymphocytes, another type of white blood cell, is seen with viral and fungal infections, as well as some bacterial infections (such as tuberculosis).

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Bronchoscopy

This type of influenza pneumonia test involves a procedure in which a thin, flexible, lighted tube is inserted into the nose or mouth after a local anesthetic has been administered. With this device, the doctor can directly examine the airways ( trachea and bronchi ). At the same time, he or she takes samples of sputum or tissue from the infected part of the lung.

Sometimes, as a result of inflammation from pneumonia, fluid accumulates in the pleural space around the lung. This condition is called pleurisy.

If a significant amount of fluid has accumulated in the lungs, it may be removed during a bronchoscopy. After local anesthesia, a needle is inserted into the chest cavity, after which the pleural fluid is removed and examined under a microscope. This procedure is called a thoracentesis. Ultrasound is often used to prevent complications from this procedure.

In some cases, this fluid may indicate severe inflammation of the lungs (parapneumonic effusion) or infected lungs (empyema). More aggressive surgical procedures than bronchoscopy may be used to drain it. One method of draining infected fluid from the lungs is thoracoscopic surgery.

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Treatment of influenza pneumonia

Antibiotics are not used to treat flu, but they are used to treat influenza pneumonia. They are prescribed in combination with sulfonamides. And if necessary, cardiovascular drugs are prescribed, since pneumonia and flu put a very high load on the cardiovascular system. Among such drugs are camphor, caffeine-containing drugs for those with low blood pressure, cordiamine. The doctor can also prescribe cough suppressants, such as codeine, and expectorants, such as thermopsis, to relieve the symptoms of influenza pneumonia.

If necessary, sedatives are also prescribed, since pneumonia has a negative effect on the central nervous system. Among these drugs are sleeping pills for better sleep (the person is treated in his sleep) and bromides, which strengthen the nervous system.

Influenza pneumonia is a serious disease that develops against the background of influenza. In order to properly treat it, you must definitely see a doctor to remain under his control in a hospital setting.