Generality
A pulmonary outbreak is a possible complication of influenza or other upper respiratory tract infections .
More in detail, it is an inflammation of a part of the lung, normally circumscribed and localized .
The lung outbreak involves various symptoms, including high fever, breathlessness, persistent cough and exhaustion. If it is not treated properly, the inflammation may extend to the rest of the lung tissue to cause pneumonia .
Usually, antibiotics are used to treat a bacterial lung outbreak. However, if the origin is due to a virus, it is necessary to be treated only with symptomatic remedies.
What's this
- The lung outbreak is an inflammation that involves small areas of one or more lobes of the lung (note: the lobes are sections of the lung; there are three on the right and two on the left).
- The term indicates, in particular, a circumscribed and localized inflammation in a part of the lung: " focus " refers, in fact, to the point of origin of any spreads of the disease.
- The pulmonary focus can affect both the alveoli (small cavities in which gas exchanges take place between the air breathed and the blood) and the interstitial tissue .
What is a pulmonary outbreak?
Sometimes, pneumonia is a complication of influenza or other diseases of the upper airway. This inflammation of the lung tissue can be supported by a viral or bacterial infection.
The actual pneumonia is established when an entire lung lobe is involved; when the inflammation affects areas of limited size of one or more lobes, instead, one speaks of " outbreak pneumonia " or " pulmonary outbreak ".
Causes and Risk Factors
A pulmonary outbreak may occur following complications due to persistent flu or another airway disease, mainly of bacterial or viral origin.
Potentially responsible bacteria include Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus . As for viral agents, influenza viruses type A and B and respiratory syncytial virus are more commonly implicated.
Why can the flu complicate in the lung outbreak?
The lung outbreak can develop for two main reasons:
- The pathogen that affects the body is particularly aggressive
and / or
- When the infection was contracted, there was a lowering of the immune defenses, ie the person is particularly weak and is more vulnerable to developing a pulmonary complication.
Normally, a lung outbreak - understood as complication of influences and other airway infections - occurs only in a small percentage of cases. It should be noted, however, that some pathogens can give rise to these problems more often: H1N1 is an example, responsible for a relatively high percentage of pneumonia, especially in the countries of the southern hemisphere.
Tuberculosis can also give rise to lung outbreaks.
Note
When we speak of a "specific pulmonary focus" we generally mean an etiology of a tubercular nature.
Risk factors
Some situations increase the risk of experiencing a lung outbreak.
These factors include:
- Upper respiratory tract infections;
- Cigarette smoke;
- Alcohol abuse;
- Heart failure;
- States of immunodeficiency.
People who are more likely to develop a lung outbreak are children (with more fragile defenses) and the elderly, especially if their health is precarious for other concomitant, respiratory and non-respiratory diseases (eg asthma, cystic fibrosis, diseases renal or liver etc.).
To know
In the winter period, lung outbreaks are more frequently due to the pneumococcal bacterium and to influenza viruses. This explains why it is important that the elderly or people who cannot rely on an efficient immune system undergo vaccination against the flu, of which the outbreaks and pneumonia can be the consequence.
Pulmonary outbreak: where does it develop?
The actual pneumonia occurs when the inflammation affects an entire lobe of the lung ; if the inflammatory process involves, on the other hand, limited areas of one or more lobes of the lung, we speak more properly of " outbreak pneumonia ".
The pulmonary outbreak can affect not only the lung tissue, but also the bronchial one: at this level the respiratory tree can form the anatomical-pathological substrate of bronchopneumonia .
Symptoms and Complications
The pulmonary outbreak occurs in a similar way to pneumonia, but in a less accentuated form.
Pulmonary outbreak: how to recognize it?
The pulmonary outbreak involves the appearance of various symptoms, to which it is necessary to pay a lot of attention, to recognize the complications in a timely manner:
- General malaise;
- High fever for more than three days;
- Dyspnea (breathlessness with faster and shorter breaths);
- Hollowing of the thoracic cage or on the jugulum (sign of greater difficulty in breathing).
The lung outbreak can also be associated with:
- Persistent cough;
- Feeling of exhaustion;
- Muscle pains;
- Headache;
- Chills;
- Abundant sweating;
- More or less abundant sputum (note: the phlegm is more frequent in the forms of bacterial origin);
- Sore throat;
- Acceleration of the heartbeat;
- Sharp pain in the chest, especially during breathing.
In addition to the difficulty in breathing (dyspnea), the pulmonary outbreak can sometimes be accompanied by a wheezing (more common if the origin of the disorder is viral).
Furthermore, if the lung lobes near the abdomen are also affected, it is possible that the patient also manifests:
- Pain near the upper part of the abdomen;
- Lack of appetite;
- Nausea.
When to consult a doctor
In the presence of a pulmonary outbreak, the main symptoms that must "alert" are:
- Acute chest pain, which often worsens when coughing;
- Very high fever, above 38.5 ° C and accompanied by chills, which shows no sign of abating within three days;
- Blood-stricken phlegm expectoration;
- Respiratory rate twice the norm.
Possible consequences
If neglected and not properly treated, the infection at the origin of the lung outbreak can extend to the lungs, causing pneumonia as a complication. In severe cases, the outbreak may develop into respiratory failure, pleural effusion, lung abscess and septicemia.
Note : pneumonia can manifest itself as a complication arising from other diseases or can constitute a disorder in its own right, or it can occur without being preceded, for example, by influenza.
In elderly patients, exacerbations of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), stroke, and cardiac complications may also occur.
Diagnosis
From the onset of the first symptoms of a pulmonary outbreak, it is advisable to contact the doctor who can establish the diagnosis by observing the disorders and auscultating the chest.
An objective increase in respiratory rate compared to the norm (tachypnea) can be detected. During the visit, signs such as crackles and rattles may be perceived with the phonendoscope.
For information on the nature, extent and evolution of inflammation, the patient undergoes a chest x-ray : in the area affected by the lung outbreak, this exam allows for a typical thickening, which appears to be an area clearer.
To assess the conditions of respiratory function, spirometric tests are useful.
The sputum examination contributes, instead, to establish with certainty the viral or bacterial origin of the pulmonary outbreak. This survey is also useful for setting the most appropriate treatment for the case.
Blood tests can show an increase in white blood cells, ESR and C-reactive protein, indicating the inflammatory state present in the respiratory system.
Treatment and Remedies
Pulmonary outbreak therapy depends fundamentally on the cause. The treatment can last from 1 to 3 weeks, depending on the extent of the infection and the general health condition of the patient before the illness.
To control fever and discomfort, your doctor may indicate antipyretic drugs based on ibuprofen or paracetamol. Both lung outbreaks and pneumonia, in general, are treated at home: only in the most serious cases, with complications, can hospitalization be necessary.
In any case, only the doctor can make a correct diagnosis and establish the most suitable therapy.
Lung outbreak of bacterial origin
Treatment of a lung outbreak of bacterial origin involves the intake of antibiotics, usually by oral route (only in some cases intramuscular or intravenous injections are necessary).
Lung outbreak of viral origin
The lung outbreak caused by a virus does not require antibiotic treatment. These forms generally resolve on their own and only in some cases can they be treated with specific drugs.
Therefore, when the lung outbreak is of viral origin, the treatment is symptomatic and simply involves:
- The rest ;
- A correct and complete diet with all nutrients (without forgetting the fruit, especially the one rich in vitamin C, which is always a valid support for the immune system, both to prevent and to help fight infections;
- A good supply of liquids, especially water, in order to thin the mucus and compensate for the losses due to the abundant sweating produced by fever.
Other support measures
If the lung outbreak is associated with asthma-type bronchitis, the doctor may prescribe aerosol treatment with bronchodilators and corticosteroids to prevent dysfunction in normal ventilation.
If severe dyspnea occurs or the breath is wheezing, systemic corticosteroids may also be indicated.
In the most serious cases of a pulmonary outbreak, hospitalization and supportive respiratory therapy may be indicated.
Warning! In the case of a pulmonary outbreak, do everything possible to perform large and complete breaths, rather than short and superficial ones. This helps the lung to perform its task best.
Useful tips
- A lung outbreak always requires adequate medical treatment. Delaying the start of correct therapy can make healing more difficult.
- In all cases of pulmonary outbreak the absolute rest in bed and the intake of many liquids - water, herbal tea or tea - are indicated to fight dehydration and dissolve the mucus present in the lungs.
- During a recovery from a pulmonary outbreak, it is advisable not to go to very crowded places, either because it does not contribute to the spread of the pathogen, or because it does not expose the immune system, already committed to fighting an infection, to attacks by other germs eventually present in the environment.
- If the doctor diagnoses the presence of a pulmonary outbreak, the patient must look at himself until complete recovery, especially in the winter period: generally, a couple of weeks are sufficient for recovery from the disease, but the doctor will assess the time required.
- Some vaccines protect against some of the infecting microorganisms that can cause lung outbreaks and, consequently, pneumonia.
