Skip to main content

Walking pneumonia

Walking pneumonia



Overview

Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia. Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes your airways to swell, the air sacs in your lungs to fill with mucus and other fluids, a high fever and a cough with mucus. If you have walking pneumonia, you may feel well enough to walk around and carry out daily tasks without realizing you have pneumonia.

“Walking pneumonia” is the common term for atypical pneumonia.

Who does walking pneumonia affect?

Anyone can get walking pneumonia. You’re more likely to get walking pneumonia if you:

Are 2 or younger.

Are 65 or older.

Have a weakened immune system (immunocompromised) or take immunosuppressant medications.

Have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Have asthma.

Have emphysema.

Live or work in crowded places, such as schools, dormitories, nursing homes or military barracks.

Use tobacco products.

Regularly use inhaled corticosteroids.

Symptoms

Walking pneumonia symptoms include:

Sore throat (pharyngitis).

Extreme tiredness (fatigue).

Chest pain or discomfort.

Low-grade fever (less than 101 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius).

Mild chills.

Cough.

Sneezing.

Headache.

Causes

Walking pneumonia causes may include:

Bacteria.

Viruses.

Molds (fungi).

Diagnosis

A healthcare provider can diagnose walking pneumonia. They’ll conduct a physical examination and perform auscultation. They’ll ask about your symptoms, including how long you’ve had them. They may also ask whether any family, friends, coworkers or other people you regularly interact with are sick with similar symptoms.

During auscultation, the provider will use a stethoscope to listen to your lungs. A stethoscope is a medical device with a small, metal disc (diaphragm) that connects to earpieces with rubber tubing. They’ll press the diaphragm against your chest and back and listen for abnormal sounds.

If the provider suspects you have walking pneumonia, they’ll order tests to help confirm their diagnosis.

Treatment

Walking pneumonia treatment depends on its cause.

If a healthcare provider suspects that you have walking pneumonia and its cause is bacteria, they may prescribe antibiotics. They may prescribe the following:

Macrolide antibiotics. Macrolide drugs include azithromycin (Zithromax®) and clarithromycin (Biaxin®). They’re appropriate for children and adults.

Fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolones include ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) and levofloxacin (Levaquin®). Providers usually don’t prescribe fluoroquinolones to young children.

Tetracyclines. Tetracyclines include doxycycline (Acticlate®) and tetracycline (Emtet-500®). They’re appropriate for adults and older children.

If a provider prescribes antibiotics, be sure to finish the full course, even if you feel better. If you don’t, walking pneumonia may come back and be more difficult to treat.

If you have walking pneumonia as a result of a virus or another cause, you have to let the illness run its course.

A provider may recommend over-the-counter (OTC) medications to help relieve nasal congestion, cough and mucus buildup in your chest. You can help open your airways by drinking plenty of warm fluids, using a humidifier or taking a hot bath or shower.

If you have a fever, it’s a good idea to drink more fluids and rest. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also help reduce your fever. Not everyone can take NSAIDs, so it’s a good idea to check with a provider before you take them.

Walking pneumonia is usually mild and doesn’t require hospitalization.

Will walking pneumonia go away without antibiotics?

Some cases of walking pneumonia may go away without antibiotics. However, it may take longer to feel better. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have any concerns about taking antibiotics.

What happens if walking pneumonia is left untreated?

Walking pneumonia is mild and can usually go away on its own without treatment. However, if you have walking pneumonia symptoms, a healthcare provider is the best person to help you determine the appropriate treatment.

How long does walking pneumonia usually last?

Walking pneumonia may last from four to six weeks. A cough is usually the longest-lasting walking pneumonia symptom.

Type of Doctor Department : A pulmonologist

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Charge Syndrome

Overview CHARGE syndrome is a recognizable genetic syndrome with known pattern of features. It is an extremely complex syndrome, involving extensive medical and physical difficulties that differ from child to child. CHARGE syndrome is correlated with genetic mutation to CHD7 and the prevalence of CHARGE syndrome is 1:10,000-1:15,000 live births. Babies with CHARGE syndrome are often born with life-threatening birth defects. They spend many months in the hospital and undergo many surgeries and other treatments. Swallowing and breathing problems make life difficult even when they come home. Most have hearing two little girls sitting on a carpet, one girl has a trach and is biting her finger.loss, vision loss, and balance problems that delay their development and communication. Despite these seemingly insurmountable obstacles, children with CHARGE syndrome often far surpass their medical, physical, educational, and social expectations. One of the hidden features of CHARGE syndrome is the ...
7 comments
Read more

Dehydration Due to Diarrheal Diseases

Overview Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn't have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don't replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated. Anyone may become dehydrated, but the condition is especially dangerous for young children and older adults. The most common cause of dehydration in young children is severe diarrhea and vomiting. Older adults naturally have a lower volume of water in their bodies, and may have conditions or take medications that increase the risk of dehydration. This means that even minor illnesses, such as infections affecting the lungs or bladder, can result in dehydration in older adults. Dehydration also can occur in any age group if you don't drink enough water during hot weather — especially if you are exercising vigorously. You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) Disease

  Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) Disease Disease Overview Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease is a rare disorder of unknown origin that affects many body systems, including as the eyes, ears, skin, and the covering of the brain and spinal cord (the meninges). The most noticeable symptom is a rapid loss of vision. There may also be neurological signs such as severe headache, vertigo, nausea, and drowsiness. Loss of hearing, and loss of hair (alopecia) and skin color may occur along, with whitening (loss of pigmentation) of the hair and eyelashes (poliosis). Signs & Symptoms Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease is initially characterized by headaches, very deep pain in the eyes, dizziness (vertigo), and nausea. These symptoms are usually followed in a few weeks by eye inflammation (uveitis) and blurring of vision. This may occur in both eyes at the same time or in one eye first and, a few days later, in the other. The retina may detach and hearing loss may become apparent. The chronic stage follows...
Post a Comment
Read more