Chapter 1
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is the second cause of all deaths in Singapore behind cancer due to the increasing aging population compared to 4 years ago when it was the 3th cause of death.
In fact our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew passed away from pneumonia at the age of 92 years old.
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a serious medical disease which induces inflammation and infection of the lung tissues of one or both lungs.
The alveoli of the lungs are filled with exudates and white blood cells are sent by the body to contain the infection.
Because of the congestion of the lungs there is difficulty in breathing and insufficient oxygen to the body thus posing a danger to the patient's life.
Pneumonia is a common disease that occurs in all age groups.
Treatment with antibiotics is normally needed.
If the patient is normally well, it is likely that the patient will make a full recovery.
Some severe cases are life-threatening.
When someone is in poor health or very old, pneumonia can make them very ill and the infection is more likely to be life-threatening.
About 5 percent of all people who contract pneumonia die from it.
About 150,000 - 570,000 cases of bacterial pneumonia happen yearly in the United States.
Pneumonia causes up to 40,000 deaths in the United States yearly.
It is one of the top causes of death in the world.
What are the causes of Pneumonia?
Pneumococcus is passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or close contact.
Bacteria are the most frequent causes of pneumonia.
Pneumonia can also be caused by viruses, fungi, and other agents.
It is often impossible to identify the specific cause.
Infection is the most frequent cause of pneumonia, infecting agents can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites
Bacterial Infections:
Pneumococcal or bacterial pneumonia kills more people each year in the United States than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined.
Many bacteria are grouped into one of two large categories by the laboratory procedure used to look at them under a microscope.
The procedure is known as Gram staining.
Bacteria are stained with special dyes, and then washed in a special solution.
The color of the bacteria after washing determines whether they are Gram-negative or Gram-positive.
Knowing which groups the bacteria belong to helps determine the severity of the disease, and how to treat it.
Different bacteria are treated with different drugs.
1. Gram positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus may be serious and fatal in some cases.
Gram-Positive Bacteria
These bacteria appear blue on the stain and are the most frequent organisms that cause pneumonia.
1. Streptococcus (S) pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus), the most frequent cause of pneumonia.
This Gram-positive bacterium produces 20 - 60% of all community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP) in adults.
Studies also suggest it produces 13 - 38% of CAP in children.
2. Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, the other major Gram-positive bacterium responsible for pneumonia, causes about 2% of CAP and 10 - 15% of hospital-acquired pneumonias.
It is the organism most often linked with viral influenza.
It can form about 5 days after the start of flu symptoms.
Pneumonia from S. aureus most often occurs in people with weakened immune systems, very young children, hospitalized patients, and drug abusers who use needles.
It is infrequent in healthy adults.
2. Gram negative bacteria such as Klebsiella, E.coli, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium (including tuberculosis), Legionnaire’s Disease, Chlamydia
Gram-Negative Bacteria
These bacteria stain pink.
Gram-negative bacteria frequently cause infections in hospitalized or nursing home patients
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Pneumonia
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Pr
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is the second cause of all deaths in Singapore behind cancer due to the increasing aging population compared to 4 years ago when it was the 3th cause of death.
In fact our founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew passed away from pneumonia at the age of 92 years old.
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a serious medical disease which induces inflammation and infection of the lung tissues of one or both lungs.
The alveoli of the lungs are filled with exudates and white blood cells are sent by the body to contain the infection.
Because of the congestion of the lungs there is difficulty in breathing and insufficient oxygen to the body thus posing a danger to the patient's life.
Pneumonia is a common disease that occurs in all age groups.
Treatment with antibiotics is normally needed.
If the patient is normally well, it is likely that the patient will make a full recovery.
Some severe cases are life-threatening.
When someone is in poor health or very old, pneumonia can make them very ill and the infection is more likely to be life-threatening.
About 5 percent of all people who contract pneumonia die from it.
About 150,000 - 570,000 cases of bacterial pneumonia happen yearly in the United States.
Pneumonia causes up to 40,000 deaths in the United States yearly.
It is one of the top causes of death in the world.
What are the causes of Pneumonia?
Pneumococcus is passed from person to person by coughing, sneezing, or close contact.
Bacteria are the most frequent causes of pneumonia.
Pneumonia can also be caused by viruses, fungi, and other agents.
It is often impossible to identify the specific cause.
Infection is the most frequent cause of pneumonia, infecting agents can be bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites
Bacterial Infections:
Pneumococcal or bacterial pneumonia kills more people each year in the United States than all other vaccine-preventable diseases combined.
Many bacteria are grouped into one of two large categories by the laboratory procedure used to look at them under a microscope.
The procedure is known as Gram staining.
Bacteria are stained with special dyes, and then washed in a special solution.
The color of the bacteria after washing determines whether they are Gram-negative or Gram-positive.
Knowing which groups the bacteria belong to helps determine the severity of the disease, and how to treat it.
Different bacteria are treated with different drugs.
1. Gram positive bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus may be serious and fatal in some cases.
Gram-Positive Bacteria
These bacteria appear blue on the stain and are the most frequent organisms that cause pneumonia.
1. Streptococcus (S) pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus), the most frequent cause of pneumonia.
This Gram-positive bacterium produces 20 - 60% of all community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CAP) in adults.
Studies also suggest it produces 13 - 38% of CAP in children.
2. Staphylococcus (S.) aureus, the other major Gram-positive bacterium responsible for pneumonia, causes about 2% of CAP and 10 - 15% of hospital-acquired pneumonias.
It is the organism most often linked with viral influenza.
It can form about 5 days after the start of flu symptoms.
Pneumonia from S. aureus most often occurs in people with weakened immune systems, very young children, hospitalized patients, and drug abusers who use needles.
It is infrequent in healthy adults.
2. Gram negative bacteria such as Klebsiella, E.coli, Pseudomonas, Mycobacterium (including tuberculosis), Legionnaire’s Disease, Chlamydia
Gram-Negative Bacteria
These bacteria stain pink.
Gram-negative bacteria frequently cause infections in hospitalized or nursing home patients
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Pneumonia
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Pr
