Pneumonia: Symptom and Causes

Symptoms

Symptoms of pneumonia caused by bacteria usually come on more quickly than pneumonia caused by virus. Most people with pneumonia begin with cold and flu symptoms and then develop a high fever, chills, and cough with sputum (nasal discharge). Other common symptoms include:

• Rusty or green mucus (sputum) coughed up from lungs
• Fast breathing and shortness of breath
• Chest pain that usually worsens when taking a deep breath (pleuritic pain)
• High heart rate and sweating at nights
• Fatigue and feeling very weak
• Confusion or delirium
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Headache
• Muscle and joint pains

 

Symptoms caused by viruses are the same as those caused by bacteria but they come slowly.

Causes

Pneumonia is caused by bacteria, viruses and some fungi. When these gerns get inhaled into the lungs they get settled in the airsacs called alveoli where they multiply and thus fill the sacs with fluid and pus.

Pneumonia is spread by close person-to-person contact, usually when an infected person coughs or sneezes on another person