Check-up this week looks at Pneumonia.
My boyfriend says he's got pneumonia. I always thought this was something only older people got. Is he just laying it on thick for a bit of sympathy or can someone in their 20s really get pneumonia?
There's a perception out there that men don't always make the best patients and that what's a cold to a woman is invariably flu to a man, but a bit of sympathy in this instance would be appropriate.
Although pneumonia is commonly regarded as a condition that primarily affects the frail or elderly, our increasingly stressful lives has resulted in more young and fit people succumbing to the infection.
Pneumonia is an infection that results in part of the lung becoming solid and unable to function as it should. The air sacs in the lung become clogged with white blood cells and fluid making it difficult for oxygen to pass from the blood stream into the lungs. This in turn makes breathing difficult.
I've had bronchitis before. Are the symptoms the same?
No. In addition to a chesty cough that can last well after the infection has cleared, pneumonia is often accompanied by a high temperature, sweating, shivers as well as aches and pains. Sufferers may experience a sharp pain in the chest when coughing, struggle for breath and feel absolutely exhausted. Although a bout of bronchitis can produce similar symptoms, a very high temperature is not usually associated with it.
Do you need antibiotics for pneumonia?
In the majority of cases, pneumonia can be treated at home and respond well to oral antibiotics. In addition, paracetamol will help relieve the aches and control a high temperature while plenty of clear fluids will keep the patient hydrated.
A minority of people will require admission to hospital where antibiotics and fluids can be administered intravenously. A very small proportion of people admitted for in-patient treatment will require intensive care. Although pneumonia is the leading cause of death in elderly people, it is rare for a young and fit person to die from it.
You're obviously no Florence Nightingale, but if you could manage to provide a little TLC, it wouldn't go amiss!