MYCOPLASMA PNEUMONIA

Mycoplasma Pneumonia General Information

Mycoplasma Pneumonia is caused by a very small germ, mycoplasma pneumoniae or m. pneumoniae belonging to the Mollicutes class which spreads through respiratory droplet transmission. This bacterium from the mucosa of the host organism grows and nutriments necessary for the reproduction by binary fission. M.pneumoniae attaches to the lower and upper respiratory tract causing an infection. The complication may appear once with the hemolytic anemia, Guillain-Barre and Stevens-Johnson syndromes. In comparison with the other types of pneumonia, this one is relatively regular (also known as “walking pneumonia”) and mild and in most cases does not develop any complications being very easy to teat. This type of pneumonia, like the other ones, can be easily avoided. Even if it is more common among children who frequent a school, it affects persons no matter of their age, but it is usually met in people under 50 years old. Children under 4 years old are not affected. It is also known that men are more predisposed to this disease than women. The bacterium spreads very fast and easy in crowded places, where people are very close one to each other. So that the most exposed are those who work in school and other in institutes like those who live in shelters for the homeless, in prisons and in military. But not all those who got the germ have an identifiable factor of risk. The Mycoplasma Pneumonia is transmitted from a person to another one because of sneezing and coughing and their secretions.

Mycoplasma Pneumonia Symptoms

Mycoplasma Pneumonia Treatment

If the specific signs of this disease appear, go to your health care provider for an examination in order to prevent getting the disease and to kill the germs, if they exist. The infection, if it is well treated, is gone within a week, or may be less, but if not, it will transform into pneumonia. In this case the process of treating Mycoplasma Pneumonia might take more than a month. If he or she gives the diagnosis of Mycoplasma Pneumonia, you will be put on a medication with antibiotics in order to speed recovery (some patients get better after just three weeks), although not everybody needs them to get rid of the disease as well as some cannot be treated, so that they remain at least for four weeks with the weakness and cough. The antibiotics are also used in more serious cases because they exterminate the germs which cause the infection. The necessary dosages are not very clear.

The examination consists of using a stethoscope for listening to your lungs, because if the germs are present, there will be some strange sounds. But this is not always enough because of the slow manifestations of the symptoms. Very useful is an X-ray exam of the lungs. This is a more certain way to confirm the Mycoplasma Pneumonia. The doctor will want to check your blood for any mycoplasma antibodies, so a blood sample will be taken from you. The home care is also very important because you can do a lot of things that will make you feel better, including diets with proteins and the appropriate liquids. But if troubles in breathing appear, go immediately to the emergency room. Painkillers, for example Nurofen (ibuprofen) or Panadol (paracetamol) may have the effect of reducing pain while the intensity of the symptoms reduces, but very often they intensify. This is when more adequate observation is required.

Sometimes, the patient may present with a good health state and thanks to this the disease may not be that dangerous and may not develop complications. Also, you should immediately seek medical care when the symptoms reappear, although you have been once treated successfully, because this time it might transform into some serious types. The problem of getting infected with the sort of bacterium that causes this disorder becomes more delicate when it affects people with organ transplants, small children (under the age of 4) or people who are already very sick, for examples HIV-positive and they are strongly recommended to avoid contacting this kind of pneumonia. In their cases, this “innocent” pneumonia may lead to death or to an extremely dangerous worsening of their health state. Other treatments of this disease include tetracycline, lides, the majority of luoroquinolones (except ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin).