Inflammation of the lungs: symptoms and treatment. Lung disease from a cold

It is known that the probability of contracting respiratory infections is significantly higher with hypothermia. That is why we say about a person with a cough that he "caught a cold in the lungs." How often does a cold of the lungs provoke pneumonia? What are its symptoms? We will talk about this and much more in this article.

From colds to pneumonia

Hypothermia is a factor that significantly reduces the barrier function respiratory tract. Also, under conditions of prolonged exposure to low temperatures, human immunity works less actively. That is why a cold snap is almost always associated with an increase in the number of cases and epidemics of acute respiratory viral infections, including influenza.

Almost all viral respiratory infections reduce immunity, resulting in viral infection bacterial complication joins.

Bacteria can affect both the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx, tonsils, trachea) and the lower ones - the bronchi and alveoli of the lungs. Most dangerous consequence The common cold is precisely inflammation of the lungs - pneumonia. This disease can be very severe, and can even lead to death. If a cold is accompanied by severe symptoms of impaired lung function, pneumonia should be suspected. This disease is much more common than many people think, and any cold can provoke it.

Symptoms of pneumonia

To begin with, it is worth noting that a distinction is made between typical and atypical form inflammation of the lungs. Symptoms of typical pneumonia are:

To make a diagnosis, a doctor's examination, a general clinical blood test, sputum analysis and an x-ray are required. When listening to the lungs, the doctor may notice hard breathing, wheezing. If they are, the doctor sends for an x-ray. In the presence of a focus of infection in the lungs, a darkening is noticeable on the x-ray. The blood test of patients with pneumonia has high performance inflammation markers (ESR, leukocytes, C-reactive protein). Sputum analysis is done to rule out tuberculosis.

If the pneumonia is atypical, its symptoms will be different. It does not start as abruptly as the typical cough, dry. Worried about symptoms such as headache, sore throat. Changes on the x-ray may be minimal. Leukocytosis may be weak, minimal. This form of pneumonia is usually suspected when antibiotic treatment fails.

pathogens

As already mentioned, there are typical and atypical pneumonia. The first is due to the introduction of bacteria such as streptococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, coli, Klebsiella, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus.

SARS is caused by other types of microorganisms, such as:

• Pneumococcus;
• mycoplasma;
• chlamydia;
• legionella;
• unicellular eukaryotes (protists);
• fungi;
• viruses - influenza virus, parainfluenza, adenovirus, cytomegalovirus and others.

SARS proceeds differently than a typical bacterial one, which is associated with other mechanisms of cell damage. The danger of atypical pneumonia lies in its latent course. A person believes that he has a slight cold in his lungs, the symptoms do not bring significant discomfort, and he does not go to the doctor for a long time, and the disease progresses at this time.

Among the above, viral and bacterial causes predominate. A person suffers from acute respiratory viral infections, and on the 5th-7th day his condition worsens significantly. The infection reaches lower divisions respiratory tract, and bacteria multiply in sputum. This is how pneumonia develops in most cases.

At-risk groups

The following categories of the population are most susceptible to pneumonia:

• working in cold conditions;
• breathing dirty air (for example, miners);
• smokers;
• people who are immunocompromised or immunocompromised;
• constantly in contact with patients (medical staff, pharmacists).

Among the sick, pregnant women, children under 5 years of age, the elderly, people with oncological and immune diseases, as well as people with severe overweight. Such categories of people (except those with immunodeficiency) are recommended to pay attention to the prevention of pneumonia, primarily vaccination. So, it protects not only from the viral infection itself, but also from its complications (including pneumonia). The duration of action of the influenza vaccine is one year. There is also a pneumococcal vaccine that protects against one of the more severe pneumonias. It creates immunity for about 3-5 years.

Treatment

Treatment of pneumonia should be carried out in a hospital.

It's not a cold, so don't self-medicate. Be aware of mortality this disease! AT acute period bed rest should be followed.

Antibiotics play a major role in treatment. Their choice should be taken with responsibility, because the effectiveness of the entire treatment depends on it. Antibiotics are chosen by the doctor, he also prescribes the duration of the course.

Never stop taking an antibiotic early. Untreated pneumonia can flare up again, and the bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic being taken.

In addition to antibiotics, there are medicinal products:

What needs to be remembered?

Pneumonia is a dangerous and fairly common disease. This is main reason death from influenza and other acute respiratory infections. It should be suspected with every cold - it is recommended to listen to the lungs with a doctor for any cough. This disease is very contagious, so patients should be careful when communicating, protect loved ones from close contact with us, especially children and the elderly. At timely handling to the doctor, pneumonia is successfully treated within 2-4 weeks.

Pain in the lungs is a fairly broad concept. Underneath it symptom can hide more than two dozen various diseases, both of pulmonary origin, or as a result of problems with the respiratory system, and conditions that are completely unrelated to respiratory system, for example, digestive diseases, neurological pathologies, and even bone problems.

Pain in the lungs

From the point of view of anatomy and physiology, by themselves lungs they cannot get sick, there are no sensitive nerves in their structure that perceive pain impulses, so there is no pain inside the lungs themselves, the usual manifestations of problems with the lungs are coughing and breathing problems. But what then does a person perceive as pain in the lungs?

giving pain in the zone of the lungs, the pleura (a film that covers the lung from the outside and prevents it from being injured when rubbing against the chest), or the zone of the trachea and large bronchi, can occur. They have pain receptors, which give pain when breathing or coughing.

Pain in the lungs - sharp or mild

In terms of diagnosing and determining the cause of the pain, the doctor needs to find out how intense it is, what its nature is, whether there is pain when coughing or when breathing deeply, and whether shortness of breath appears. Do painkillers help?

Sharp, intense pain will testify in favor of acute illness. Usually the pain is localized in the pleura, increases with breathing and may be accompanied by shortness of breath. Retrosternal pain of an intense nature usually occurs with acute tracheitis, especially if it is aggravated by coughing. It will be important whether the intensity of pain changes with the position of the body, whether it affects physical activity patient. Usually, such pains are not given by problems with the lungs, but by nerves, problems of the spinal column, sciatica or muscle pain.

Notice if the pain radiates to the chest. between the shoulder blades left side or in left hand. Such pains are usually associated with problems in the work of the heart. Sometimes pain in the chest area of ​​a sharp shooting character on the right gives gallbladder or peptic ulcer.

Pain in lungs when coughing

Painful sensations when coughing in the lungs are primarily suggestive of a respiratory disease, and this is true. A person may experience chest pain with SARS and colds, and, of course, with more serious diseases - pneumonia, bronchitis or pleurisy, but this kind of pain can also occur for other reasons.

Oncology of the lungs

Constant coughing may indicate that in the lung area develops malignant tumor. Very unpleasant sharp pains of a stabbing nature, appearing in a certain place, and over time extending into the arm and neck, should alert. They should be a reason to see a doctor for an examination for oncology. If the tumor is not removed in time, it can progress and spread to the spine or ribs.

Cough with tuberculosis

dry or moist cough, accompanied by pain in the lungs, may indicate that a person has tuberculosis. The peculiarity of this disease is that cough appears at the slightest physical exertion and it hurts not only to cough, but even to breathe deeply. A person gets tired quickly and has a general weakness.

Complications of a cold

A cold that has not been treated for a long time can develop into a severe cough, as a result of which the pleura, lung tissue or mucous membrane is damaged. In such cases, there is insufficient discharge of sputum with blood, and there are severe pains that take your breath away. It is necessary to try to direct the treatment to thin the sputum so that it leaves more abundantly, and seek the advice of a doctor.

What to do with pain in the lungs?

If pain in the lungs appears only during coughing attacks, then in order to alleviate the patient's condition and reduce the number of attacks, antitussives are prescribed. By acting on the cough center, such drugs reduce the intensity of the cough, and it becomes less painful. If there is an abundant discharge of sputum from the body, you can take drugs that reduce its formation.

Pain when coughing, pain in the chest, lungs, back when coughing

Pain can occur due to many infections and diseases. From common SARS to lung cancer. The main thing is to detect the disease in time, preferably on initial stages. To do this, you need to consult a doctor who will prescribe the appropriate examination and diagnosis, which will allow you to correctly and individually select medications and determine the course of treatment.

Pain in the chest and back can occur due to inflammation of the membrane lining the chest cavity and enveloping the lungs.

Dry pleurisy most often occurs with pneumonia, or pneumonia. Pneumonia can be caused by many bacteria: staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, pneumococcus. Bacteria can enter the lungs in three ways: through the respiratory tract, through the lymph, through the blood.

Pneumonia can be mild degree severity, as well as moderate and severe. Primary treatment is antibiotics a wide range actions. It is forbidden to carry out warming procedures.

Pleurisy is an inflammation of the pleura. It can provoke the occurrence of diseases such as lupus erythematosus, rheumatism, tumors.

Expert opinion: This statement can be regarded as ignorance of the material by the author, since if the disease is described in this spirit, pleurisy can calmly lead to lethal outcome as well as other diseases of the respiratory tract. Of course, the same diseases may not lead to death. Conversation about nothing.

With pleurisy, treatment is often carried out in a hospital, since the doctor must constantly monitor the patient's condition. Treatment includes strong antibiotics, painkillers. Also, the chest should be motionless, for this it is fixed with bandages.

Expert opinion: The chest can be motionless only in one case - the patient is dead. To reduce pain in dry pleurisy, painkillers are used.

With dry pleurisy, the pain decreases when lying on the affected side. Breathing will noticeably slow down, the corresponding part of the chest. The temperature is usually subfebrile, weakness may occur, night sweat, chills.

Colds of the lungs: causes and treatment

She is never on time. In addition, it is very unpleasant to lie in bed with a cough, runny nose and high fever due to a cold. But strangely enough, it is not the disease itself that is dangerous, but its consequences and complications. For example, one of the most dangerous is a cold of the lungs - as one of the complications of acute respiratory infections.

Causes of the development of a cold of the lungs

In spring, as soon as it gets warmer, we always try to leave at home all our extra clothes, such as hats, mittens, scarves. And this is in vain. Since each season has its own unique “gifts” for our health. Colds of the lungs may appear due to ordinary hypothermia. An adult, in excellent health, can bear it quite easily. But for an elderly person or a child, such a cold can be fatal.

Pneumonia can begin to develop due to the common cold. After all, not everyone, having caught a cold, goes to the hospital, but prefers to self-medicate at home, or, even worse, “steadfastly” endure the disease on their feet.

Another cause of a cold of the lungs (pneumonia) is a violation of the functioning of the bronchi to remove sputum. This leads to inflammation of the tissues in the lungs. To reduce the risk of this disease, it is necessary to refrain from smoking and exercise to ensure good “ventilation” of the lungs.

The worst thing that a cold of the lungs can turn into is acute pneumonia. Signs of it appear immediately - chills, turning into a fever, a very high temperature. If only one lung is inflamed, then severe pain is felt in one side. If both are inflamed, the back and chest begin to hurt completely. Even after small physical activity breathing becomes difficult and a dry cough appears. Great chance the fact that blood vessels burst from such a cough and cough with blood will begin. During all this, brain hypoxia develops as a complication of a cold of the lungs, that is, oxygen starvation. The risk of death is very high.

Features of the treatment of a cold of the lungs

If the form of a cold of the lungs is severe, treatment requires contacting medical institution.

Symptoms of pneumonia

Symptoms of pneumonia are quite diverse.

The main symptoms of pneumonia: high body temperature (from 37 to 39.5 C), shortness of breath, sputum, chills, cough. Sometimes with inflammation of the lungs with expectoration in the sputum, streaks of blood can be seen.

A characteristic symptom of pneumonia is chest pain when trying to do deep breath. Usually, pain with pneumonia is noted in the place where the main focus of inflammation is located. Especially often the pain accompanies the pleural form of the development of pneumonia.

Cough is not a characteristic symptom of pneumonia

With inflammation of the lungs skin color may change (cyanosis develops).

Inflammation of the lungs in children usually not seen characteristic symptoms except lethargy, loss of appetite and fever. If the chest comb is sick with pneumonia, then regurgitation and vomiting may occur.

Secondary symptoms of pneumonia: headache, myalgia, pain and sore throat, weakness and malaise.

Common symptoms of pneumonia

The most common are general symptoms pneumonia. 1) body temperature above 38 C, which persists for more than 3 days (in the absence of treatment) 2) symptoms of intoxication (pallor, grayish skin color, lethargy, sleep and appetite disturbances).

7 main symptoms of pneumonia

A number of symptoms may indicate the development of pneumonia.

1. Cough - main symptom illness.

2. If a cold or flu lasts more than 7 days.

3. After the symptoms of a short-term improvement of the disease, worsening occurs.

4. Difficulty breathing - an attempt to take a deep breath leads to a fit of coughing.

5. Severe pallor of the skin against the background of other symptoms of SARS (fever, runny nose, cough).

6. When not high temperature body is different shortness of breath.

7. At high body temperature, antipyretics (paracetamol, panadol, eferalgan) do not help.

Infectious diseases, such as a cold or flu, are not dangerous in themselves, but because of their complications. One of these complications is pneumonia due to a cold, pneumonia. People call it a cold of the lungs.

Causes of the disease

Colds of the lungs happens to about every hundredth inhabitant of the planet every year. And if an adult with healthy lungs there are quite a few chances to overcome this scourge without harm to health, then the elderly and small children, becoming ill, risk a lot. For some, pneumonia can be fatal.

A cold of the lungs occurs primarily due to prolonged hypothermia, especially against the background of a common cold. Another common cause may be a violation of the process of natural sputum removal from the bronchi, which leads to inflammation in the lung tissue. To reduce this possibility, it is necessary to active image life, engage in physical work or sports - in this case, the lungs are well ventilated and less susceptible to disease.

The most severe form of a cold of the lungs is acute pneumonia. It starts suddenly severe chills, the temperature literally in a couple of hours rises to thirty-nine-forty degrees. One lung or both may be inflamed. With inflammation of one, the side hurts a lot, with bilateral inflammation, the chest and, sometimes, the upper back hurt. The patient develops a dry cough that lasts up to several hours. Physical activity causes heavy breathing. Blood vessels can burst from coughing, then the patient can cough up blood. The most main danger is that the brain does not receive enough oxygen, as the lungs do not work as they should. This is true for any form of pneumonia, and for the acute form, the likelihood of such a complication is very high.

The so-called focal pneumonia has an average intensity. The temperature in this form of a cold of the lungs is not so high, but it lasts a very long time, up to several weeks. The course of the disease is unpleasant, but fatal outcome unlikely.

How to treat a cold of the lungs

With acute form pneumonia, of course, you need to go to the hospital - the stakes are too high. Milder forms can be treated at home. First you need to try to bring down the temperature. This can be done with cold compresses. When the temperature of the whole body drops, you can start local heating in those places where pain is felt. For example, well-known mustard plasters, which are applied on the back or on upper part chest. With any cold, you need to increase fluid intake. This is true for colds as well. Tea with honey helps a lot, all kinds of decoctions with honey, which will strengthen the patient's immunity.

If a common cold you can win without medicine, a cold of the lungs is not the case. Pneumonia is very serious illness and even if you don't feel severe pain in the side or chest area, you should see a doctor.

But some citizens are not limited to this: bearing a cold on their feet, they acquire a variety of complications. One of them is terrible and terrible, with which they have been frightened since childhood: pneumonia (it is also pneumonia).

In order not to be scared, to know the “enemy in the face” and prevent pneumonia, read the text of our permanent author Vladimir Yashin, doctor general practice, teacher of the Moscow Medical School No. 13.

We all know what a cold is and where it goes: untreated and carried on its feet, it "creeps" down. Pathological process from the upper respiratory tract (nasopharynx, larynx, trachea) spreads lower and lower and can lead to bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchial mucosa). But often this is not the end of the matter. After the bronchi, the infection affects directly lung tissue and causes pneumonia.

Species and types

Doctors distinguish between community-acquired and hospital-acquired pneumonia. The first is usually caused by pneumococcus. Nosocomial pneumonia can be caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus aureus and other representatives of the microflora.

They get into the lungs different ways: bronchogenic (through the bronchi), hematogenous and lymphogenous (from the blood and lymph). Hematogenous intake occurs with sepsis (blood poisoning) and general infectious diseases, and lymphogenous - with chest injuries. But we, civilians, rarely have such troubles: the most common route of infection is through the bronchi.

How will we be treated?

It should be complex and most often carried out in a hospital. However, at mild form maybe and ambulatory treatment. At the same time, in order to avoid complications, for example, the transition acute pneumonia in chronic form, the patient should strictly follow the doctor's instructions, in particular, observe bed rest during the entire period of fever and intoxication.

From medications antibacterial drugs play a leading role in the treatment. Moreover, the doctor, taking into account individual characteristics The patient chooses the most active and low-toxic drug and determines the methods of introducing it into the body.

For example, with a mild form of the disease antibacterial drug given to the patient for oral administration. If the patient's disease is severe, intramuscular or intramuscular intravenous injections prescribed antibiotic.

Apart from drugs...

AT complex therapy also apply non-drug methods: mustard wraps, ultraviolet irradiation chest, electrophoresis and others physical methods treatment, and breathing exercises. AT medical practice phytotherapeutic recommendations are also used. For example, when coughing, an infusion of marshmallow root helps: 3 teaspoons of dry raw materials are poured into a glass of boiling water, insisted for 20-30 minutes and taken in a tablespoon every 2 hours.

The diet is important, in which they must be present in enough proteins, fats, carbohydrates and vitamins. A patient with pneumonia is shown plentiful drink- up to 2.5-3 liters of fluid per day. Very useful fruit, vegetable, berry juices and vitamin teas, as well as fruit drinks from cranberries, currants, gooseberries. To regulate the function of the intestines, the patient must be given prunes, rhubarb compotes, boiled beets with vegetable oil, kefir.

Medical-Russian Dictionary

Croupous form of pneumonia- if you or your relative was diagnosed with such a diagnosis, it means that a lobe or even a whole lung is affected - and in inflammatory process the pleura (the mucous membrane that covers the lungs) suffers. up to 39-40 degrees and the appearance of pain in chest when breathing.

Later, these symptoms are accompanied by a cough, at first dry, then with scanty sputum streaked with blood. General state the patient is severe. He complains of chest pain, chills, weakness, cough and shortness of breath.

Focal form of pneumonia- it is usually preceded by an upper respiratory tract infection, such as SARS or influenza. The viruses that cause these diseases damage the respiratory tract defense mechanisms (in particular, the cells that produce mucus) and open the way for the bacteria that cause pneumonia.

After some time, when the patient, against the background of improving well-being, it seems that the cold seems to have passed, his temperature suddenly rises again, the cough intensifies, pain appears in the side. These are sure signs of pneumonia.

Not in all cases, a person is at risk of getting sick. bad cold. Sometimes, after a slight hypothermia or staying close to infected people, the body temperature only slightly rises, a slight runny nose appears, which ceases to bother after 2-3 days. This is how a mild cold manifests itself.

However, such an ailment should not be taken lightly. If you continue to go to work, as if nothing had happened, stay in a draft, do not apply any healing actions, then very soon the disease can turn into a more serious form. Then, for sure, you will have to take sick leave and lie in bed, suffering from an unbearable runny nose and a debilitating cough.

Mild cold: causes

The same factors that provoke a mild cold can lead to a more severe one. respiratory disease. The risk of developing a cold is increased if a person:

• thoughtlessly selects clothes for going out. You need to focus not on the calendar, but on the weather outside the window. So, already in early September there may be frosts, so it does not hurt to put on a knitted hat and jacket in the morning. Some continue to flaunt in T-shirts and thin sweaters, because literally the day before yesterday it was summer. The same thing in winter: even in January there can be a thaw with temperatures up to 10 degrees Celsius, and many continue to wear fur coats and down jackets, while sweating and being exposed to overheating. Therefore, before leaving the house, you need to look at the weather forecast for the day on the Internet, and then pick up your wardrobe;
• often stays in in public places where there is a high risk of catching viruses. The likelihood of infection increases during the off-season and in winter;
• is under stress. In this case, all the forces of the body are thrown into eliminating the consequences of stress, and at this time, pathogenic viruses can attack the respiratory mucosa;
• malnourished and not getting enough vitamin C, increasing defensive forces in the fight against SARS.

So get sick respiratory infection in a mild form, almost everyone is at risk. Every day we go out, visit shops, work in an office or other premises, are exposed to wind or cold. In order not to get a cold, you should apply special methods protection, and then the viruses will not be able to start their destructive activity in the body.

Mild cold: symptoms

Respiratory infections caused by various pathogens have very similar symptoms. It can be hard at first to tell if it's a mild cold or serious illness fraught with complications.

Usually a mild cold has the following symptoms:

• temperature rise to subfebrile 37-35.5 degrees;
• not really severe runny nose in which the ability to breathe through the nose is preserved;
• sore throat, unaccompanied painful sensations;
• complete or nearly complete absence cough
• a slight deterioration in well-being, in which the ability to work remains.

However, even with these symptoms, it is best to take steps to treat a mild cold, otherwise more severe symptoms may occur.

Mild cold: treatment

What should a sick person take with a mild cold in order to quickly restore working capacity and prevent viruses from causing damage to health? It is desirable to combine both therapeutic and folk remedies. good effect can provide the following proven methods:

• hot shower at the very first symptoms of a cold. You can first perform a simple physical work, for example, wash the floors to sweat a little. Next, you should quickly take a hot shower, after which you need to dry yourself thoroughly and wrap yourself in a warm blanket. Similar procedure will wash off the sweat and reduce the temperature;
• providing warmth for the feet. It is necessary to warm the feet as much as possible by wearing socks or wrapping yourself in a blanket. Additionally, you can put dry mustard in your socks;
• taking antiviral drugs. If you start taking the drug in time in the very first hours of the illness according to the instructions, you can quickly eliminate the symptoms of a cold;
• a pleasant cure for colds in mild forms - drinking warm tea with lemon, vprikuska with honey or raspberry jam.

Sometimes the question arises: is it possible to play sports or work with a mild cold? If these are simple physical exercises at home, then it is quite possible. Visiting a fitness club is highly undesirable. Firstly, you can easily get cold, and secondly, infect others.

In order not to decide in a hurry, how to get rid of mild cold, it is better to take care in advance not to get sick. Some drugs, such as Fortsis, will help in this. This tool contains an extract of cistus, which has valuable properties - the ability to block any penetration of viruses into the cells of the body. As a result, infection does not occur even through contact with the sick.