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.
Over the past couple weeks a new outbreak of Salmonella poisoning was confirmed – 1,300 people in America became ill after eating raw jalapeño peppers. Salmonella poisoning can be serious, so let’s look at this growing health problem.
What is Salmonella? An American scientist named Daniel Elmer Salmon discovered this bacterium over a hundred years ago. There are over 2,000 different species of Salmonella and many are common in the United States. The bacteria live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of many creatures and are passed in the stool. When ingested, it can cause a variety of GI complaints.
On a daily basis, we see several patients in the Emergency Department who have diarrhea. A majority of them suffer from the “stomach flu” – a viral illness that goes away in a few days. However, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control, another form of diarrhea, caused by Clostridium difficile (C. diff), now accounts for 10,000 additional cases of colon infection each year. What is worrisome is that this intestinal superbug is now becoming resistant to the usual antibiotic treatments. Let’s look more closely at this intestinal infection.
What is Clostridium difficile? This is a common bacterium that is found virtually everywhere - including the soil, water, animals, and the colons of humans. A serious intestinal infection called colitis can result from the overgrowth of this bacterium within the colon.
In 1990, hospitals began to see a rise in the presence of the bacteria Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA). Today, this formerly “unfamiliar” bacterium is a common household term, known as “staph”, because of its presence in hospitals, nursing homes, and the community at large. The prevalence of MRSA is one example of the rising incidence of bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics. The presence of MRSA is a concern for all, so let’s take a closer look.
What is MRSA? Staph aureus is a common bacterium found on the skin and within the nasal passages. It does not cause a problem for someone until the skin is cut and the bacteria enter the body. Then, a localized infection can occur that may appear red and exhibit drainage. Staph may also be present in a pimple or a boil.
There has never been an illness more accurately named than whooping cough (pertussis). If you haven’t already, you will be hearing a lot about whooping cough, because over the past few years the number of reported cases has skyrocketed! Whooping cough is a lower respiratory illness that is most common in children, but can and has been seen in all age categories. Let’s look a little more closely at this illness.
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