Death from pneumonia in adults. What you need to know about the types of pathology

Many people are interested in the question of how they die from pneumonia. This can usually happen in advanced stages of the disease. Often we hear that someone died of pneumonia. It is necessary to start treatment of the disease on time, then dangerous complications will not come. Much better to use effective methods treatment in a timely manner. This way, an unfavorable outcome of the disease will be practically excluded.

Pneumonia can occur in both adults and children. The disease is dangerous in both cases. Timely treatment will quickly improve the patient's health. To prevent an unfavorable outcome of the disease from developing, means such as vaccination, massage, and fortification will help.

Much more different procedures and drugs have been developed for the treatment of adults than for children.

However, not all forms of the disease can cause death. The only danger is the complicated course of pneumonia. Hospitals often do not diagnose properly, which causes the patient to develop pulmonary edema. Pneumonia can cause complications, so see a doctor if it occurs. He will conduct an examination and select suitable method treatment.

If cold symptoms appear, you should immediately visit a doctor. This is important to do when other symptoms develop:

• cough with phlegm;
• dyspnea;
• pain when breathing.

Along with weakness, body aches, high temperature these signs indicate a lung infection, be it inflammation or another ailment. If you do not pay attention to them, the course of pneumonia may be complicated. In the chronic form, death is possible. To prevent a person from dying, timely and high-quality treatment is necessary.

Causes

Pneumonia is characterized by decreased immunity. Bacteria are present in every body, and as the disease develops, they become more active due to weakening protective functions. Streptococcus, for example, is found on the skin and in the respiratory tract of humans.

The immune system prevents the penetration and proliferation of bacteria. And aggressive factors, such as hypothermia, can lead to weakening of the body. If pneumonia is diagnosed, you should remember about the concomitant ailments that cause it.

The causes of pneumonia include the following conditions:

• bad habits;
• injuries chest;
• oncology;
• immunodeficiency and stress;
• long bed rest;
• heart pathologies;
• young and old age.

• the menu should include easily digestible foods, fruits, vegetables;
• necessary drinking plenty of fluids;
• cough should be treated with lazolvan, an expectorant;
• from antibacterial agents it is better to choose amoxicillin;
• antipyretic drugs are effective;
• vitaminization is necessary.

You must follow your doctor's instructions. must be taken strictly in prescribed dosages, but sometimes they are increased. This is due to the fact that microorganisms become accustomed to antibiotics.

Prevention in children

Preventive measures for pneumonia are often different for children and adults. The entire course can be long, approximately 2-3 weeks. It is necessary to follow several rules that lead to recovery. Protecting a child from illness is much more difficult because he or she cannot quickly understand and communicate his or her symptoms. Also, many products are allowed to be used only after reaching the age of 12-14 years. After the onset of the disease, children sometimes experience complications, causing serious deterioration in health. Many, especially children, even die from this. The chances of survival depend on the measures taken.

The following rules can be used:

• fortification: taking vitamins, vegetables, fruits, milk;
• vaccination - performing special vaccinations;
• walking and physical activity;
• massage;
• inhalations using natural remedies.

These procedures help strengthen the immune system, which will prevent an unfavorable outcome. The room where the sick child is located must be constantly ventilated. This will avoid complications even after any cold.

Prevention in adults

To prevent early death developed
various methods. There are many more of them for adults than for children. In addition to fortification and vaccination, walks, inhalations, massage, mustard plasters, cups, and medications are useful.

You can also visit sanatoriums and seaside resorts. These events will replace hardening and other procedures. Inhalation can be used with sea ​​salt, which is prohibited for children.

Should be considered the following restrictions and features of preventive measures:

• massage can be performed only if there are no serious health problems;
• Mustard plasters should not be used if you are allergic to mustard;
• inhalations must be performed every day.

For adults, medications such as mucolytics and bronchodilators can be used. They are required to make phlegm more fluid and remove it. It is necessary to strengthen the immune system. This will help protect the body from pneumonia, relapses and complications after it, and many other ailments.

Prevention in the elderly

Quite often you can hear that someone died of pneumonia. This happens if there is no timely treatment. Vitamin supplementation will help prevent lung diseases. Just keep in mind that after 50-60 years
process of assimilation mineral components doesn't go away quickly. Because of this, prevention will take longer. All activities can be done at home, and hospital treatment rather, it is undesirable. Death from complications of pneumonia will be prevented by the following rules:

• maintaining personal hygiene;
• physical activity;
• eliminating bad habits;
• ventilation of the room.

Elderly people are prohibited from using medications for prevention, so doctors prescribe vitamin complexes. A combination of drugs is often used so that the body does not develop a habit of one drug. If all the rules are followed, the risk of lung diseases disappears.

Prevention in bedridden patients

In such cases, prevention is much more difficult. Pneumonia in bedridden people occurs after surgery, viral or bacterial infection. The use of antibiotics and other drugs is undesirable, since the body is weakened by. The use of other means increases the load on the body, which negatively affects health.

Effective preventive measures will help prevent an unfavorable outcome of the disease and relapses after it:

• performing a gentle massage;
• use of inhalers;
• compliance with hygiene rules.

It is important to monitor the condition of the skin, since bedridden patients often develop problems: ulcers, bedsores. They undermine protective forces without that weakened body.

Effective activities

Will help stop an unfavorable outcome additional funds. At home, decoctions and infusions are used that strengthen the human immune system. They are prepared from the following components:

• honey, if there is no allergy;
• chamomile;
• coltsfoot, licorice.

Healing drinks can lead a person to normal condition. Just don't use them if you are pregnant. Tinctures are prepared only after receiving doctor’s recommendations.

Recovery from pneumonia occurs faster and easier with special complexes breathing exercises. They are needed to strengthen the lung walls, which is required to protect against pneumonia. Prevention is quite easy. Procedures should be carried out constantly, otherwise positive dynamics it won't be possible to achieve.

What is the mortality rate from pneumonia? Usually it reaches a level of 8–9%. High risk deaths associated with severe course illness and untimely medical care.

Inflammation of the lungs occurs when they are affected by certain pathogenic microorganisms. Most often they penetrate the respiratory tract along with air. Sometimes the causative agent of the disease can move from other foci of inflammation in the body.

The most common pathogens that cause pneumonia are the following bacteria:

• Staphylococcus aureus;
• legionella;
• Haemophilus influenzae.

Pneumonia often develops as a complication after past influenza or smallpox. IN in this case fungi infect the lungs.

The disease is both bacterial and. It often develops as a complication after suffering from plague, smallpox, or influenza (caused by the A/H1N1 virus).

Why do people die from pneumonia

Death from pneumonia is common. Death occurs very quickly, sometimes in just 2 days after the onset of the disease. This is due to the onset. The risk of death from pneumonia is significantly reduced if appropriate treatment is carried out in a timely manner.

The fatal outcome of pneumonia is attributed to blood poisoning. Pathogenic microorganisms that infect the lungs enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. As a result, the patient develops septic shock, which will cause unfavorable outcome. Despite the presence large quantity antibiotics latest generation, the likelihood of sepsis occurring with pneumonia is quite high.

It occurs when pathogenic organisms in the lungs release their waste products into the human body. They negatively affect the functioning of all organs and systems, which leads to the following consequences:

• pressure indicators critically decrease;
• the activity of the heart is disrupted;
• Kidney filtration stops.

During development toxic shock due to a critical decrease in pressure, blood circulation is disrupted, breathing stops and clinical death.

The high mortality rate from pneumonia is explained by the development of an abscess. It is accompanied by the formation of limited cavities in the lungs, which are filled with pus. Characteristic sign Such a complication is the production of sputum with an unpleasant odor.

Abscess treatment can occur surgically. If the operation is not performed in a timely manner, the cavities with pus burst, and it spreads throughout the pleural cavity.

Death from pneumonia can occur due to a sharp decrease in oxygen levels in the blood and impaired lung function. Against the backdrop of such negative phenomena swelling develops lung tissue. The patient can be saved only if the artificial ventilation breathing.

Fatal pneumonia is quite common due to the development of fibrosis. It is accompanied by the replacement of healthy lung tissue with connective tissue. In such conditions, full implementation respiratory function impossible. With the development of fibrosis, a person feels a sharp deterioration in health.

At-risk groups

The risk of death from pneumonia is significantly higher in people over 60 years of age. This is due to the natural wear and tear of all organs and systems that are unable to effectively withstand negative impact pathogens of the disease. About 15% of deaths from pneumonia occur in children under 5 years of age. This is due to the imperfection of their immune, respiratory and other systems.

Young people aged 16–50 years old experience pneumonia less frequently (5–10%). Moreover, the risk of death with this disease does not exceed 1–3%. Despite these indicators, young people should not neglect to see a doctor and timely treatment pneumonia.

Which people are more likely to experience complications of pneumonia?

People suffering from the following ailments are at risk:

• alcoholism. Alcoholic drinks disrupt the functioning of the entire body, which makes it defenseless against infections;
• heart ailments - failure, defects, heart attacks;
• malfunctions respiratory system;
• diabetes;
• immunodeficiencies of various etiologies;
• severe renal failure;
• traumatic injury to the chest.

Death from pneumonia occurs more often in people who are on bed rest for health reasons. The risk of an unfavorable outcome against the background inflammatory disease higher in patients living in unfavorable conditions and having harmful addictions.

How to prevent the development of complications from pneumonia

The risk of death from pneumonia is quite high, despite well-developed medicine. The development of life-threatening complications can be prevented by following these recommendations:

• When the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should not delay contacting a doctor and undergoing the necessary tests;
• do not neglect the recommendations of specialists regarding treatment;
• it is necessary to give up all bad habits - smoking, alcohol abuse, etc.;
• if you have chronic diseases, you should not forget about their treatment;
• throughout the year you need to harden yourself, exercise and constantly move;
• should not be neglected rational nutrition, which has a positive effect on the functioning of all organs and systems;
• during the cold season, it is recommended to take additional vitamin and mineral complexes;
• During a flu epidemic, it is recommended not to visit crowded places;
• you should always go for walks fresh air and regularly ventilate.

Paying attention to your health will reduce the likelihood of death from pneumonia. This rule especially applies to people at risk. At the first sign respiratory diseases they should consult a doctor to prevent the development of severe complications.

Croupous pneumonia is one of the reasons why people die

Pneumonia is considered a serious disease in which complications incompatible with life may develop. Before the invention of antibiotics, the mortality rate was about 80%, today it is 5-40% depending on the complexity of the diagnosis and individual characteristics sick person. The article covers the topic of whether it is possible to die from pneumonia and how this can happen.

Despite achievements modern medicine, the development of computer technology, the availability of drugs and qualified assistance, pneumonia is a complex disease in which there is a significant likelihood of serious deterioration in health, up to the death of the patient. In Russia, every year this diagnosis is registered in 4-5 million people, with 1.2 thousand deaths per ten thousand patients. This applies most to children under one year of age (15%) and the elderly (35-40%).

Note. Pneumonia is the fourth diagnosis in the world, after which the patient can die. The primacy remains with cardiovascular pathologies, in second place are oncological diseases and on the third, poisoning was firmly established.

Causes of the disease

In most cases, pneumonia is infectious in nature. Therefore, most common reasons diseases are caused by the development of pathogenic microflora in the lung tissue during a weakening of the immune system.

Infection occurs through contact with a sick person, especially if he sneezes or coughs in close proximity. In another case, a person’s defense mechanisms are so weak that microorganisms localized in the upper respiratory tract, mouth and nasopharynx begin to actively multiply and descend into lower sections respiratory system.

As a rule, such pneumonia begins with a common cold. The condition can be aggravated by the fact that patients often resort to self-medication and do not believe that they need a doctor, which, of course, is wrong.

An organism with a weak immune system is not able to resist the spread of infection, so pneumonia under such circumstances and delayed treatment has a rather serious consequences. Pay attention to Table 1, which lists the main pathogens of infectious pneumonia.

Table 1. Pathogens of pneumonia:

Systematic group	Examples of microorganisms	Photo
Viruses	Respiratory viruses, influenza, parainfluenza, rhinovirus.
Bacteria	Cocci (pneumo-, strepto-, staphylococci), Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella.
Microscopic mushrooms	Pneumocystis, Aspergyl, Candida, etc.

In addition to its infectious nature, pneumonia (aspiration) can be triggered by the entry of a foreign agent into the lung through the mouth or nose (during inhalation, vomiting, choking and other various circumstances). It is most dangerous when stomach contents enter the lung tissue due to gastrointestinal pathologies (esophagitis) or other diseases (for example, in infants after childbirth with developmental anomalies).

The digestive masses contain acidic, caustic gastric juice, which burns the alveoli, and there is also a high probability of their infection by gram-negative aerobic microflora. If chronic aspiration occurs, then in such cases deaths from pneumonia are not uncommon.

When considering the likelihood of death, it is important to focus on the site of infection. Based on this criterion, pneumonia is classified into two forms:

1. Community-acquired (home or outpatient) pneumonia. In this case, infection occurs outside hospital facility or after three full days after hospitalization. Most often, these are the most common types of ailments caused by pneumococci or Haemophilus influenzae, which are characterized by a more or less calm course with a low probability of death;
2. Nosocomial (hospital) pneumonia. The disease develops in the first 48 hours during hospitalization of a patient with a different diagnosis. In this case, the disease is quite dangerous, since the human body was unable to resist the microbes acquired in the hospital. These strains always have high resistance, so the course of the disease is severe, difficult to treat, and deaths are possible, especially if the patients are elderly or have cardiac problems. The body is most often affected Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacter or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Types of pneumonia

Depending on the volume and location of formation, pneumonia is differentiated into different types, which are listed in Table 2.

Table 2. Classification of pneumonia:

Clinical picture

The first to appear are symptoms of intoxication in the form of weakness, headache, fever and malaise, patients complain of aches in the muscles and bones or throughout the body. In most cases, the temperature is high, but it may be low-grade or absent altogether.

Characteristic distinctive feature is the low effectiveness of antipyretics medicines. A person loses his appetite and sleep is disturbed. Depending on the type of disease, a cough may appear almost immediately or after a few days; at first it is unproductive, but over time, sputum forms, which begins to be released and coughed up profusely.

Often the cough is accompanied painful sensations in the chest, if there is pain in the hypochondrium, this indicates inflammation of the pleura from mechanical stress or an infectious nature. The disease is characterized by the appearance pulmonary insufficiency, as evidenced by shortness of breath. More details about clinical picture in severe cases, the pathology is described in the video in this article.

Important. The danger of pneumonia is that in certain cases it does not have characteristic symptoms, or signs are completely absent. They are often confused with colds, so the disease progresses and is diagnosed already at late stages. In a similar way, pneumonia develops into chronic forms. The same thing happens with ailments that are not fully cured.

At-risk groups

Patients with the pathologies listed in Table 3 are most susceptible to pneumonia.

Table 3. Diseases that aggravate the course of pneumonia:

Group of diseases	List of diagnoses	Image
Cardiovascular pathologies	Cardiac ischemia, myocardial disease, atherosclerosis, defects of various etiologies, hypertension and others.
Chronic diseases of the lower respiratory tract	Bronchitis, emphysema, COPD 2 or 3 degrees, primary pulmonary hypertension, tuberculosis and lung defects.
Drug addiction	This group should include all bad habits caused by both psychological and chemical dependence: smoking, alcoholism, substance abuse and drug addiction.
Diabetes	Diabetic nephropathy or angiopathy, as well as their complications.
Diseases of the genitourinary system	Kidney failure varying degrees severity, chronic glomerulonephritis.
Weakened immune system	The body's protective reactions can be weakened as a result of other pathologies, diseases of the immune system, for example, AIDS.
Oncological diseases	Leukemia, aplastic anemia and others.
Iatrogenic immunosuppression	Can happen after an organ transplant or medical errors.	Iatrogenesis - deterioration of a person’s condition due to unintentional actions of a doctor

The last three groups of diseases indicated in the table are most often the predetermining factors of death when pulmonary pathology occurs.

Please note that the risk group most prone to pneumonia includes older people and young children under one year of age.

Main causes of death

In most cases, death occurs when running forms diseases when patients seek qualified medical advice late medical care. Therefore, it is important to understand that the cost of each wasted day due to pneumonia can be very high.

Medical errors also occur in medical practice when, due to incorrectly selected therapy or diagnosis, the disease reaches a catastrophic state and poses a threat to life. Therefore, if you ask a pulmonologist whether it is possible to die from pneumonia, he will definitely give an affirmative answer. Let's look at the main causes of death.

Sepsis

Sepsis is the condition of the body after blood poisoning due to the penetration of pathogenic microflora from foci of inflammation to the bloodstream and the patient, as a rule, loses his life due to multiple organ failure or septic shock. Despite the high level of modern antibacterial drugs, deaths due to sepsis are not so rare.

After infection occurs, the patient may still live for a short period of time if his condition is maintained with the help of vasopressors and powerful antibacterial treatment.

A positive effect can be obtained using efferent treatment:

• efferent administration of antibiotics;
• plasmapheresis;
• apheresis

Infectious-toxic shock

The strongest deterioration of the patient's condition is observed with an abundant release of toxins and metabolic products into the blood.

This is the reason:

• acute heart failure;
• hypotension;
• partial or complete stoppage of kidney function;
• renal failure;
• anuria and oliguria;

Wherein arterial pressure continues to decline, and in remote areas circulatory system Vasospasm is recorded causing severe tissue hypoxia. More or less continue to receive blood important organs such as the brain and heart.

In children, as a complication, complete failure of the adrenal glands develops, which stop synthesizing steroid hormones and adrenaline, in particular. This condition, which arose as a result of infectious toxic shock, was called Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome.

The situation worsens to the most critical level: the pressure drops almost completely to zero, breathing stops, and the child is declared clinically dead. The prognosis will be negative even if the pathology is detected in a timely manner; death is recorded in almost 100% of cases.

Lung abscess

An abscess is purulent formations in the lung tissue (abscess formation). The reason for the deformation of cellular structures is the intensive development of Staphylococcus aureus.

The symptoms of this pathology are accompanied by the following signs:

• the patient feels unwell, has a fever and aches;
• the temperature rises greatly;
• pressure drops rapidly;
• a productive cough appears;
• The secreted sputum has pus and smells foul.

An X-ray examination of the chest shows a darkening in the lungs with limited contours and a compacted capsule; if a purulent focus (abcess) is opened, the picture will show a horizontal level of fluid.

In the presence of pneumothorax, the bulla usually ruptures, which leads to the evacuation of a significant amount of purulent necrotic contents into the pleural cavity. In this case, there is only one treatment instruction - emergency treatment is required. surgery(lobectomy or even pneumonectomy).

After surgical treatment The patient's quality of life is significantly deteriorated due to pulmonary insufficiency. Even with minor physical activity the person begins to experience shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. The prognosis is death over the next few years.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome

This complication of inflammation of the lung tissue consists of a significant decrease in the level of oxygen in the blood with depression of respiratory ability. Often this phenomenon is accompanied by severe swelling of the lung. To save the patient's life in this case, it is indicated to prescribe immediate artificial ventilation.

To the complications described above that develop against the background of pneumonia should be added:

• pleurisy (exudative and adhesive);
• pleural empyema;
• myocarditis.

Important. If you suspect the development of pneumonia, you should immediately visit a pulmonologist or therapist.

Treatment

Treatment is carried out both on an outpatient basis and in a hospital setting with severe forms diseases. An X-ray of the lungs is required, and sputum is examined for pathogenic microflora. The doctor is obliged to differentiate pneumonia from tuberculosis, cancer and other diseases.

The main method of treatment is antibiotic therapy, drugs that stimulate the production and discharge of sputum, and immunostimulating supplements. The patient is recommended to rest in bed and drink plenty of fluids. The use of herbal medicine and homeopathy is not prohibited, but only in conjunction with the use of antibiotics.

Conclusion

Pneumonia is a dangerous infectious disease that can be fatal. The risk group includes patients with heart pathologies, chronic respiratory diseases, drug addicts and alcoholics, diabetics, HIV-infected and cancer patients.

This also includes children under one year old, bedridden patients and the elderly, whose mortality from pneumonia is up to 40%. The disease is quite common; in Russia several million people fall ill with pneumonia every year, with an average of 12% of deaths per 10,000 cases.

Pneumonia can be successfully treated in all other categories of people. Main preventative measure is early diagnosis and adequate therapy. At timely detection Treatment of the disease with antibiotics takes from 10 to 14 days, in more complex cases - three weeks.

Pneumonia is one of the most common infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria and fungi. Pneumonia is popularly called “pneumonia.”

Before the discovery of antibiotics, pneumonia was considered a fatal disease that killed millions of people.

Epidemiology, routes of infection, causes and types of pneumonia

Despite the rapid development of modern medicine, pneumonia is considered quite serious illness. In our country, about 4-5 million people are diagnosed with this diagnosis every year. Of 10 thousand cases of pathology, death occurs in 1200. Moreover, the most high rate occupies mortality from pneumonia in children (up to 15%) and in the elderly (up to 40%).

Pneumonia ranks fourth among causes of death after diseases of cardio-vascular system, oncology, trauma and poisoning.

There are several ways of transmission of infection:

There are also non-infectious causes development of inflammation. These include toxic substances, mechanical damage chest and various kinds radiation.

Everyone knows that pneumonia is classified into:

• unilateral (one lung is affected);
• bilateral (both lungs were affected).

The following types of disease are also distinguished:

• (a small area of ​​the lung is affected);
• segmental (covers one or more segments of the organ);
• lobar (the whole lobe of the lung is affected);
• total (applies to the entire organ).

Risk groups and symptoms of the disease

Patients most susceptible to the disease are those with a history of:

Also at risk include elderly people and people staying for a long time. bed rest. It should be noted that smoking and alcohol abuse can also become a provoking factor, since toxic substances disrupt the mucous membrane and suppress the protective mechanisms of the bronchi.

The main danger of the disease is that initial stages The symptoms of pneumonia are not much different from the symptoms of the flu. First it is dry, obsessive cough, which develops into wet, with the release of purulent sputum.

When inhaling and coughing, the patient feels severe pain. The temperature rises to 39-40C, but in some forms of pneumonia it may not rise above 37.5. The patient is worried general weakness, chills, increased sweating and other signs of intoxication. At high temperatures, the ineffectiveness of antipyretic drugs is one of the signs of pneumonia.

Causes of death and treatment

Death from pneumonia occurs mainly due to complications of this pathology, which develop when going to the hospital is not timely and is not correct tactics treatment. Therefore, the answer to the question “can you die from pneumonia” is clearly positive. Consider the following reasons:

At the slightest suspicion of illness, you should immediately consult a doctor. After the examination, the doctor may order an x-ray. If suspicions are confirmed, the patient undergoes a sputum test to identify the pathogen. The main treatment for pneumonia is antibiotics. Expectorants, plenty of fluids, and restorative medications are also prescribed.

Pneumonia cannot be treated only with traditional medicine. Folk remedies can only be used as an auxiliary therapy during the main treatment.

With timely consultation with a doctor and the correct treatment tactics, pneumonia can be cured without unpleasant consequences. The main thing is not to delay your visit to the hospital and be attentive to your health.

Pneumonia is not just one of the common, but also quite dangerous inflammatory diseases.

Despite medical advances, mortality from pneumonia remains at high level, especially among patients at risk. Why do people die from a disease that can be successfully combated? Let's try to figure out in what cases the onset of an unfavorable outcome of pneumonia threatens a person, and how to avoid such forecasts.

Dry numbers

Before the advent of the “age of antibiotics,” death from pneumonia was not uncommon. To fight with infectious disease without the use of specific antibacterial drugs it was practically impossible.

But even with modern approaches to the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases, pneumonia remains a deadly disease.

Globally respiratory infections are the #1 killer. Unfavourable conditions residence, lack of qualified medicine, climatic conditions in developing countries explain the reason for the prevalence of morbidity and high mortality. Even deaths from AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis are less common in this region than from pneumonia.

To assess the degree of danger of the disease, it is worth getting acquainted with the statistics:

1. Among the causes of child mortality, pneumonia ranks first. 17.5% of child deaths under 5 years of age occur from pneumonia.
2. Pneumonia causes death annually in 1.1–1.4% of children.
3. Only 30% of sick children have access to adequate treatment for pneumonia.

As for developed countries, where there are all the conditions to combat infectious and respiratory pathologies, cases where patients die from inflammatory lung disease are not uncommon. Definitely, the leading causes of mortality here are cardiovascular diseases, oncology and trauma. Meanwhile, pneumonia ranks first among infectious pathologies that caused death. In the United States, the disease ranks 6th in overall mortality statistics, with 3 million cases of infection recorded annually.

How are things going in Russia? Statistics say that one in four people more likely to have pneumonia every five years. A person can get sick at any age, but the peak incidence occurs in children under 5 years of age and elderly people after 60 years of age.

In total, 1.2% of people who became ill in the Russian Federation died from pneumonia in 2016, which is two times less than five years ago. But among children, the mortality rate reaches 15%. Pneumonia in older people is fatal in 40% of cases. For people with AIDS, pneumonia is practically a death sentence, since statistics say that 90% of immunodeficiency patients die from pneumonia.

Is it possible to die from pneumonia in at a young age? An unfavorable outcome in adults may occur in 1 to 3 patients out of 100. But these are all average figures. It all depends on specific situation, namely the type of disease, social status patient and many other factors.

Video

Pneumonia

Causes of mortality

In fact, a person cannot die from pneumonia. Death occurs from complications inherent in this disease.

When diagnosing pneumonia, prognosis is based on the Pneumonia PORT scale, taking into account medical and social indicators, clinical data and research.

In addition, the type of pathogen is also taken into account. A high probability of developing fatal complications occurs when infected with bacteria of staphylococcus, Klebsiella or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

You can die from pneumonia from various types of complications:

Moreover, in some cases, complications accumulate and the patient cannot be saved. Death can occur due to:

Up to 75% of hospitalized patients experience problems with the functionality of the respiratory system. In fact, respiratory failure is the primary indicator of the severity of pneumonia. In such situations, without the use of mechanical ventilation for pneumonia, you can die from suffocation.

• toxic or infectious shock;

Such complications occur with prolonged pneumonia. The waste products of pathogenic particles are released in large volumes into the blood, which inevitably leads to a change in the permeability of blood vessels. active substances spasms occur large vessels. Blood actually cannot perform its main function - the transfer and delivery of oxygen to organs and tissues. Due to deficiency, tissue hypoxia begins to develop, and metabolic processes fail.

At the level of individual organs, shock is manifested by the release of the liquid component of the blood into the intercellular space. The kidneys are most often affected. Without intervention the problem ends renal failure and even complete refusal kidney

The lungs also suffer, since similar processes occur in these organs.

Against the backdrop of further poisoning of the body with toxins, the shock becomes irreversible. Breathing becomes impaired, the pulse becomes thready, and blood pressure drops significantly. The man falls into a coma. Since in this condition the reaction to medications is inadequate, death cannot be ruled out. Shock develops much faster when bacterial infection the virus joins.

• sepsis

A severe complication when purulent flora and pathogenic agents penetrate the bloodstream. The infection spreads through the blood throughout the body. This pathology most often occurs as a result of the appearance purulent processes in the lungs, abscess. Septic pneumonia occurs in old people in nursing homes, injection drug addicts and premature babies. Often sepsis results in pneumonia in bedridden patients. In HIV, sepsis develops against the background of Pneumocystis pneumonia. The pathology goes through several stages of development, each with its own clinical signs. Even antibiotic treatment does not always give results. Up to 40% of patients die from sepsis. In severe sepsis, the mortality rate is 55%. Septic shock leads to death in 72% of cases.

• abscess;

A purulent complication. Cavities form in the lungs limited type which are filled with pus. Symptoms appear severe intoxication, high temperature, febrile condition. The sputum produced when coughing has a specific foul odor. The danger of sepsis lies in the risk of a breakthrough of a limited cavity with the penetration of purulent masses into the pleural cavity. An abscess can only be eliminated surgically.

• distress syndrome;

In complex forms of pneumonia, respiratory function is inhibited, which leads to sharp decline oxygen in the blood. With prolonged hypoxia, development is possible pulmonary edema And respiratory failure. Only artificial ventilation helps save the patient. If a complication develops at home, which often happens with pneumonia in older people, provide the patient emergency assistance It doesn’t always turn out that it ends in tears.

• pulmonary edema.

When blood circulation is disrupted, the lungs begin to fill with fluid. As a result, gas exchange and oxygen absorption are reduced. This complication is caused by congestive pneumonia in bedridden patients. But it can also occur with other forms of inflammation. The pathology has a protracted, subacute, acute and fulminant type, and each of them is dangerous in its own way. For example, the hypostatic form of pneumonia causes prolonged swelling, which is often missed against the background of other symptoms, which leads to the death of the patient. Lightning-fast and acute pulmonary edema can take a person’s life in a matter of hours and even minutes.

Risk group

The most vulnerable to developing complications of pneumonia are:

• elderly people;
• premature newborns;
• bedridden patients;
• patients with HIV.

Due to weakened immunity and the presence of concomitant chronic diseases, such patients simply cannot cope with the attack of bacteria on the lungs.

Pneumonia often develops during a stroke, heart attack, or after surgical operations, since the patient is immobilized. In this case, they talk about a hospital form of pneumonia, which is considered especially dangerous due to the immunity of bacteria to many antibiotics.

Any chronic diseases, affecting the state of the immune system, contribute to the development of complications of pneumonia. The body becomes especially vulnerable if there is:

• diabetes mellitus;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system;
• pathologies of an oncological nature;
• autoimmune diseases;
• diseases of the genitourinary system.

Do not forget that any concomitant disease significantly weakens the human body, so patients with pneumonia are advised to avoid visiting public places where there is a high probability of contracting new infections. With the addition of new pathogenic agents, the likelihood of developing complications of pneumonia increases significantly.

The human factor is not the least important cause of mortality from pneumonia. Not excluded medical errors. Incorrectly selected treatment without a full examination or a discrepancy between the diagnosis and reality leads to a deterioration in the patient’s condition.

But the arrogance of patients who, despite the presence of inflammatory symptoms, try to treat pneumonia on their own and refuse hospitalization, does not contribute to recovery.

Medicine has learned to successfully combat pneumonia and even its complications. But do not forget that under certain circumstances the disease carries a mortal threat. At the slightest suspicion of pneumonia, in order to avoid an unfavorable outcome, contact qualified specialists who can correctly diagnose and select adequate treatment.

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