Pneumonia Pneumonia refers to an infectious inflammation of the alveoli, distal airways, and interstitium of the lungs, which can be caused by factors such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens, with bacterial and viral pneumonia being the most common. Broadly, pneumonia can be caused by pathogenic microorganisms, physical and chemical factors, immune damage, allergies, and drugs. Patients often present with typical symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Viral pneumonia can be transmitted through the air.

Pneumonia refers to an infectious inflammation of the alveoli, distal airways, and lung interstitium, which can be caused by factors such as bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Bacterial and viral pneumonia are the most common forms. Broadly, pneumonia can be caused by pathogenic microorganisms, physical and chemical factors, immune damage, allergies, and drugs. Patients often exhibit typical symptoms such as fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. Viral pneumonia can be transmitted through the air.

Pathogenic bacteria generally invade the human respiratory tract through inhalation, blood transmission, or spread from nearby infected sites. The normal immune defense mechanism of the respiratory tract keeps the airways sterile below the tracheal prominence. When pathogenic bacteria reach the lower respiratory tract, they proliferate, causing congestion and edema of the pulmonary alveoli, exudation of fibrin in the alveoli, and cellular infiltration. The most common pathogens of pneumonia are bacteria and viruses.

Common symptoms of pneumonia include coughing, sputum production, sometimes with thick or bloody sputum, and accompanying symptoms such as shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Infants and young children under 2 years of age may experience abrupt onset, preceded by symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection, mainly manifested as fever, cough, dyspnea, and fixed rales in the lungs.

Specific symptoms are as follows:

- Malaise: Loss of appetite, lethargy, restlessness, and somnolence.

- Fever: Irregular fever in most patients; critically ill patients or infants may have normal or subnormal body temperatures.

- Shortness of breath: Often appears after coughing and fever; patients with extensive lesions may experience dyspnea and respiratory distress.

- Cough and sputum production: Frequent coughing, initially may be dry and later accompanied by sputum production.

Different pathogens cause different characteristics of sputum production:

- Bacterial infection - Streptococcus pneumoniae infection: Patients may cough up rust-colored sputum. Infants may experience chills, high fever, dyspnea, flaring of the nostrils, cyanosis, chest pain, and other symptoms. Severe cases may present with altered consciousness.

- Staphylococcus aureus infection: Patients may cough up large amounts of purulent sputum, sometimes with blood. Infants may develop various types of rashes, such as urticaria or scarlet fever-like rashes.

- Klebsiella pneumoniae infection: Patients may cough up brick-red, jelly-like sputum. Infants may initially exhibit symptoms of respiratory tract infection for several days, with prominent systemic toxicity, manifested as fever, lethargy, somnolence, dyspnea, pallor, cyanosis of the lips, and even shock.

- Viral infection: Patients with viral pneumonia often show seasonal patterns, with some cases occurring in clusters. Symptoms include coughing, scanty sputum, occasional white viscous sputum, and possible hemoptysis. Infants and young children may develop moderate symptoms in the digestive and nervous systems, such as diarrhea, vomiting, coma, lethargy, and convulsions.

- Mycoplasma infection: Patients are mostly children or young adults, rare in the elderly, and mainly present with dry cough, scant or absent sputum. Infants and young children may have an abrupt onset, prolonged course, and severe condition, with symptoms such as dyspnea, wheezing, and prominent wheezing.

Common syndromes of pneumonia include the following categories: actual evidence (wind-heat invading the lung syndrome, external cold internal heat syndrome, phlegm-heat obstructing the lung syndrome, and phlegm-turbidity obstructing the lung syndrome), actual deficiency with evil infestation (lung-spleen qi deficiency syndrome, qi-yin deficiency syndrome), and critical transformation syndromes (heat sinking into the pericardium syndrome, evil sinking and righteous escaping syndrome), totaling 8 syndrome types. Treatment can be carried out under the guidance of a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner.

Nutritional support therapy is essential for the recovery of pneumonia patients. Patients with pneumonia often have decreased appetite and may require a light diet. If unable to eat due to severe pneumonia, enteral nutrition emulsions can be administered nasally.

The vast majority of pneumonia cases caused by infection can be cured with anti-infective treatment. Pneumonia caused by non-infectious factors can also be cured after the cause is removed.