The other one is viral pneumonia. Half of all pneumonias are believed to be caused by viruses. More and more viruses are being identified as the cause of respiratory infection, and though most attack the upper respiratory tract, some produce pneumonia, especially in children. Most of these pneumonias are not serious and last a short time. Infection with the influenza virus may be severe and occasionally fatal. The virus invades the lungs and multiplies, but there are almost no physical signs of lung tissue becoming filled with fluid. It finds many of its victims among those who have pre-existing heart or lung disease or are pregnant. Symptoms: The initial symptoms of viral pneumonia are the same as influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within 12 to 36 hours, there is increasing breathlessness; the cough becomes worse and produces a small amount of mucus. There is a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.
It can have over 30 different causes this means it is affected in different parts of the body. The main parts are lungs, stomach, and the temperature of the body.
If you have pneumonia then you may suffer from , Chills, , Unusually rapid breathing, Breathing with grunting or wheezing sounds, Laboured breathing that makes a child's rib muscles retract (when muscles under the rib cage or between ribs draw inward with each breath), , Chest pain, Abdominal pain, Decreased activity Loss of appetite (in older children) or poor feeding (in infants), In extreme cases, bluish or grey colour of the lips and fingernails.
If you develop pneumonia, your chances of a fast recovery are greatest under certain conditions: if you're young, if your pneumonia is caught early, if your defences against disease are working well, if the infection hasn't spread, and if you're not suffering from other illnesses. The drugs used to fight pneumonia are determined by the germ causing the pneumonia and the judgment of the doctor. After a patient's temperature returns to normal, medication must be continued according to the doctor's instructions, otherwise the pneumonia may recur. Relapses can be far more serious than the first attack. Besides antibiotics, patients are given supportive treatment: proper diet and oxygen to increase oxygen in the blood when needed. In some patients, medication to ease chest pain and to provide relief from violent cough may be necessary.
The most common place where it occurs is the lungs or the stomach. In 1996 (latest data available), there were an estimated 4.8 million cases of pneumonia resulting in 54.6 million restricted-activity days and 31.5 million bed days. In 2000, there were approximately 1.3 million hospitalisations, 1.3 million emergency room visits, and 63,548 deaths recorded in the United States.
http://www.lungusa.org/diseases/lungpneumoni.html
