What is pneumonia?

On July 24, 2008, renowned comedian and actor Bernie Mac died at a Chicago hospital. The cause of his death, according to Bernie Mac’s publicist, was brought on by complications from pneumonia.


Pneumonia is a general term used to describe an inflammatory illness of the lungs. It results most commonly when the alveoli, the air sacs of the lungs, fill up with pus and mucous. Pneumonia, however, can affect many different parts of the lung. This swelling of the alveoli limits the lungs’ ability to extract oxygen from the air -- oxygen which is necessary to feed the blood -- resulting in circulatory failure. Other complications can arise as well. For example, if bacteria enter the blood (sepsis) or if the lungs become overwhelmed by inflammation and shut down (respiratory distress). Pneumonia is not a single disease and instead has upward of 30 different causes, thus making diagnosis very difficult. Pneumonia, however, is often caused by infection. Infectious germs can include bacteria, viruses, fungi or even parasites. The body’s natural defense mechanism against infection involves inflammation, and thus the lungs fill up with mucous in an attempt to rid the infection. Pneumonia can also arise from irritation when breathing in food, liquid, chemicals or dust.



Signs and symptoms vary from mild to serious and can include the following:

  • Cough
  • Yellow-green phlegm (mucous) or reddish if tinged with blood
  • Shortness of breath
  • Feeling very tired or unwell
  • Chest pain that worsens when coughing or breathing deeply
  • Fever
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Diarrhea
  • Loss of appetite
Pneumonia symptoms often overlap many other respiratory disorders, which means that diagnosis usually involves a number of tests:
  1. Sputum cultures (a lab test done on mucous or phlegm that is coughed up)
  2. Blood tests
  3. Chest X-ray
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Most causes of pneumonia are bacterial, and thus treatment is achieved through the use of antibiotics. Viral pneumonia usually has no specific treatment other than rest, sleep and drinking lots of fluids, although antiviral medications can be used within the first 48 hours of symptom onset. For more serious cases, hospitalization may be required. Assisted breathing devices or medical devices used to extract fluid from the lungs may then be necessary.


By Jacob Franek