The symptoms of pneumonia typically include fever, chills, and shortness of breath, as well as a cough with yellow-green phlegm or occasionally blood. Chest pain with breathing can also be a symptom of pneumonia, which occurs as a result of inflammation of the membrane lining the lungs and chest cavity. Pneumonia is diagnosed through a physical exam, when a physician listens to a patient's chest with a stethoscope. Further testing includes a chest x-ray, or examination of a sputum culture.

Pneumonia, which is an inflammation of the lungs due to infection, is caused by viruses or bacteria in most cases. However, pneumonia can also result from organisms like yeast, fungi, or protozoa in people with immunodeficiency disorders. This is commonly seen in people with AIDS who develop pneumocystis pneumonia, where the pneumonia is due to a protozoan.

The two main types of pneumonia that exist are lobar pneumonia and bronchopneumonia, though other types of pneumonia do exist such as Legionnaires Disease. Lobar affects one lobe of one lung initially, while in broncho the airways (bronchioles) experience initial inflammation which is then spread to one or both lungs. Treatment for pneumonia depends on the causative agent, and therefore ranges from antibiotic to antifungal medication. Mild cases can be treated at home, but more severe cases may require hospitalization.

Alice

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