Physiotherapy and Treating Pneumonia

Physiotherapy and Treating Pneumonia, Inflammation in the alveoli makes the alveoli filled with fluid or pus, making it difficult for the person to breathe. This causes an extreme condition termed pneumonia, which is basically an infection of one or both lungs.

Inflammation and consolidation of lung tissues due to an infectious agent is termed Pneumonia.
Here consolidation refers to inflammatory induration of a normally aerated lung due to the presence of cellular exudative in alveoli.

How does pneumonia develop?

Most of the time the body filters organisms. This keeps the lungs from becoming infected, but organisms sometimes enter the lungs and cause infections. This is more likely to occur when the immune system is weak. The organism is very strong and the body fails to filter the organisms.
Predisposing factors of pneumonia.

Cigarette smoking
Upper respiratory tract infections
Alcohol
Old age
Recent influenza infection
Pre-existing lung disease

How does pneumonia develop?

Congestion- the presence of a proteinaceous exudate and often of bacteria in the alveoli
Red hepatisation-Presence of erythrocytes in the cellular interalveolar exudate.
Neutrophils are also present.
Bacteria are occasionally seen in cultures of alveoli specimens collected.
Gray hepatization-No new erythrocytes are extravasating and those already present have been lying and degraded. A neutrophil is the predominant cell fibrin deposition and is abundant.
Bacteria have disappeared corresponds with the successful contaminant of the infection and improvement in gas exchange

Types of pneumonia

Broncho pneumonia – affect the lungs and patches around the bronchi.
Lober pneumonia-An infection which involves a single lobe or section of a lung.
Interstitial pneumonia. It involves the areas in between the alveoli.
Pneumonia can be hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated which arises more than 48 to 72 hours after endotracheal intubation.

Clinical features include