Pneumonia means that there is an infection or inflammation in the lung tissue. It can be caused by a lot of different micro-organisms - viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites that are too small to see - but it can also be caused by corrosive chemicals breathed into the stomach or toxic gases from a fire.

Pneumonia can range from very mild to very severe, even fatal. The severity depends on the type of organism causing pneumonia as well as your age and underlying health. Pneumonia is still a common disease. Many people die from it every year, most commonly women and people over the age of 65. The overall death rate due to pneumonia is currently 3 per cent.

Half of all pneumonia cases are caused by bacterium. The streptococcus bacterium, known as pneumococcus, is the principal reason of the almost normal pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonias lean to be the almost severe and, in adults, the almost popular reason, particularly Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus. Respiratory viruses are the almost popular causes of pneumonia in inexperienced children, peaking between the ages of 2 and 3. By school age, the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae becomes more popular. In some folk, especially the older and those who are debilitated, bacterial pneumonia may come flu or still a popular cold.

Many people contract pneumonia while staying in a hospital for other conditions. This tends to be more serious because the patient's immune system is often impaired due to the condition that initially required treatment. In addition, there is a greater possibility of infection with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.

If people get vaccinated against the pneumococcus bacteria, then quality of life and life expectancy improve for approximately 95 per cent of those infected. Even though the pneumonia has disappeared, it is only natural that you have a period after the infection where you feel tired, get short of breath, strain yourself, and get an annoying cough.