“It’s because at the time you are sick, you are already high risk. You are susceptible to all kinds of infection.”
That was what Dr. Josephine Villafuerte, chief of Davao City Health Office (CHO), said as quoted in “Sun.Star Davao” report written by Arianne Caryl N. Casas.
The doctor was talking about pneumonia, the infection that caused the death of Christian Brando, the troubled eldest son of the late famed actor Marlon Brando. For two consecutive years, pneumonia is the number one among the top 10 leading causes of mortality in the city.
The CHO said that from 2011 to 2012, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in the country’s largest city.
This is alarming since pneumonia ranked fourth as the top causes of mortality in the city from 2006 to 2010.
Every year, pneumonia costs the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) at least P2 billion annually, according to Dr. Anna Lisa T. Ong Lim, a pediatrics professor at the University of the Philippines – College of Medicine.
In a news conference, Dr. Lim said pneumonia is one of the top five leading causes of mortality in the country.
It is one of the diseases caused by “Streptococcus pneumonia” or pneumococcus, a type of bacteria that is also responsible for meningitis, sinusitis, and bronchitis.
“Pneumonia is an infection of the small air sacs of the lungs (called alveoli) and the tissues around them,” notes “The Merck Manual of Medical Information.” “It is not a single illness but rather many different ones, each caused by a different microscopic organism –whether it is a bacteria, virus, or fungus.”
Usually, pneumonia starts after organisms are inhaled into the lungs, but sometimes the infection is carried to the lungs by the bloodstream or it migrates to the lungs directly from a nearby infection.
According to the Mayo Clinic, pneumonia often mimics the flu, beginning with a cough and a fever, so you may not realize you have a more serious condition.
WebMd, published by Healthwise Incorporated, says symptoms of pneumonia caused by bacteria usually come on quickly. They may include: cough (you will likely cough up mucus from your lungs; mucus may be rusty or green or tinged with blood), fever, fast breathing and feeling short of breath, and shaking and “teeth-chattering” chills (may happen only one time or many times).
Other symptoms include chest pain (often feels worse when you cough or breathe in), fast heartbeat, feeling very tired or feeling very weak, nausea and vomiting, and diarrhea. When the symptoms are mild, the doctors call it as “walking pneumonia.”
Older adults, however, may have different, fewer, or milder symptoms. They may not have a fever.
Or they may have a cough but not bring up mucus. The main sign of pneumonia in older adults may be a change in how well they think. Confusion or delirium is common.
“Symptoms caused by viruses are the same as those caused by bacteria,” WebMd states. “But they may come on slowly and often are not as obvious or as bad.”
Dr. Villafuerte advised people to undergo a medical checkup immediately. “When you have difficulty of breathing with cough and fever, have yourself admitted in a hospital,” she urged. “You don’t treat it as if it’s an ordinary cough because you might already have pneumonia.”
“A doctor or nurse checks for pneumonia by listening to the chest with a stethoscope,” the Merck manual says.
“In most cases, the diagnosis of pneumonia is confirmed with a chest x-ray.”
A report released by “Reuters” said that doctors may miss some cases of pneumonia if they rely solely on their patient’s medical history and symptoms without also taking x-rays.
Dutch researchers, who published their findings in the “European Respiratory Journal,” found that of 140 patients who had their pneumonia diagnosed by x-ray, doctors initially thought only 41 of them had the severe lung infection.
“That’s worse than flipping a coin,” said Dr. Richard Watkins, who was not involved in the study but has researched how doctors diagnose pneumonia. “I think that’s an argument for doing chest x-rays.”
Pneumonia often clears up in 2 to 3 weeks. But older adults, babies, and people with other diseases can become very ill. They may need to be in the hospital.
You can also lower your chances of getting pneumonia by staying away from people who have the flu, colds, measles, or chickenpox. You may get pneumonia after you have one of these illnesses. Wash your hands often.
This helps prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria that may cause pneumonia.
