All you need to know about pneumococcal pneumonia
Pneumonia is basically a disease of the lungs, and pneumococcal pneumonia is a condition that can infect the upper respiratory tract. It can even spread to the lungs, blood, nervous system, and the middle ear. This is a condition that causes sickness in kids below 5 years of age and adults aged 65 and above. The elderly are the most common victims of this condition and they might even die due to this disease.

What is pneumococcal pneumonia?

• Pneumococcal pneumonia is a bacterial infection that occurs when the bacteria begins to invade the lungs.
• Sometimes it even enters the bloodstream, tissues, or spinal cord, due to which the patient’s condition begins to worsen if timely treatment is not provided.
• Additionally, people with different medical conditions like chronic lung, liver, or heart diseases and even sickle cell anemia might be at an increased risk of suffering from this condition.
• HIV/AIDS-infected people or those who have had undergone organ transplants and are taking medications for lowering their resistance to infections can also be at a high risk of suffering from this lung disease.

What are the symptoms of pneumococcal pneumonia?
There are various symptoms of this disease. A lesser known fact is that the condition might begin all of a sudden. The infected might first notice serious shaking and chills, followed by these symptoms:

• A cough
• High fever
• Rapid breathing
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Shaking chills
• Excessive sweating

What are the other uncommon signs of this condition?

• A headache
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Muscle aches
• Tiredness

What are some surprising facts about this infection?

• This infection should not be taken lightly. It can turn out to be very serious. In adults above 65 years of age, the risk of being hospitalized with this infection is 13 times greater in comparison to people between 18 and 49 years of age.
• The condition requires an average hospital stay of around six days.
• Severe cases of this infection can result in deaths.
• The signs of this condition come in quickly.
• The condition is not common just during winters but can occur almost any time of the year.
• Even healthy and fit individuals are at an increased risk of suffering from this condition.
• The risk of experiencing this problem increases with age, as the immune system weakens and is not able to respond effectively to the infection.
• Serious health conditions might result in an increased risk of contracting the infection. People with serious medical issues like asthma, diabetes, suppressed immune system, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease might be at an increased risk of suffering from pneumococcal pneumonia.
• The risks of suffering from this condition can be reduced by receiving pneumococcal vaccination. The vaccine is a preventive health care measure that works by preparing the immune system of the body to determine and defend against the harmful bacteria and viruses prior to getting an infection. The vaccine strengthens the immune system of the body to reduce the chances of contracting certain infectious diseases.

What are the causes of pneumococcal disease?

• This disease can easily be caused by different bacteria, viruses, and even fungi.
• It is generally caused due to bacteria known as Streptococcus pneumonia or strep.S. pneumonia, which is also known as pneumococcus.
• Pneumococcus spreads through contact with people who are sick or the ones who carry the infection-causing bacteria in their throat. Pneumococcal disease can occur from the respiratory droplets coming from the mouth or nose of an infected individual. It is quite common for people, especially kids, to carry bacteria in their throats without being ill.

Why is pneumococcal disease considered dangerous?

• Pneumococcal disease is the cause of one-third of the cases of community-acquired infections around the world.
• It can even occur in immunocompromised hosts.
• Though mild infections in this category can easily be treated using oral antibiotics, serious infections generally require hospitalization.

What is the right diagnostic procedure for pneumococcal pneumonia?

• Healthcare providers diagnose the infection based on a physical examination, the symptoms, a chest x-ray, and lab tests of the patient.
• There are other germs and bacteria that can also result in pneumococcal disease and therefore an early diagnosis of the problem is essential.

Antibiotics come as the best treatment for pneumococcal pneumonia . The symptoms generally go away within a time span of 36 hours after the patients start taking medicines.