Jakarta (ANTARA) – Pulmonology and Respiratory Medicine Specialist at RSUI Dr. dr. Raden Rara Diah Handayani, Sp.P(K), mentioned that an unhealthy lifestyle such as smoking can increase a person’s risk of getting pneumonia.
Additionally, drinking alcohol and working in places that are easily exposed to smoke, gases, and hazardous chemicals also put people at risk for this disease.
“Everyone is at risk of contracting pneumonia, and this risk increases in children under two years of age and in the elderly over 65,” she said in a statement from RSUI earlier today.
Diah advised people to use masks when outdoors, not to add pollutants, especially smoke, and to maintain a stable immune system to prevent pneumonia.
Actually, besides lifestyle, there are several things that can increase a person’s risk of getting pneumonia, namely having a history of previous illnesses such as chronic diseases such as COPD, asthma, heart failure, and conditions that increase the risk of aspiration of mucus from the mouth and nose and diseases that can weaken the body’s immune system.
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can cause mild to severe illness at any age. This disease can be caused by various types of germs such as bacteria, viruses and fungi.
However, the main cause of pneumonia is the S. pneumoniae bacteria and 20-25% of pneumonia cases are caused by these bacteria.
“If you get pneumonia, it can cause the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) to fill with fluid or pus, making it difficult for the sufferer to breathe,” Diah said.
Presenting signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, cough, phlegm which may be greenish in colour, fever, sweating and chills, loss of appetite, chest pain and rapid, short breathing. The spread of pneumonia through fluids when the patient coughs or sneezes and can affect anyone from children to adults.
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Reporter: Lia Wanadriani Santosa
Publisher: Ida Nurcahyan
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