American Medical Association Family Medical Guide - American Medical Association [408]
If laboratory tests confirm that you have a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic; the type of antibiotic will depend on the bacterium that is causing the infection. If your doctor thinks that the pneumonia you have could become life-threatening, he or she will admit you to a hospital. If you are very short of breath and your skin and lips look blue (from lack of oxygen), you will probably be given oxygen through a mask or tube. If your symptoms persist, your doctor may perform a bronchoscopy to determine if a tumor or a foreign object in a lung is the cause.
Inhalation Anthrax
Anthrax is a rare, noncontagious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Inhalation anthrax is particularly rare, developing after a person inhales microscopic particles (spores), usually from contaminated soil. Although there seems to be a wide variation in individual susceptibility to anthrax infection, a person usually has to inhale at least 2,500 of the microscopic spores (which have no smell or taste) to become infected. Anthrax has been used in bioterrorist attacks (see page 30), although most cases of inhalation anthrax in the United States are the result of occupational exposure to contaminated animal hides.
Symptoms of inhalation anthrax usually develop about 7 to 10 days after exposure to the spores, but the bacterial spores can linger in the lungs for 60 days or longer before they mature and cause symptoms. An infected person may have symptoms that include fever with chills, fatigue, coughing, muscle pain, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
A respiratory anthrax infection is usually treated with antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, doxycycline, or penicillin. To prevent people from becoming infected and to treat those who have symptoms, doctors usually prescribe antibiotics for at least 40 to 60 days to people who have been or might have been exposed to anthrax spores. A vaccination is also available for anthrax and is offered, in addition to the course of antibiotics, to people who have been exposed to anthrax. If treatment is not begun early, a person may die, usually from respiratory failure resulting from tissue damage caused by toxins produced by the bacteria.
If you are young and healthy, you should recover from pneumonia within 2 to 3 weeks, although you may tire easily and cough for a month or two after the infection is cleared up. If you smoke or have a chronic illness, your recovery may take longer.
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a form of pneumonia that appears to have originated in China in 2003. The infection is caused by a virus of the coronavirus family, to which the common cold virus belongs. The SARS virus seems to spread through close person-to-person contact, usually in infected droplets from coughs or sneezes. Those most at risk include household members and health care workers who come in close contact with an infected person. The virus may be able to live on inanimate surfaces for 24 hours, unlike the common cold virus, which can live only up to 3 hours on inanimate surfaces. Most people recover from SARS but, in some people, the infection is fatal.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of SARS usually develop within 10 days of exposure to the virus and include a fever higher than 100.4°F accompanied by coughing or difficulty breathing. Some people have only mild symptoms, while others have severe, life-threatening respiratory symptoms. There is no specific diagnostic test for SARS.
Treatment
There is no effective treatment or cure for SARS. If SARS is suspected, the person is hospitalized and put in isolation to prevent the virus from spreading. Treatment is given based on the person