Pneumonia history and symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Hamid Qazi, MD, BSc [2], Priyamvada Singh, M.D. [3]

People with pneumonia often have a productive cough, fever, chills, shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, hemoptysis, headaches, diaphoresis, and clammy skin. Other possible symptoms are loss of appetite, fatigue, cyanosis, nausea, vomiting, mood swings, and joint pains or muscle aches. In elderly people manifestations of pneumonia may not be typical. They may develop a new or worsening confusion or may experience unsteadiness, leading to falls. Infants with pneumonia may have many of the symptoms previously mentioned, but in many cases they are lethargic or have a decreased appetite.

• Dyspnea
• Productive cough (greenish or yellow sputum). If a cough persists for 2 eeks or more, consider chlamydia pneumoniae, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or bordetella pertussis.
• Fever (high grade) with sweating, chills, and rigor
• Pleuritic chest pain
• Rapid, shallow breathing
• Shortness of breath

• Anorexia
• Arthralgia
• Cyanosis
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Hemoptysis
• Myalgia
• Nausea
• Vomiting

The manifestations of pneumonia might not be typical in older people. They may instead experience:

• Delirium
• Falls
• Hypothermia
• Altered mental status

• Increased sleepiness
• Jaundice
• Feeding difficulties^[4]

• Subacute presentation, diarrhea, and myalgias

Important components in a patient's history when he/she is presenting with symptoms suggestive of pneumonia include:

• Duration of symptoms
• Fever pattern
• Productive or dry cough. If a cough persists for 2 eeks or more, consider chlamydia pneumoniae, mycoplasma pneumoniae, or bordetella pertussis.
• Characteristics of sputum
• Presence of chest pain
• Presence of hemoptysis
• Recent sick contacts
• Travel history
• Smoking history
• History of other pulmonary conditions
• Recent hospital/health-care facility admission
• Antibiotic use

• The common features of community acquired pneumonia are:

1. Fever
2. Cough
3. Chest pain mainly pleuritic type
4. Dyspnea
5. Sputum production

• Sputum color may help in detecting the causative agent of the pneumonia.

1. Mucopurulent is a typical feature suggesting bacterial etiology
2. Watery or clear fluid points out towards atypical bacteria and virus.
3. Rusty colored sputum is more typical of pneumococcal pneumonia.
4. Rapid, shallow breathing

• The other atypical or less common features of pneumonia are:^[5]

1. Fever with chills or rigors
2. Other system may also be involved like gastrointestinal which present with nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
3. If pneumonia is very severe the patient may also have altered consciousness.

• Anorexia
• Arthralgia
• Cyanosis
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Hemoptysis
• Myalgia

The manifestations of pneumonia, like those for many conditions, might not be typical in older people. They may instead experience:

• Confusion^[6]
• Delirium
• Falls
• Hypothermia

• Increased sleepiness
• Jaundice
• Feeding difficulties^[5]

• Dyspnea
• Productive cough (greenish or yellow sputum)
• Fever (high grade) with sweating, chills, and rigor
• Pleuritic chest pain
• Rapid, shallow breathing

• Hemoptysis
• Headaches
• Anorexia
• Fatigue
• Cyanosis
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Arthralgia
• Myalgia

The manifestations of pneumonia, like those for many conditions, might not be typical in older people. They might instead experience:

• Delirium
• Hypothermia
• Falls

• Increased sleepiness
• Jaundice
• Feeding difficulties^[6]

• Subacute presentation, diarrhea, and myalgias

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