Know Your Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a lung infection caused by either bacteria or viruses. You may be more susceptible to it if you have just had a cold or the flu, or if you have a chronic illness such as diabetes. Most people who are otherwise healthy can recover from pneumonia by resting at home for about two weeks, but young children, people with weak immune systems, and older adults can become seriously ill and may need to be hospitalized.

Some acute signs and symptoms of pneumonia include:

• Weakness or fatigue
• Coughing—if you have pneumonia you may cough up mucus from your lungs that is greenish or rusty in color
• Fever
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting

Not all of these symptoms are always present in someone with pneumonia. The worse the symptoms, the more likely that the pneumonia is caused by bacteria rather than a virus. If you have pneumonia symptoms, a clinician can verify pneumonia with tests including a blood test and chest x-ray. He or she will likely prescribe antibiotics, which will clear up the infection in most cases.

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