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With the most common type of pneumonia, symptoms may come on quite suddenly. There may be pain in the side of the chest that can make breathing and coughing uncomfortable. This is due to the inflammation of the air sacs (alveolar sacs) and narrowing of the fine tubes in the lungs (bronchioles) caused by the infection (see diagram below).
The symptoms of pneumonia typically include fever, chills, and shortness of breath, as well as a cough with yellow-green phlegm or occasionally blood. Chest pain with breathing can also be a symptom of pneumonia, which occurs as a result of inflammation of the membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity.
The cough might be dry at the beginning of the illness but then tends to be productive, with phlegm that is often green/yellow or rust-coloured and may be smelly. Pneumonia also makes you feel ill, with fever, aches and pains, and loss of appetite. The exact symptoms vary depending on how much of the lung is affected and the type of organism causing infection.
A straightforward case of pneumonia will begin to improve quickly with treatment and generally causes no long-term harm to the lungs. Complications, which are more common in older people, can include a build up of pus in the lungs (pleural effusion) and breathing difficulties, which will need treatment in hospital.
Following are the type of organism causing the infection:
Bacteria
Microplasma
Virus
Fungi
Atypical Pneumonia Symptoms
Aspiration Pneumonia Symptoms
Community Acquired Pneumonia Symptoms
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