Oxygen Therapy for Pneumonia — Symptoms & Treatment
Breathing is perhaps the most essential physiological process. Any issue with your lungs affects the quality of your life and impacts your overall well-being. One such grave issue that can trouble your lungs is pneumonia. Imagine trying to breathe, but with each breath, you can feel pain and discomfort. Pneumonia affects approximately 450 million people globally and can cost millions in healthcare costs. Pneumonia can cause our lungs to reduce the amount of oxygen delivered to the body through our red blood cells. It is common to treat bacterial pneumonia with antibiotics, while viral pneumonia can receive other treatments such as breathing treatments or oxygen therapy to increase pneumonia oxygen saturation levels in the blood.
What is Pneumonia?
Pneumonia is an infection caused by bacteria or viruses that can enter the lungs while one inhales. Normally, this infection does not affect the health much and is treated in 2–3 weeks, but if one has underlying health issues, such as asthma or COPD, the lungs and the entire body have a much tougher time fighting off these foreign pathogens. As a matter of fact, Pneumonia causes inflammation of the lung parenchyma, which affects the alveoli and the transfer of oxygen to red blood cells. The air sacs present in the lungs solidify due to the pus-filled in them and causing inflammation.
What are the early signs and symptoms of Pneumonia?
Pneumonia symptoms can be acute and can materialize suddenly. They include:
- A cough that produces mucus from the lungs or even blood
- Chest pain that is aggravated by coughing or inhaling
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea and vomiting
- Chills
These symptoms can be a sign of infection in the lungs that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs and can make it difficult to expand during inhalation fully. Often pneumonia can be treated at home, but underlying health issues can create a more dangerous situation and may require hospitalization. Take my word for it; this is not something to be taken lightly!!
Treatment for Pneumonia
At what stage do pneumonia patients need oxygen therapy?
Most people treat the early stage of pneumonia at home by controlling their fever, drinking lots of fluids, staying away from smoke, taking steamy baths, and using humidifiers. But when coughing and other symptoms become severe and are incontrollable, one must visit a medical expert.
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