The underlying cause of any case of aspiration pneumonia is breathing or sucking in a foreign substance, like food, drink, medication, or others, into the lungs. This article reviews the symptoms, causes, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment of aspiration pneumonia. This results in inflammation that occurs that allows bacteria to grow in the lungs, causing pneumonia. Any person can get pneumonitis regardless of the state of their health.
Pneumonitis can also occur from environmental triggers such as exposure to chemicals. It is different from regular pneumonia, which refers specifically to an infection by a virus, bacteria, or fungus that infects the person as a whole and then spreads to the lungs.Īspiration pneumonia begins as a type of pneumonitis, which is a general term for lung inflammation. Treatment often involves the use of oxygen and antibiotics.Īspiration pneumonia is less common in healthy individuals and more common in people with existing health complications. Germs, food particles, saliva, vomit, or other substances may infect the airways. "As physicians, our main job is to reassure patients.Aspiration pneumonia can occur if a person breathes something into their lungs instead of swallowing it. Yet I was still unprepared to deal with the worst bad days and sought medical care three times in that first 30 days. I can work from home and steal naps during the day. My case was not severe by any measure - I was never considered for hospitalization - and I don't have preexisting conditions affecting my lung function, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
I felt as if I had a good idea of the scope of this illness - both from my doctor and from a handful of friends with experience. It's a hyper-responsiveness of the airways." Triggers such as exercise or cold air can lead to that very tight feeling in the chest and labored breathing. "Pneumonia can trigger a syndrome that is asthmalike," says Powers, who has experienced it. Air would suddenly feel thick in my lungs, and my upper back would start to ache - the stress of labored breathing, my doctor said. What about shortness of breath? This was the most bothersome of my lingering symptoms. "There's no reason to confine yourself to your bed, but don't push it," Edelman says. He advises: "Eat good protein and take plenty of calories."Īnd don't forget to rest - really rest. When illness dampens appetite, that can exacerbate fatigue and weakness. Simpson says the energy drain burns calories and proteins. "Your body goes into a mode where it's diverting energy to the immune system," Powers says. "You have the bug, and you have the host response to the bug."Ī revved-up immune response requires a lot energy. The infection sets off a cascade of events that ramps up inflammatory and immune response, Powers says. That's because your immune system is still revved up." "Some symptoms, such as cough and chest pain, clear up relatively quickly. That's only one part of the story," Powers says. "Most people think that illness is related to the organism. "We really don't understand the biology of this," says Norman Edelman, senior scientific adviser for the American Lung Association, who practices medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. It's harder to explain the lingering of symptoms such as fatigue and weakness. That's why doctors advise pneumonia patients not to take cough suppressants. "It literally takes a lot of energy to keep yourself going with all that stuff in your lungs," Simpson says.Ĭough is a primary way to clear the gunk.
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