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What Are the Different Types of Pneumonia?
Different types of Pneumonia:-
1.Bacterial Pneumonia Bacterial pneumonia can attack anyone, at any age.
Bacterial pneumonia can occur on its own or develop after you've had a cold or the flu.
People at greatest risk for bacterial pneumonia include people recovering from surgery, people with respiratory diseases or viral infections and people who have weakened immune systems.
If your body's defenses are weakened—by illness, old age, malnutrition, or impaired immunity—the pneumonia bacteria, which can live in healthy throats, can multiply and work their way into the lungs. The infection can quickly spread through the bloodstream and invade the entire body.
Dozens of different types of bacteria can cause pneumonia.
- The most common cause of bacterial pneumonia in adults is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), but there is a vaccine available for this form of pneumonia.
- Atypical pneumonia is caused by bacteria such as Legionella pneumophila, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Chlamydophila pneumoniae.
- Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia is sometimes seen in people whose immune system is impaired (due to AIDS or certain medications that suppress the immune system).
- Other bacteria that can cause pneumonia include Staphylococcus aureus, Moraxella catarrhalis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Neisseria meningitidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.
2.Viral PneumoniaMost respiratory viruses attack the upper respiratory tract, but some cause pneumonia, especially in children. Most of these pneumonias are not serious and last a short time but others can be severe.
Viral pneumonia caused by the influenza virus may be severe and sometimes fatal. The virus invades the lungs and multiplies; however, there are almost no physical signs of lung tissue becoming filled with fluid. This pneumonia is most serious in people who have pre-existing heart or lung disease and pregnant women.
In extreme cases, the patient has a desperate need for air and extreme breathlessness. Viral pneumonias may be complicated by an invasion of bacteria, with all the typical symptoms of bacterial pneumonia.
3. Mycoplasma Pneumonia
Mycoplasms are the smallest free-living agents of disease in humankind. They are not classified as to whether they are bacteria or viruses, but they have traits of both.
Mycoplasms usually cause a mild form of pneumonia, but may be severe. They affect all age groups, but occur most often in older children and young adults.
4.Other Types of Pneumonia
Tuberculosis can cause pneumonia (tuberculosis pneumonia). It is a very serious lung infection and extremely dangerous unless treated early.
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) is caused by an organism believed to be a fungus. PCP may be the first sign of illness in many persons with AIDS.
PCP can be successfully treated in many cases. It may recur a few months later, but treatment can help to prevent or delay recurrence.
Other less common pneumonias may be quite serious and occur more often. Various special pneumonias are caused by the inhalation of food, liquid, gases or dust, and by fungi.
Rickettsia (also considered an organism somewhere between viruses and bacteria) cause Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Q fever, typhus and psittacosis, diseases that may have mild or severe effects on the lungs.
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