Pneumonia is a type of lung or respiratory infection that often begins with an innocent cough and turns suddenly into a high fever accompanied by labored breathing. For most people, pneumonia is treatable with prescription medication (in the case of walking pneumonia) with all symptoms vanishing in a few weeks time. However, babies, seniors, and those with other medical conditions, a bout of pneumonia can put you in the hospital with serious symptoms.
Here are the 15 most common symptoms of pneumonia…
1. Cough
Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that can strike one or both lungs. The source of the infection can be bacterial, fungal, or viral in nature, but fluid will typically settle into the lung’s air sacs, or alveoli, in the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and inevitably a severe cough. This is why a flu- or cold-like cough is often noticeable in the beginning stage of pneumonia, and that cough is typically accompanied by thick green mucus, which indicates infection.
Untreated pneumonia will worsen and so will the related cough. The severity of the cough and mucus will depends on the cause of the inflammation (meaning if the organism causing the infection is bacterial, fungal, or viral in nature). Other factors will also play into the severity of pneumonia for different individuals. For instance, immune strength can differ due to age (elderly and young children are usually more at risk for severe symptoms and hospitalization). Also, general health can impact pneumonia severity with those with compromised immunity most at risk.
