Information Pneumonias and HIVOctober 26, 2015
Table of Contents
What Is Pneumonia?Pneumonia refers to a common infection of the lungs caused by one of the following types of germs: bacteria, fungi, or viruses. The infection can involve one lung, both lungs, or just part of a lung. Depending on your overall health, pneumonia and its symptoms can be mild or severe. In more severe cases, pneumonia can require hospitalization and even lead to death. In the US, 1.1 million people were hospitalized with pneumonia in 2013, and over 53,000 died from the disease. Worldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of death for children under the age of five. Almost one fifth of all deaths of children under the age of five are due to pneumonia each year. The symptoms, diagnoses, and treatments listed in this section are broad symptoms common to all types of pneumonia. Some symptoms, like cough with sputum, are characteristic of only certain types of pneumonia (e.g., bacterial pneumonias). Similarly, some treatments, like antibiotics, are indicated for only some types of pneumonia (e.g., bacterial pneumonias, Pneumocystis pneumonia) and not for others (e.g., viral pneumonias). For information specific to each type of pneumonia, please scroll down. Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
PreventionThere are many simple things you can do to avoid getting infected with the germs that cause pneumonia. These include washing your hands regularly, cleaning surfaces that are touched often and by many different people (countertops, phones, doorknobs), and coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow or sleeve. You can also prevent pneumonia by stopping or reducing smoking, limiting the time you spend in or around smoke, and by getting vaccinated when appropriate. There are several vaccines that can prevent infection with the bacteria or viruses that cause pneumonia:
Pneumonia and HIVPeople living with HIV (HIV+) are more vulnerable to pneumonias of all kinds because they have a weakened immune system. Certain pneumonias lead to an AIDS diagnosis, such as Pneumocystis (PCP), recurrent pneumonia (more than once in a year's time), and active tuberculosis (TB). Related Stories
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Comment by: Been there, done that.
Tue., Feb. 23, 2016 at 4:40 pm UTC If you are HIV positive, PLEASE don't ignore any respiratory symptoms mentioned. My partner did. He didn't believe the HIV test was positive and refused treatment in the beginning. He wound up with Pneumocystis Pneumonia. He spent one month in the ICU, 15 days on a respirator in a drug induced coma and was an inch away from dying from other complications, a (potentially fatal) blood clot in the lung called a Pulmonary Embolism, kidney failure needing dialysis and a blood pressure of 70/30 (too low to stay alive). By the grace of God and a wonderful doctor, he made it through all these obstacles. As they explained in the article, he was on antibiotics for 6 months after the pneumonia (along with a bunch of other medicines) to prevent any recurrence and to wait for his CD4's to be more elevated. Had he gone on antiretroviral treatment in the beginning, he (probably) could have avoided all of that. Don't ignore any respiratory symptoms and have anything unusual checked by your doctor. Better to be safe (and alive) than sorry (this situation...or worse!)
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