Healthy habits that will help us prevent pneumonia

The pneumonia is a respiratory disease and that produces a infection in the lung. It can be caused by various agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, and affects many people during the year. In most cases pneumonia in adults is caused by bacteria.

The most common type of bacteria that causes pneumonia is the pneumococcus (Streptococcus pneumoniae). In addition, there are different types depending on where it occurs. Thus, for example, pneumonia can be intrahospital, being the condition that occurs when the patient has been hospitalized or in medical centers, and community-acquired pneumonia. In this case they are given out of hospital centers or outside of medical centers.

What are your causes?

The causes for which we get sick with pneumonia can be several:

  • The bacteria and viruses that live in the mouth, in the nostrils, in the nose and from there spread to the lungs causing an infection in the lungs.
  • By inhaling the microbes that cause pneumonia and that these reach the lungs.
  • As a result of inhaling fluids, food, secretions or vomiting, from the mouth to the lungs, this pneumonia is known as aspiration pneumonia.
  • When pneumonia is caused by other bacteria it is known as atypical pneumonia.
  • Influenza caused by viruses can also trigger pneumonia.

Some factors considered risk may also predispose us to suffer from pneumonia as the following details:

  • Some diseases like hepatic cirrhosis, heart disease, diabetes,
  • Pulmonary diseases such as cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, COPD.
  • Mouth diseases such as, gingivitis, periodontitis.
  • The obesity.
  • Problems of the immune system.
  • Cerebrovascular diseases.
  • Lung, mouth or throat surgery for cancer.
  • Accumulated mucus in the respiratory tract, blowing nose badly.
  • A badly cured cold or flu.
  • Being a smoker or smoker

And what symptoms does pneumonia cause?

There are several symptoms that can alert about the possible existence of pneumonia. The most common signs or signs are the following:

  • Cough, which can be productive with mucus, blood, or yellowish or greenish mucus.
  • It is difficult for us to breathe especially when we make an effort.
  • Pain in the chest, throbbing especially hurts more when coughing.
  • Tremors, chills.
  • Fever that can be high or low grade.
  • General malaise, fatigue, lack of appetite, lack of energy.
  • Headache, confusion.

In view of all these symptoms and the suspicion that we are not well, we must go to the doctor without delay to have a timely review and pre-treat us. The doctor will observe us by listening to our chest and back with a stethoscope looking for abnormal sounds when breathing and crackles.

In addition to this observation, we will have a chest x-ray to complete the study and make sure we have pneumonia.

Other tests that the doctor usually performs to confirm the diagnosis of pneumonia can be:

  • Analyze the sputum with a culture and blood culture.
  • Arterial blood gas
  • TAC
  • Bronchoscopy

Once the diagnosis is confirmed and depending on the severity of the pneumonia, the doctor will decide if the patient should be admitted to a hospital or cure pneumonia at home.

The treatment will consist in the taking of antibiotics, always prescribed by the doctor for pneumonias that are cured at home. In case of pneumonia that requires patient's admission, it is usually treated with antibiotics given intravenously or by ingestion.

In general, pneumonia usually heals in 2 weeks, as long as no complications arise or you are inside the patients considered at risk.

Habits of healthy life to prevent pneumonia

Maintain proper and correct hygiene of the mouth because the bacteria from the mouth when inhaled reach the lung and infect it, especially when we have an oral disease such as gingivitis and the periodontitis.

To take care of your mouth it is advisable to visit the dentist once a year, and brush your teeth well several times a day, complete the cleaning using also dental floss.

Do not smoke, nor do you expose yourself to breathing the smoke that comes from other smokers' cigarettes. Also, breathe clean air, try not to heat your house with firewood, try not to expose yourself to pollution.

Avoid sedentary lifestyle and overweight, do not drink alcohol. Live a healthy life with a healthy and balanced diet, hydrate well, drink at least 2 liters of water a day.

If your diet is healthy and balanced when you are cold or with a cold reinforce your diet with these foods:

  • Blue Fish.
  • Nuts.
  • Garlic and onion.
  • Eggs
  • Drinking about 8 glasses of water a day will help us eliminate mucus and prevent infection.

Another healthy habit when we have a cold, flu or catarrh is sounding our nose correctly to eliminate mucus and prevent the mucus from going down to the lungs and causing pneumonia. By eliminating mucus, we keep the area clean and reduce the risk of infection. This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesRespiratory infections

How To Prevent Pneumonia (निमोनिया) Naturally | Health Tips | Educational Video (March 2024)