PNEUMONIABy: Monika and Alex

What factors make a person more likely to get

this disease? Pneumonia is a common disease that many people will suffer from. The causes of getting it are: Bacteria and viruses living in your nose, sinuses, or mouth may spread to your

lungs. You may breathe some of these germs directly into your lungs. Some cases of pneumonia are contracted by breathing in small droplets that

contain the organisms that can cause pneumonia. These droplets get into the air when a person infected with these germs coughs or sneezes. In other cases, pneumonia is caused when bacteria or viruses that are normally present in the

mouth, throat, or nose inadvertently enter the lung.

Communicable Disease

Pneumonia is considered to be a communicable disease ( contagious). Its known to be this way because a person who has the infection in his or her lungs will cough and the bacteria from the lungs will escape out of the mouth and find a way into the air. This causes people who breathe in or around that person to contract the disease as well. Most times the persons immune system will fight off the disease but if their immune system or lungs are weakened then it will be easier for a person to get.

Structures of the respiratory system that

are affected Pneumonia can reduce the ability of the lungs to

allow oxygen diffusion across the alveoli if accumulations of pus or fluids blocking significant

portions of the lungs. It is a infection in the Alveoli that will obviously affect the

Alveoli in the lungs.

Symptoms and Effects: Sneezing Sore throat Coughing High fever Shaking Getting the chills Coughing up mucus that

is discolored and sometimes bloody.

Shortness of breath Skin color changes to

purple

Chest pain Headaches Muscle aches

How common is this disease?

Pneumonia is as common as the flu, so with that this infection is very common among lots of people around the world.

Treatment:

The treatment for people who are not being hospitalized is: taking antibiotics, lots of rest and drinking lots of fluid.

But for those who become hospitalized their treatments include: getting a intravenous(IV), antibiotics that are delivered through a needle inserted into the vein, and respiratory therapy.

Full recovery from having pneumonia is very common and most likely to happen with most victims of the disease.

SOURCES: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001200/ http://www.medicinenet.com/pneumonia/article.htm http://www.cpmc.org/learning/documents/pneumonia-ws.html

I feel that these sources are trustworthy because they all seem like they have been made by known companies or information places about health issues.