A descriptive review of pneumonia

A public awareness piece.. Provides basics of the disease with an emphasis of the fact that this disease is preventable and curable if handled in a righteous way.

1. A DESCRIPTIVE REVIEW OF PNEUMONIA Mash’hood Mahmood Khan Shahid Saif ullah Khan Hussaam ul Haq Mansoor

2. Introduction Pneumonia is an example of lower respiratory tract infection which is 7 th leading cause of death in USA. It could be bacterial, viral and fungal infection of lungs with inflammatory air sacs (alveoli) filled with pus and making breathing difficult, and usually contagious. Risk of this disease is found greater in children of age less than 5 and adults with age greater than 65. Being a disease of different etiologies, it is good to have a diagnostic testing besides the empirical treatment with drugs.

3. etiology

4. Signs and Symptoms

5. Diagnosis Blood Test Confirms infection without identifying the cause Sputum Test Identifies the cause of infection Pulse Oxymetry Indicates oxygen saturation Urine Test Gives identification of S. pneumoniae and L. pneumophila CT Scan / X-Ray Clear and detailed picture of lungs Pleural Fluid Culture Determine type of infection Bronchoscopy Look into airways and lungs for determining the extent of blockage

6. Treatment Strategies

7. Vaccination Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine Inactivates Influenza Vaccine Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine

8. Preventive measures

9. Role of pharmacist Optimizes medication regimen by erasing medication errors, managing polypharmacy, drug-interactions and abuse of drugs. Should counsel patient to complete antibiotic course to avoid emergence of resistance and recurrence of disease. Encourage their visitors to get themselves and their children vaccinated against pneumonia. Decrease disease and economic burden on society by educating people about pneumonia and its prevention. Adjust therapy based upon patient’s socio-economic status. Address prominent risk factor to this disease like smoking, alcoholism, COPD, AIDS, Persistent cold & flu. Play their role with other health care professionals in treating the disease.

10. Referance Pharmacotherapy A Pathophysiological Approach 9 th Edition (Joseph T. DiPiro ) Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults ( https://www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/management-prevention-guidelines.html ) Center For Disease Control And Prevention ( https://www.cdc.gov/ )