Pneumonia is a serious respiratory illness that affects millions of people worldwide. It is caused by an infection of the lungs, which leads to inflammation and fluid buildup in the alveoli.
While anyone can develop pneumonia, certain groups of people are at a higher risk, including older adults, young children, and people with weakened immune systems.
Despite advances in medical technology, pneumonia remains a leading cause of death and hospitalization, making it important for medical professionals to understand the causes and treatment options for this condition.
In this article, we will provide a comprehensive overview of pneumonia, including helpful practice questions about this topic.
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What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in the lungs and results in fluid build-up, fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. It’s caused by a various organisms, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Pneumonia can range in severity from mild to life-threatening, and it can affect people of all ages. It is a leading cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly in older adults, young children, and patients with weakened immune systems.
Causes
There are several causes of pneumonia, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Common viruses that can cause pneumonia include influenza (flu), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and rhinoviruses (common cold).
The most common types of bacteria that can cause pneumonia include Streptococcus, Mycoplasma, Haemophilus influenzae, and Legionella pneumophila.
Some common fungi that can cause pneumonia are Pneumocystis jirovecii, Cryptococcus, and Histoplasmosis.
Signs and Symptoms
The signs and symptoms of pneumonia can vary in severity from person to person. Here are some of the most common examples:
- Productive cough
- Fever and chills
- Tachypnea
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Diaphoresis
- Fatigue
- Cyanosis
Keep in mind that other signs and symptoms for pneumonia may be present. These are just a few of the most common examples.
Types of Pneumonia
Pneumonia is often classified according to how the patient acquired the disease. Here are the different types:
- Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)
- Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (HAP)
- Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP)
- Aspiration Pneumonia
CAP is when a patient acquires pneumonia outside of the hospital. HAP is when it’s acquired during a hospital stay. VAP is acquired while the patient is on a mechanical ventilator.
Lastly, aspiration pneumonia is acquired when a patient aspirates bacteria into the lungs.
Pneumonia Diagnosis
Pneumonia is most commonly diagnosed by looking at the patient’s chest x-ray, which will show signs of consolidation. Other useful tests and findings include:
- Vital signs
- Arterial Blood Gas (ABG)
- Pulmonary Function Tests (PFT)
- Sputum culture
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
Pulse oximetry would likely reveal hypoxemia, and a faster breathing rate is also common. The patient’s breath sounds will likely reveal crackles (rales) or rhonchi, and a dull note may be heard during chest percussion.
The patient’s PFT results would likely reveal decreased lung volumes and capacities. A sputum culture would reveal which type of bacteria is causing the infection.
And a complete blood count (CBC) would show the number of white blood cells to help determine if the infection is viral or bacterial.
Treatment
Pneumonia should be treated on a case-by-case basis depending on the patient’s signs and symptoms. However, here are some of the most common treatment methods:
- Antibiotic medications
- Oxygen therapy
- Bedrest
- Airway clearance therapy
- Hyperinflation therapy
- Fluid management
Again, each patient will be treated differently depending on the cause of infection and severity of symptoms. In severe cases, intubation and mechanical ventilation would be indicated.
Pneumonia Practice Questions:
1. What is pneumonia?
An inflammatory condition of the lungs that primarily affects the alveoli, which may fill with fluid and pus
2. What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
High fever and chills, headache, loss of appetite, mood swings, cough with sputum, shortness of breath, joint pain, fatigue, and aches
3. What are some ways to diagnose pneumonia?
Chest x-ray, sputum culture, CBC, and ABG
4. What is the assessment of viral pneumonia?
Low-grade fever, non-productive cough, WBC normal (or slightly increased); it is typically less severe than bacterial pneumonia
5. What is the assessment of bacterial pneumonia?
High fever, productive cough, WBC elevated, and severe infiltrates on the chest x-ray
6. What methods can be used for the therapeutic management of pneumonia?
Antibiotic medications, oxygen therapy, bed rest, airway clearance therapy, hyperinflation therapy, and fluid management
7. What medications can be used for the treatment of pneumonia?
Antibiotics, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids
8. What type of pneumonia is frequently undiagnosed?
Nonbacterial pneumonia
9. What are the three key signs of bacterial pneumonia?
Expectoration of yellow sputum, increased white blood cell count, and the presence of fever.
10. What type of anatomic alteration leads to aspiration pneumonia?
Alveolar consolidation, atelectasis, and inflammation of the alveoli
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Effusion
12. The term “walking pneumonia” is generally used to describe what type of pneumonia?
Mycoplasma pneumonia
13. What is the most common bacterial cause of pneumonia?
Streptococcus pneumonia
14. What are the clinical manifestations of patients with severe pneumonia?
Chest pain, tachycardia, hemoptysis, cyanosis, hypoxia, tachypnea, and dyspnea
15. What is breathing like for a patient with pneumonia?
Pulse oximetry would likely reveal hypoxemia, and they will likely show signs of tachypnea.
16. What causes “walking pneumonia,” and who typically gets it?
It is caused by atypical organisms like mycoplasma pneumonia and chlamydophila. It affects young, healthy adults and presents with a
17. What viruses can cause pneumonia?
Influenza A or B, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, and coronavirus (SARS,
18. What fungi can cause pneumonia?
Cryptococcus,
19. What are the non-infectious etiologies of pneumonia?
Carcinomas, lymphomas, vasculitis, sarcoidosis, heart failure, and pulmonary embolism
20. What are the causes of pneumonia?
Bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, fungi, parasites, and fluid stasis of the lungs caused by the accumulation from secondary conditions, such as asthma and COPD
21. What is the problem with pneumonia?
Even with antibiotics, patients with pneumonia still have high morbidity and mortality rates.
22. What are the types of pneumonia?
Community-acquired pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and aspiration pneumonia
23. What is community-acquired pneumonia?
A type of pneumonia that is acquired prior to hospitalization
24. What kind of therapy is required to treat pneumonia?
Antibiotic medications
25. What is hospital-acquired pneumonia?
A type of pneumonia that is acquired at least 48 hours after admission to the hospital
26. What is the pathophysiology of pneumonia?
Microorganisms enter the alveoli of the lungs, which leads to an infection and inflammatory response.
27. What is the inflammatory response that occurs with pneumonia?
Neutrophils are activated, which results in edema of the airways and fluid leaks from the capillaries into the alveoli. This affects normal oxygen transport.
28. What are the mechanical barriers of a bacterial infection?
Air filtration, epiglottis, cough reflex, mucociliary response, reflex bronchoconstriction, and the secretion of immunoglobulins and alveolar macrophages
29. What are the risk factors of pneumonia?
Pneumonia is caused by a weakening of processes such as loss of consciousness (intubation), air pollution, and tobacco use. Also, people older than 65 are at a higher risk. Other risk factors include abdominal/thoracic surgery, bedrest/immobility, chronic disease/illness, immunosuppressed, and alcohol use.
30. What is aspiration pneumonia?
A type of pneumonia that occurs when bacteria is aspirated into the lungs
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A type of pneumonia commonly seen in immunocompromised individuals (such as HIV), those receiving radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and long-term corticosteroid therapy
32. What are the sudden symptoms of pneumonia?
Sudden symptoms include fever, shaking, chills, shortness of breath, tachypnea, cough, purulent sputum, and pleural cerebral palsy
33. What is consolidation?
It is a common sign of bacterial pneumonia. When the normally air-filled alveoli
34. Why is antibiotic therapy beneficial for pneumonia?
Macrophages break down bacteria and process debris. Lung tissue is then allowed to recover and gas exchange returns to normal.
35. What are the diagnostic tests for pneumonia?
Chest x-ray, sputum culture, sputum gram stain, blood cultures, WBCs, and ABGs
36. What are the standard treatment options for pneumonia?
Antibiotics, IVF and PO hydration, supplemental O2, analgesics, antipyretics, nutrition-frequent small meals, and a balance between rest and physical activity
37. What are the standard practices that patients with pneumonia should learn?
They need to learn hand hygiene, cough etiquette, a
38. What are the various complications of pneumonia?
Atelectasis, pleurisy, bacteremia, meningitis, acute respiratory failure, sepsis, septic shock, and empyema
39. What event can trigger the clinical syndrome of pneumonia?
The host’s immune response leads to the inflammatory mediators that create an
40. What are the physical examination findings of pneumonia?
Crackles, rhonchi, or wheezes on auscultation; tachypnea; and dullness to percussion
41. What is the one-year mortality rate of someone with pneumonia older than 65?
40%
42. What chest x-ray finding indicates that
Lung abscess
43. What is the most common chest x-ray finding with pneumonia?
Consolidation
44. What chest x-ray finding is usually associated with empyema?
Parapneumonic effusion
45. What is a bronchogram on a chest x-ray?
Air-filled bronchi made visible by opacification of surrounding alveoli and peribronchial thickening
46. What will you usually see on a CBC with pneumonia?
Leukocytosis and an L shift
47. What will the ABG typically show for a patient with pneumonia?
Respiratory alkalosis (hyperventilation) with hypoxemia
48. What biomarkers are used to help diagnose pneumonia?
CRP and Procalcitonin (PCT)
49. What is a typical workup for a patient with suspected pneumonia?
Medical history, physical examination, laboratory tests, PA and lateral chest x-ray, microbial studies, culture and gram stain, and blood cultures in a hospitalized patient with sepsis
50. What should true sputum show when trying to find the cause of pneumonia?
An abundance of inflammatory cells, no squamous epithelial cells, and large numbers of a single organism
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51. What pattern of pneumonia will have entire lobe consolidation?
Lobar pneumonia
52. What pattern of pneumonia is typically multifocal and patchy?
Bronchopneumonia
53. What pattern of pneumonia is caused by viruses?
Interstitial
54. What are the four most common symptoms of pneumonia?
55. What are the different categories of pneumonia?
Acute vs. chronic (time), typical vs. atypical (clinical characteristics), alveolar vs. interstitial (x-ray pattern), and community-acquired vs. nosocomial (location of illness onset)
56. What are the types of hospital-acquired pneumonia?
Ventilator-associated (VAP) and healthcare-associated (HCAP)
57. What type of pneumonia is considered community-acquired (CAP)?
Pneumonia that develops outside of the hospital setting
58. What causes CAP?
It is most commonly caused by bacteria that traditionally has been divided into two groups (typical and atypical).
59. Can COVID-19 cause pneumonia?
Yes, some infected with coronavirus can develop pneumonia in one or both lungs.
60. What factors impair the pulmonary clearance of pneumonia?
Viral upper respiratory tract infection, smoking, alcohol, uremia, and bronchial obstruction
61. What is an early symptom of pneumonia?
Breathlessness
62. Can pneumonia lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)?
Yes, pneumonia can lead to ARDS in severe cases.
63. What would the PFT results of a patient with pneumonia show?
Decreased lung volumes and capacities
64. What bacteria can cause pneumonia?
Streptococcus, Mycoplasma, Haemophilus influenzae, and Legionella pneumophila
65. What can cause hypoxemia in a patient with pneumonia?
Alveolar consolidation
Written by:
John Landry, BS, RRT
John Landry is a registered respiratory therapist from Memphis, TN, and has a bachelor's degree in kinesiology. He enjoys using evidence-based research to help others breathe easier and live a healthier life.
References
- Faarc, Kacmarek Robert PhD Rrt, et al. Egan’s Fundamentals of Respiratory Care. 12th ed., Mosby, 2020.
- Rrt, Des Terry Jardins MEd, and Burton George Md Facp Fccp Faarc. Clinical Manifestations and Assessment of Respiratory Disease. 8th ed., Mosby, 2019.
- Jain, Vardhmaan. “Pneumonia Pathology – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf.” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 29 May 2020, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526116.
- “Pneumonia | American Lung Association.” American Lung Association, www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pneumonia.
- “Causes of Pneumonia | CDC.” Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 9 Mar. 2020, www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/causes.html.
- World Health Organization: WHO. “Pneumonia.” World Health Organization, 2 Aug. 2019, www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia.