Pneumonia

Treatment for Pneumonia at Washington Health Medical Group

Pneumonia is an infection that causes inflammation in one or both air sacs in the lungs, occasionally causing them to fill up with fluid or pus. In some patients—particularly children, the elderly, infants, and people with weak or compromised immune systems—pneumonia can be life threatening. Learn more about this condition on this page from the doctors at Washington Health Medical Group in Fremont, CA. If you have questions about pneumonia or related symptoms, call your doctor.

What Causes Pneumonia?

Pneumonia may be caused by contact with a virus or bacteria, as well as fungi. This includes the causes of viral pneumonia influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Streptococcus pneumonia (pneumococcus), and the bacterial cause known as bacteria Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), which is also responsible for causing meningitis.

What Are the Symptoms of Pneumonia?

The most common types of pneumonia symptoms, according to the American Lung Association, are as follows:

• Chills with shaking
• Shortness of breath
• Fever
• Cough with mucus production

Other symptoms of pneumonia that are less common include:

• Headache
• Sharp chest pain
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue
• Energy loss
• Confusion / disorientation
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Joint pain / muscle pain
• Wheezing
• Sweating and clamminess