Basal pneumonia symptoms and treatment in adults

Especially in the autumn, in connection with the increase in the incidence and prevalence of respiratory diseases, viral infections and flu, as a rule, doctors and hygienists also see growth in complications of acute respiratory infections, particularly pneumonia. Consider one of the most insidious complications of basal inflammation of the lung tissue. View what is basal pneumonia symptoms and treatment in adults and children.

Basal pneumonia, in most cases, affects children of preschool and school age. This disease can also get sick people who are weakened by another disease.

Basal pneumonia

After viral or bacterial infections can cause complications, namely pneumonia. Basal pneumonia in children and adults is an inflammation of the covering of the bronchial tubes and irregularly affect their environment, where forms of inflammatory localization. The disease is an infectious disease. In children, young people and adults of working age have less severe symptoms than classic pneumonia. Initially, the disease manifests itself in the form of bronchitis. Diagnosis is complicated by the fact that the disease affects only the root of the lung.

Symptoms

Typical symptoms of root inflammation presents such phenomena as fever with chills, initially dry then productive cough with sputum, weakness and fatigue. Patient (as a child or an adult) is experiencing muscle pain, headaches, nausea is often present.

Man is lack of breathing, there is pain in the chest. With a more severe course, there is another typical symptom that is caused by lack of oxygen cyanosis, manifested by a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes.

Types of infection

1. Basal pneumonia often occurs as a complication of acute respiratory disease or influenza. The most common is the so-called communitarian pneumonia. A person infected in an environment where going to a lot of people – vehicles, cinemas, theatres, shopping centres, schools, etc. This type of inflammation responds well to treatment by conventional antibiotics.
2. The second type, which needs to be treatment with the help of special remedies presented nosocomial pneumonia. The disease affects people who are in long-term medical or social institutions (inpatient hospitals, nursing homes, hospices, and others). The infection is transmitted to patients via instruments from other patients or medical staff. Treatment should be special for the reason that the bacteria survive in the relatively high hygiene, resistant to the usual drugs, disinfectants and antibiotics.

Causative agent

1. Basal pneumonia often affects infants and children of preschool age. They are the causative agents of disease are viruses.
2. Disease in older children and young people occurs after mycoplasmal infection. The disease is characterized by a gradual onset, the infection is atypical, cough remains at the stage of dry and irritable.
3. Adults and seniors often get sick after infection with the bacteria: staphylococci, streptococci and Haemophilus influenzae.
4. People who have basal pneumonia occurs as a complication of other diseases (Oncology, HIV, immunosuppression after organ transplantation) source in addition to viruses may be a fungus (Candida).

Diagnosis, research methods

Anamnesis. Within its framework the following factors are identified:

• symptoms indicating infection of the respiratory tract,
• febrile illness in the family and immediate environment,
• travel in the incubation period of the infection,
• the epidemiological situation in the region,
• information about concomitant diseases,
• professional orientation,
• hobby,
• social history.

Physical examination:

• percussion can be clear, with more infiltration short,
• listening – breath is short percussion weakened, with a wet phenomena.

X-ray examination: a typical image of an inhomogeneous infiltration, consisting of multiple confluent, not sharply delimited locations.

Basic laboratory tests: ESR, CRP, blood, urine, biochemistry of blood pH, sodium, urea, creatinine, glucose, albumin, LDH, etc.

Additional tests: bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage, CT scans, and tests of lung function, includingthe monitoring of gas composition of blood.

Microbiological examination: includes:

• microscopic examination and sputum culture,
• serological test,
• blood culture,
• laryngeal swabs (in children),
• the detection of antigens of pneumococci in the blood and urine,
• PCR (polymerase chain reaction),
• pleural puncture (if there is effusion),
• study of bronchoalveolar fluid or lung tissue.

Samples of sputum should be carried out before the introduction of antibiotic therapy. Special staining (in accordance with the method of Ziehl-Nielsen) required for detection of mycobacteria, immunofluorescent methods are used for detection of viruses and Legionella.

The blood culture is performed for suspected bacteremia, preferably with increasing temperature. Serologically in the blood may appear specific IgM, IgA and IgG antibodies against respiratory viruses, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Chlamydophila psittaci, Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Legionella subspecies. IgM can be detected at the end of the second week after infection. The increase in IgG antibodies occurs approximately 6 weeks after infection. Pleural effusion is determined by the puncture of the pleural cavity. Its cultivation survey is especially important before the introduction of antibiotics. Cytologically parapneumonic effusion is characterized by the appearance of neutrophils. Thick exudate with odor purulent appearance indicates empyema. A target sample under severe conditions is carried out using a biopsy, BAL, or tracheal puncture. In the case of a problematic differential diagnosis required a biopsy of the lungs.

Treatment

Basal pneumonia needs to be treated professionally, with the help of drugs. Appropriate medicines are selected after a microbiological examination. In addition to the cause of the disease being treated also symptoms that accompany it. Symptomatic therapy includes administration of drugs that promote dissolution and expectoration of sputum.

The patient needs sufficient to drink, eat a light but nutritious food with a high content of vitamins. You must comply with bed rest during the whole treatment period, which, depending on the causative agent and course of the disease lasts from one to two weeks.

Conclusion

Basal pneumonia is a tricky illness to deal with which man has, solely, in cooperation with the doctor. Home treatment is allowed only as additional therapy, along with taking pharmaceutical drugs.