Hospitals are seeing a significant rise in the number of patients suffering from a lung infection. Few subsets of COVID patients gradually develop the infection leading to pneumonia. SUPRIYA RAMESH speaks with experts to bring a report
Once again, the world is petrified as Omicron cases are on rise and sooner than soon we all might again be put behind the doors. Amidst the pandemic, which certainly doesn’t seem to bid goodbye to us and has already caused pandemic-fatigue, there is pneumonia, another lung disease which is increasing its count all over the world.
Termed as an infection of one or both of the lungs, air sacs that are present inside tend to get filled with fluid or pus. It primarily affects infants and people above the age of 65, the severity of disease is more. Age is not the only factor that decides the seriousness of the disease but the type of germ that caused the infection and person’s overall health also matter. Bacterial, viral, and fungal infections can all cause pneumonia. However, viruses and bacteria are some of the commonest causes. Some viruses also infect the respiratory tract and can lead to pneumonia. Viral pneumonia may be mild and can go away on its own like a common cold.
Mild signs and symptoms often are similar to those of a cold or flu, but they last longer and the symptoms vary for newborn, young adults and in older people. “Signs and symptoms may include chest pain when you breathe or cough, cough, which may produce phlegm, fatigue, fever, sweating and shaking chills, lower than normal body temperature (in adults older than age 65 and people with weak immune systems), nausea, vomiting or diarrhoea, shortness of breath,” says Dr I J Kalra, MBBS, MD — Medicine, General Physician at Dr Kalra's Medical & Dental Centre in Hari Nagar and Paschim Vihar, New Delhi.
Pneumonia's symptoms are almost similar to the coronavirus and there has also been a term coined for the condition patient faces post-COVID. “Pneumonia is a lung infection in general terms, and few subsets of COVID patients gradually get lung infection leading to pneumonia, in medical terms we refer to the condition as COVID Pneumonia,” Dr Akshay Budhraja, Senior Consultant, Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Aakash Healthcare tells us.
According to Dr Vidya Nair, Senior Consultant, Respiratory & Sleep Medicine, QRG Super Speciality Hospital, pneumonia management includes oral or IV antibiotics based on the severity of infection which is ascertained by the doctor. Most community acquired pneumonia with no additional patient risk factors need only monotherapy (single antibiotics), which needs to be given for five to seven days. Elderly patients, patients who have chronic comorbidities, or who have respiratory distress, may need dual antibiotic cover, oxygen support and management of sepsis.
“In case the patient is having spasm (airway spasm) we give nebulization to the patient; along with that other supportive care like nutritional part, medicines for fever (antipyretic), antibiotics for vomiting, and other as per the symptoms,” says Dr Davinder Kundra, Consultant — Pulmonology, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka.
There has been a surge in cases due to the changes in weather and rising air pollution. “In our hospital, there is a significant rise in the number of patients suffering from a lung infection, including COVID. There is a 200 per cent increase in lung infection cases. However, most of them are having bacterial or other pneumonia, not COVID. Therefore, there is a three fold increase in lung infection cases in the last two to three weeks. The catalyst behind this is changing weather and air quality,” Dr Budhraja explains.
More than 60 per cent cases are from rural areas and there could be more than just one reason. What could be the possible reasons? Other than poor hygiene, improper sanitisation, less ventilation, no access to proper healthcare facilities and unavailability of vaccination, TB is the reason behind most pneumonia cases in rural areas. “Patients who come from rural areas, keep coughing for two to three weeks and it is only after X-ray and other medical examinations we get to know it is Tuberculosis,” Dr Budhraja tells us.
Although pneumococcal vaccination is strongly recommended to prevent serious life threatening invasive bacterial pneumonia especially in people with comorbidities and age greater than 50 years, it doesn't prevent the disease completely.
As the illness is related to lungs, smokers might be at high risk. Dr K Shanmugham, Assistant Chief Medical Officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute, tells us that evidence from several studies confirms that smoking is significantly associated with the development of bacterial and viral pneumonia.
Exposure to tobacco smoke suppresses the activation of innate immune responses to bacterial infection; the front-line defence mechanism considered important in susceptibility to pneumonia. Cigarette smoking is an especially prominent risk factor for pneumococcal pneumonia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but even without COPD, smoking remains a major risk factor.
One with less severe infection can resort to home remedies. Herbal teas like peppermint, eucalyptus, turmeric, ginger and fenugreek tea can soothe a scratchy throat efficiently. They also deal with upper respiratory tract infections and break down mucus. Gargling with salt water helps get rid of the mucus sitting in the throat causing a ticklish feeling. Moringa, commonly known as ‘drumstick’, is a tropical plant with many nutritional and medical benefits.
