Abstract
Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes. The most common type of infectious agents is bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumonia. CAP is defined as an acute infection of the pulmonary parenchyma in a patient who has acquired the infection in the community. CAP remains a common and potentially serious illness. It is associated with considerable morbidity, mortality and treatment cost, particularly in elderly patients. CAP causes problems like difficulty in breathing, fever, chest pains, and cough. Definitive clinical diagnosis should be based on X-ray finding and culture of lung aspirates. The chest radiograph is considered the” gold standard” for the diagnosis of pneumonia but cannot differentiate bacterial from non bacterial pneumonia. Diagnosis depends on isolation of the infective organism from sputum and blood. Knowledge of predominant microbial patterns in CAP constitutes the basis for initial decisions about empirical antimicrobial treatment.
Highlights
Pneumonia is defined as an acute respiratory illness associated with recently developed radiological pulmonary shadowing which may be segmental, lobar or mutilobar [1]
Pneumonia are usually classified as community acquired pneumonia, hospital acquired pneumonia or those occurring in immunocompromised host or patient with underlying damaged lung including suppurative and aspiration pneumonia [1]
All patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP) being assessed in emergency departments or admitted to hospital should have oximetry, measurement of serum electrolytes and urea levels, and a full blood count to assist in assessing severity
Summary
Pneumonia is defined as an acute respiratory illness associated with recently developed radiological pulmonary shadowing which may be segmental, lobar or mutilobar [1]. It occurs about five times more frequently in the developing world than the developed world [2]. The incidence of community acquired pneumonia (CAP) range from 4 million to 5 million cases per year, with 25% requiring hospitalization [3]. The problem is much greater in the developing countries where pneumonia is the most common cause of hospital attendance in adults. Pneumonia are usually classified as community acquired pneumonia, hospital acquired pneumonia or those occurring in immunocompromised host or patient with underlying damaged lung including suppurative and aspiration pneumonia [1]
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