Depending on the nature of its transmission, pneumonia can be classified into many categories. The general forms of pneumonia significantly visible in pregnant women are given below:
Bacterial pneumonia is the most common pneumonia in both pregnant and non-pregnant women. Bacterial pneumonia make pregnancy more complicated 1 in 600 pregnancy cases. This type of pneumonia may be arising due to more incidences of women with chronic diseases becoming pregnant. Bacteria normally reach the lungs by aspiration or inhalation and originates from a bacteria carried by someone. The bacteria that cause this include streptococcus pneumonia, mycoplasma pneumonia and haemophilus influenza. These bacteria normally live in the upper respiratory tract. These bacteria can be known as “atypical” because pneumonia caused by these organisms might have somewhat different symptoms, respond to different antibiotics than the typical bacteria that cause pneumonia appears different on a chest X-ray. Even though these infections are not uncommon and are called “atypical”. Bacterial pneumonia can develop after you’ve had a viral cold or the flu or occur on its own. The people those at greatest risk for bacterial pneumonia include people who have weakened immune systems, people with respiratory disease or viral infection and people recovering from surgery. Symptoms include chills, fever, fast breathing, and shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain.
Viruses are the second most common cause of pneumonia. Viruses that infect the upper respiratory tract may also responsible for pneumonia. The same viruses that bring on colds and flu cause the viral pneumonia. The most common viral pneumonia is influenza and varicella. The influenza virus is the most common reason of viral pneumonia in adults. Viral pneumonia caused by the influenza virus can be dangerous and sometimes life threatening. Influenza more aggressively spread during pregnancy than bacterial pneumonia. With a mortality rate of 10 percent in pregnant and also non pregnant women, varicella pneumonia is the more serious condition of the Viral Pneumonia. Varicella can also be increase the risk of preterm delivery.
Viral pneumonia can become more serious if the pregnant woman also contracts bacterial pneumonia. This combination often leads to death. Clinically viral pneumonia is somewhat hard to differentiate from bacterial pneumonia because symptoms are similar in both cases. Most viral pneumonias are not severe and last only a shorter time than bacterial pneumonia in most patients. The virus approaches the lungs and multiplies rapidly. This pneumonia is most serious in pregnant women and people who have pre-existing heart or lung disease. The risks of viral pneumonia further complicated by a secondary invasion of bacteria, exhibits all the typical symptoms of bacterial pneumonia.
This type of pneumonia is less common cause of pneumonia, and it is primarily due to a fungal called ‘coccidioidomycosis’ and it normally occur in patients who are severely immunocompromised, especially in those with AIDS. The fungal pneumonia spreads by breathing in tiny particles called fungal spores. It can affect immunity and stimulate effect on progesterone in the affected women. This pneumonia has a mortality rate of 25 percent. It symptoms include, fever, dry cough, anorexia and dyspnea. People in certain activities such as farmers, landscapers and gardeners are more likely to come into contact with such pneumonia.
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