How Long Does Pneumonia Last

What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a severe lung infection that generally causes immense amounts of damage to the respiratory and immune systems. In most cases, pneumonia is not something that cannot be treated at home, but that does not mean that you should not take it seriously. Pneumonia, if not properly diagnosed and treated, may possibly result in death. As a result, it is imperative that people who are suffering from pneumonia seek treatment from a qualified doctor. Rather than asking questions such as ‘how long does pneumonia last?’, patients should be looking at various treatment options so that the pneumonia does not cause too much damage to their bodies.

What are the causes of pneumonia?
Before examining the answer to the question ‘how long does pneumonia last?’ it is important to look at the various causes of pneumonia. The duration of pneumonia depends considerably on the cause of the illness. Most cases of pneumonia are the result of various contaminants entering into the lungs. Pneumonia commonly occurs when individuals have the flu since the lungs are too weak to fight off any germs that make their way towards it. Recent studies have also shown that people who suffer from diseases such as diabetes, cancer, asthma and heart disease are extremely likely to contract pneumonia.

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
Rather than focusing on answering how long does pneumonia last, doctors are more eager to actually diagnose pneumonia. Since mild pneumonia shares a number symptoms with other illnesses, most people who suffer from pneumonia do not know they are suffering from it until the illness becomes very serious. There are a number symptoms one should watch out for. These include intense coughing, heavy breathing, high fever, shivering, chest pain that is aggravated by breathing, diarrhea and nausea. If your doctor thinks you have pneumonia, they will most likely conduct a physical examination, besides ordering an x-ray.

How is pneumonia treated?
Bacteria-induced pneumonia is normally treated with strong antibiotics that are able to rid the lung of all contaminants. In most cases, doctors do not need to recommend alternative treatment options since these specially designed antibiotics are extremely effective. The most you can do during the treatment process is to make sure you follow instructions related to dosages precisely. Don’t stop your dosage until a doctor tells you to do so because antibiotics can give you the false sense of feeling better. Likewise, don’t have too many antibiotics because you want to get well soon. Keep eating healthy food since antibiotics have the tendency to induce weakness.

How long does pneumonia last?
Now to the question that most pneumonia patients are most interested in: how long does pneumonia last if diagnosed early and properly treated? If your pneumonia was bacteria-induced, with the right antibiotics, it can last anywhere between three and five days. If your pneumonia becomes very serious, however, you might require hospitalization and the illness can last for as long as a month.