Pneumonia is likely something you’ve heard of, but don’t fully understand. Many people dismiss it as “the flu, but more serious”, especially in Australia where it’s not an illness we often discuss. Pneumonia is its own illness, with its own symptoms, causes, and treatments. The lack of understanding around what pneumonia really is makes up a big part of what makes it feel so daunting, but having a clear picture of what it really is and how it works can make you prepared if you ever have to face it.
What Is Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs. The lungs’ air sacs are where your blood picks up oxygen, and pneumonia causes them to fill with fluid, making your body struggle to get the oxygen that it needs. Pneumonia can affect one or both lungs. It ranges in severity from mild pneumonia, where recovery at home is possible, to serious enough to require hospitalisation.
What Causes Pneumonia
Pneumonia has multiple possible causes, including several different microorganisms. Each cause changes how the type of pneumonia, how the infection appears and how it is treated. The common causes of pneumonia include:
- Bacteria can infect the air sacs and trigger an immune response that fills them with fluid. Pneumococcal pneumonia is the most common type of bacterial pneumonia.
- Viruses such as the flu can spread from the upper airways into the lungs and cause viral pneumonia.
- Mycoplasma, small organisms that can infect the lungs.
- Food, liquid, or stomach contents entering the lungs, which irritates and infects the lung tissue.
- Some fungal spores can infect the lungs when inhaled.
Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia
The symptoms of pneumonia can depend on your age, the cause of the infection, and how severe it is. Common symptoms include:
- A cough that may produce green, yellow, or red phlegm
- Fever and chills
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Fatigue
- Nausea or vomiting
- Sudden confusion or disorientation.
Walking pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia where the symptoms are not severe enough to keep a person in bed. People with walking pneumonia may mistake it for a prolonged cold and carry on for days or even weeks.
How to Tell Pneumonia from a Cold or Flu
A cold, the flu, and pneumonia share several symptoms, making them easy to confuse. Several characteristics help separate pneumonia from other respiratory illnesses, including:
Worsening after apparent improvement. Flu symptoms typically last five to seven days and then gradually improve. If symptoms seem to be clearing and then sharply worsen you may be developing pneumonia.
Shortness of breath. Struggling to breathe, even while at rest, is not a typical symptom of a cold or flu.
Chest pain. Sharp or stabbing chest pain that worsens when you breathe or cough points toward pneumonia over colds or flu.
Persistent or very high fever. Pneumonia tends to produce a high fever which may be hard to bring down with standard pain relief medication.
First Aid Treatment for Pneumonia
Pneumonia requires professional medical treatment with antibiotics, but first aid supports the person until that assessment is available. The role of first aid is to recognise when the situation is an emergency, keep the person stable, and act quickly. See a doctor if your symptoms are not severe but do not improve after a few days, or if you are unsure whether what you have is more serious than a cold or flu.
Call triple zero (000) if you observe any of the following:
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Bluish or grey lips, fingertips, or skin
- Confusion, extreme drowsiness, or loss of consciousness
- A very young child or infant in obvious respiratory distress
While waiting for help, keep the person sitting upright or in a position that eases their breathing. Keep them calm and still, and do not give them food or drink if they are struggling to breathe.
Get First Aid Training for Diseases and Infection
Pneumonia is serious enough to hospitalise people and mild enough to go undetected for days, and which outcome you face can come down to how quickly it is recognised. Delayed treatment is when pneumonia becomes dangerous.
By enrolling in a first aid course, you can learn to identify basic illnesses and how to act at home. When someone you care about can’t breathe properly, your training is what turns panic into a response.
FAQs
Can Pneumonia Be Prevented?
The best way to prevent pneumonia is through getting a pneumococcal vaccine. Annual flu vaccination and staying up to date with COVID-19 and RSV vaccines also lower your risk. Good hand hygiene and avoiding smoking further reduce your exposure to the organisms that cause pneumonia.
Who Is Most at Risk of Pneumonia?
Pneumonia causes the most serious illness in children under five, adults over 65, and people with weakened immune systems, such as from cancer treatment, HIV, or diabetes. Smokers and people with chronic lung conditions such as asthma or COPD are also at increased risk for pneumonia.
How Contagious is Pneumonia?
Most pneumonia cases are community-acquired pneumonia, meaning you get pneumonia from someone else. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is another common cause, showing how pneumonia can be highly contagious.
