Realitarakyat.com – Specialist in pulmonology and respiratory medicine dott. Raden Rara Diah Handayani, Sp.P (K) stated that shortness of breath is a typical symptom of pneumonia that needs to be monitored in addition to common symptoms such as cough and fever.
“Cough, fever or accompanied by flu are the usual symptoms (of pneumonia). For parents and young children, if it is accompanied by shortness of breath (breathing), this is a very typical sign of pneumonia, “a doctor from the University of Indonesia (RSUI) hospital said in a virtual webinar in Jakarta. Thursday (10/11).
He said the symptoms of shortness of breath occur because there is a buildup of fluid in the lungs. When a person has pneumonia, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) fill with fluid produced by the inflammatory process due to bacterial, viral, or fungal infections.
“What is the impact? The impact is that this fluid interferes with the air exchange process. So it can cause a feeling of tightness because the process of air entry has been interrupted, ”Diah said.
With the presence of fluid in the lungs, the patient will experience coughing symptoms because the body will reflexively try to expel the fluid.
Diah said the leaking phlegm is usually green in color, indicating many inflammatory cells. However, if the inflammation still occurs in the upper respiratory tract, the patient usually experiences mild symptoms.
According to Diah, the signs of pneumonia are often difficult to recognize in the elderly, especially when the person is unable to mobilize on their own. In older people with pneumonia they usually show signs of decreased appetite and coughing, but it is difficult to clear the phlegm.
“Signs of pneumonia like that (shortness of breath) are usually hard to recognize because he lies down and no longer feels short of breath,” Diah said.
To make a diagnosis of pneumonia, in addition to identifying symptoms, Diah said doctors usually recommend a variety of tests, including laboratory tests.
“One of them is a leukocytosis test. Leukocytes are inflammatory cells, they will increase with pneumonia, “she said.
He said severe pneumonia can interfere with kidney function, so urea and creatinine levels also need to be checked. As for other inflammatory processes, the doctor will check with procrastitonin (PCT).
So, if your doctor suspects pneumonia is accompanied by a fungal infection, a fungal serology test will be needed. In addition, other tests also include chest x-rays and culture to determine the approximate type of bacteria.
“(After the exam) we will treat it. Treatment of pneumonia is by giving antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals. So it has to be adapted to the pathogen. This pathogen is the cause,” Diah said.
He said pneumonia is a category of acute disease and not a chronic disease that is chronic or does not heal. However, at times, pneumonia can also occur in people with chronic diseases and then experience an infection that results in an acute condition.
Diah assured that pneumonia is an infectious disease that can be one hundred percent cured if managed correctly through two important steps.
“The first is to recognize it early. The two immediately gave her the drug. If pneumonia, for example, is caused by bacteria, antibiotics are given. If due to a virus, given an antivirus. As soon as possible. It can usually take 5-7 days or even two weeks and he can make a full recovery, ”Diah said.
