Pneumocystis Pneumonia

Pneumocystis Pneumonia General Information

Pneumocystis Pneumonia is a lung infection that usually develops in patients who have a weak immune system, particularly those who are suffering from HIV disease. The organism that causes the disease is an agent that has an uncertain biological classification and is called Pneumocystis carinii. This kind of organism is thought to be a protozoan, which is a one celled organism, but many researchers say that is classified as a fungus. This kind of organism has a life cycle similar to the fungi, three stages, but it has a completely awkward method of reproduction. In general facts, pneumonia refers to severe lung inflammation. In this particular case, the inflammation is caused by the growth of Pneumocystis carinii, a fungus, which is spread into the environment. Pneumocystis Pneumonia is considered rare, due to the fact that affects only patients with weakened immune system. A large part of these patients are receiving medication for certain organ transplant or cancer treatment. The organism that causes the disease can be found in the nature and can be easily transmitted though air. When it is inhaled, it enters the patient’s respiratory system and affects the tiny air sacs at the end of the bronchioles inside the lungs. After the organism entered into the lungs, it lives in the fluid in the lining of the alveoli, part of the body that looks like a group of hollow spheres where the exchange of oxygen is made. There are cases in which Pneumocystis Pneumonia can be transmitted from person to person.

Pneumocystis Pneumonia Symptoms

In most cases, the signs and symptoms caused by the disease - Pneumocystis Pneumonia differ depending on each organism. Usually, the organism that causes the disease, Pneumocystis carinii, is an opportunistic organism because it is active only under certain conditions, especially in patients who present a weak immune system. Considering these facts, the organism can multiply leading to the appearance of pneumonia. Researchers still do not understand completely how the pathogen grows within the patient’s alveoli. After it enters the lungs, it starts to multiply and gradually fills the alveoli. If the disease is not treated in the first stages of development, the organism continues to replicate, and fluid starts to accumulate into the alveoli causing tissue scarring. These processes can affect the patient’s respiratory function and lowers the levels of oxygen into the blood. There are some particular types of persons who can easily develop Pneumocystis Pneumonia and can include premature infants, patients who suffer from immune system diseases, patients who receive immunosuppressive medicines such as Cortisone, and patients who present protein malnutrition. Usually, the incubation period of the organism that causes the disease is five weeks but it can differ depending on each patient and how their organisms react to it. There are certain specific signs and symptoms of this type of inflammation called Pneumocystis Pneumonia and can include shortness of breath, high fever, and nonproductive cough. There are also several less encountered signs and symptoms that can include sputum, blood in the sputum, difficulty in breathing, and chest pain.

Pneumocystis Pneumonia Treatment

We strongly advise you to call your doctor as soon as you start experiencing any of the signs and symptoms listed above specific for this disorder. In most cases, Pneumocystis Pneumonia is challenging to diagnose due to the fact that it manifests similarly to other lungs disorders and can be easily confused with other illnesses. It is very important to perform the exact tests for diagnosing it because if is not treated properly in the first stages of development it can cause serious complications that can threaten the life of the patient. Usually, doctors begin with a thorough physical test and blood examinations that can provide information about the levels of oxygen in the patient’s bloodstream. In many cases, to diagnose exactly the disease, doctors try to apply imaging studies that can help them identify the abnormal areas of the lungs, but for a more accurate decision doctors have to make a microscopic identification of the organism in the patient’s lungs.

To examine the organism, doctors take a sample from the patient’s sputum or they can apply certain procedures that can include bronchoscopy or lung biopsy. Due to the fact that the disease can be very serious, most doctors start to treat the patients who present signs and symptoms of Pneumocystis Pneumonia, especially if they belong to the high risk group of individuals, without doing any researching on the cause and type of the disease. To see exactly in what stage Pneumocystis Pneumonia is and its severity doctors apply X-rays and determining the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide that is present into the patient’s bloodstream. In most cases, the treatment for this kind of disease consists in antibiotics. The most common medicines used in the antibiotic therapy can include Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole, Bactrim and Pentamidine Isoethionate, or Pentam 300. Both of these medicines have the same effect on average standard, but the effects can differ depending on each patient and how their organisms act to the medicine.

Usually, the patient’s medical status starts to improve in the first two or three days after the treatment is started. Depending on each patient, the medicines can also cause certain side effects that can include fever, rash, decreased number of white blood cells and platelets and even hepatitis. There are cases in which after several weeks of treatment for Pneumocystis Pneumonia the patient still develops side effects which can include decreased blood pressure, irregular heart beats, accumulation of nitrogenous waste products into the patient’s blood, and electrolyte imbalances. In some cases, Pentamindine can be administered in aerosol to minimize the side effects. The organism that causes this kind of disease can become resistant to the treatment and some patients can be allergic to the treatment. Here are several medications that can also be effective in treating Pneumocystis Pneumonia: Dapsone, Clindamycin which can be administered in combination with Primaquine, or Mepron. If the disease is left untreated it can cause more severe complications such as breathing difficulties and permanent damage of the lungs which can easily lead to the death of the patient.