Sunday, May 1, 2011

Bacterial Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. People with pneumonia usually complain of coughing, mucus production, fever, shortness of breath, and/or chest pain.

1. Your body's immune system usually keeps bacteria from infecting your lungs. In bacterial pneumonia, bacteria reproduce in your lungs, while your body tries to fight off the infection. This response to bacterial invaders is called inflammation
2. When the alveoli don't work efficiently, your lungs are less able to extract oxygen from the air. This causes the feeling of being short of breath (dyspnea), which is one of the most common symptoms of pneumonia. Inflammation, your body's attempt to destroy this infection, causes many of the other symptoms, including fever and chest pain.

No comments:

Post a Comment