Bilateral pneumonia is a serious condition that affects the lungs. At risk are newborns, the elderly, patients whose immune systems are severely weakened. Pathological changes in functional tissue are caused by the inflammatory process. Partial dysfunction manifests as respiratory failure. The general condition depends on the stage of the disease.
Bilateral pneumonia is sometimes called croupous pneumonia.
Pneumonia is a disease characterized by the absence of age restrictions and widespread prevalence. A debilitating cough, high body temperature and intoxication are necessarily present in the clinical picture. Inflammation affects all structural elements of a vital organ.
Pneumonia is localized in the upper, middle, or lower lobes of the lung. The most serious complications occur with segmental, polysegmental pneumonia. The patient can suffer from both a hospital and an out-of-hospital type of ailment. The provoking factors include a deficiency of immunity and aspiration of the respiratory tract. Pneumonia of the lungs develops over three stages, among them the onset, accelerated progression and restoration of damaged mucous membranes are distinguished.
The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. The disease is characterized by the development of morphological damage. Small hemorrhages appear first. Then fibrous tissue forms in their place. If the patient has undergone effective therapy, the third stage is the regeneration of the mucous membranes and an increase in the functionality of the damaged organ. With an unfavorable course of pneumonia, death occurs.
Symptoms
Pneumonia of the lungs develops as follows:
- Blood enters the blood vessels.
- Functional tissue becomes substantially denser. The fluid in the alveoli contains red blood cells.
- Red blood cells break down.
- After treatment, the functionality of the respiratory system is restored.
The symptomatology of bilateral pneumonia depends on its type. With a total or polysegmental lesion, the patient complains of the following symptoms:
- hyperthermia;
- severe headaches;
- excruciating cough;
- dyspepsia;
- discomfort arising from a deep breath;
- general malaise;
- dyspnea;
- chills;
- excessive sweating;
- loss of appetite;
- muscle pain.
The appearance of arrhythmia, clinical manifestations of intoxication of the body, cyanosis is possible. Bloody impurities are found in the sputum. The intensity of the signs depends on the pathogen and the affected area. Hypotension, flushing of the skin, herpes, and confusion are also present.
In newborns suffering from pneumonia, edema of the bronchial walls develops. This is evidenced by wheezing, signs of heart and respiratory failure. The baby refuses to breast, sleeps a lot.
Alarming manifestations of the disease include lethargy, shallow hard breathing, extraneous noises, dullness of percussion sound, bronchophonia. In children who are less than 12 years old, the respiratory system is not fully formed: the trachea is characterized by insufficient length, and the pleural sinuses are characterized by excessive compression. The reason for the latter phenomenon is a decrease in immunity and an underdevelopment of the lymphatic system.
Elderly people are difficult to tolerate bilateral pneumonia. This is due to the presence of chronic ailments. If characteristic signs appear, you must go to the hospital.
Causes of the disease
The factors that can provoke pneumonia of the lungs include:
- congenital anomalies;
- cardiovascular pathology;
- autoimmune diseases;
- decreased protective function;
- chronic diseases of the respiratory system.
Croupous pneumonia in a child may appear due to catarrhal diathesis. Primary pneumonia occurs as a result of infection. Also, the cause of pathological changes in the lungs can be infection with pneumococci, streptococci, Proteus, mycoplasma, pneumocysts. Pneumonia often develops against the background of pulmonary tuberculosis, influenza, obstructive bronchitis, COPD, cystic fibrosis, bronchial asthma and ARVI. Pathogenic microflora can enter the lungs through the bloodstream. In this case, the source is the organs located in the pelvic region and in the abdominal cavity.
Bilateral pneumonia can appear due to non-infectious factors. The following factors have a negative effect on the body:
- poisoning;
- foreign bodies;
- the influence of allergens;
- hypothermia;
- mechanical injury;
- surgical operations (removal of tonsils);
- ionizing radiation;
- asocial lifestyle.
Bilateral lung disease is diagnosed more often than unilateral pneumonia.
Therapy methods
Treatment for pneumonia is prescribed based on the results of the diagnosis. The medical examination scheme includes:
- x-rays – find blackouts;
- bakseeding – identify the pathogen;
- KLA – determine the level of leukocytes and ESR.
When drawing up a therapeutic scheme, the doctor takes into account the information obtained during the collection of anamnesis. To eliminate the characteristic symptoms, the patient is prescribed a medication course, which includes drugs:
- strengthening the immune system (Timulin, Anabol, Pentaglobin, Sandoglobulin);
- stabilizing blood pressure;
- lowering body temperature;
- preventing the production of histamines;
- thinning and removing phlegm (Lazolvan, Ambroxol);
- suppressing the inflammatory process (Hydrocortisone, Prednisolone).
The list of drugs against pneumonia necessarily includes vitamin complexes and antibiotics (tetracyclines, cephalosporins, macrolides, aminoglycosides). The latter are used in the form of tablets and injection solution. Also, the patient is prescribed a special diet and the drinking regimen is adjusted.
The medical complex includes physiotherapeutic procedures, among them are: ultraviolet baths, magnetotherapy, electrophoresis, Becker currents, physiotherapy exercises, UHF, inductothermy.
In the event of acute respiratory failure, the patient is sent to intensive care. The treatment regimen includes mechanical ventilation (artificial ventilation of the lungs) and oxygen therapy. The intoxication of the body is eliminated by means of glucose-salt solutions. In extreme cases, plasmapheresis is prescribed.
Therapy should take place in a hospital setting. At-home interventions will not be enough. With mild to moderate pneumonia, recovery occurs 3-4 weeks after the start of therapy. The duration of treatment depends on the diagnosis, damage (lower lobe or upper lobe pneumonia), the general condition of the patient and his individual characteristics. Unconventional methods through which diseases of the respiratory system can be cured are allowed to be used only after agreement with the doctor. Medicines prepared according to folk recipes contain only natural ingredients.
Preventive measures
To prevent the development of bilateral pneumonia, the patient must follow a healthy lifestyle. We’ll have to give up bad habits and unhealthy foods. You need to dress for the weather, this is the only way a person can avoid hypothermia or overheating.
People who are at risk should avoid excessive physical exertion and emotional stress. With the help of specific vaccination, they reduce the risk of pathologies that can be triggered by Haemophilus influenzae and pneumococci. A powerful positive effect is given by breathing exercises, timely sanitation of chronic foci of infection, and regular sports. Patients who have had pneumonia of the lungs are registered with a pulmonologist for a year.
Possible complications
Ignoring the symptoms of bilateral pneumonia of the lungs is fraught with the appearance of dangerous complications. The list of possible consequences includes the following diseases:
- obstructive syndrome;
- anemia;
- meningoencephalitis;
- respiratory failure;
- meningitis;
- empyema.
The list is supplemented with pneumothorax, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, psychoses, pericarditis. The forecast in this case will be unfavorable.
It is not recommended to treat croupous pneumonia at home. The earlier therapy begins, the lower the likelihood of developing irreversible consequences.