Dr. Wojo. Healthy Living. Simplified.

It certainly is. While most people diagnosed with pneumonia eventually develop a symptomatic cough - not all of them do. Symptoms of pneumonia can vary widely.

For instance, one woman recently had a cough for weeks. When she went to her physician she was initially diagnosed with bronchitis. She had aching lungs, and a racking cough that was so bad she injured the intercostal muscles between her ribs, but the physician did not hear fluid in her lungs. She was also fever-free. A week later, after the original antibiotics didn’t improve her condition, she was given a chest x-ray that came back abnormal. A subsequent CT scan revealed she had pneumonia in both lungs. A stronger course of antibiotics eliminated the pneumonia.

In another recent instance, a man was diagnosed with pneumonia who didn’t have any sign of cough or aching lungs. His symptoms consisted solely of fever and light-headedness. Upon examination, his physician heard crackling in his lungs indicative of pneumonia. He was also put on antibiotics.  If someone with pneumonia doesn’t have a cough it is usually because the infection is located in areas of the lung that are removed from the airways.

Generally, someone with pneumonia starts with cold-like symptoms, then a high fever, chills and a cough. The person may become short of breath, have headaches and muscle aches, or experience what feels like pain in the lungs. This pain is usually caused by infection in the outer surfaces of the lung - called pleuritic pain. Pneumonia can also be more difficult to diagnose in children and the elderly because they don’t exhibit many symptoms.

So, just what is pneumonia? An infection of the lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. You can get pneumonia when you inhale the germs from an infected person’s sneeze or cough, or from bacteria and viruses that make it into your lungs. When these organisms make it into your lungs, they multiply. In response, your immune system kicks in and your air sacs fill with fluid and pus.

Pneumonia is usually diagnosed when the physician listens to the lungs with a stethoscope and hears “crackling” sounds. A chest x-ray or CT scan may also be utilized. Because antibiotics are not used for viral infections, a sputum culture or blood test may be taken to determine if the infection is bacterial or fungal. If so, the patient will be treated with antibiotics.

Be prepared - if you suffer from pneumonia you may cough for several weeks after treatment as your lungs and respiratory tract repair themselves. The best you can do is rest and wait it out. However, if the cough persists or becomes painful, see your physician.