Pneumonia is an illness that is characterized by serious lung infection or inflammation in one or both lungs. There are many different types of pneumonia, but one well-known and common type is mycoplasma pneumonia. This is caused by a specific type of bacteria, mycoplasma pneumonia, and is spread through the air. Specifically, mycoplasma pneumonia spreads through respiratory droplets, which are tiny moist droplets in the air that come from an infected person’s cough or sneeze. These droplets then infect other individuals when they make contact with a victim’s eyes, nose, or mouth, allowing the bacteria to spread to that person’s body.
There are many risk factors for mycoplasmal pneumonia. Older people, particularly those at age 65 or older, are at greater risk, particularly if in a communal setting such as a nursing home or a chronic care facilities. Males are at greater risk than females. Very young children (under the age of two) are at risk. Individuals who already have a cold, respiratory infection, lung disease, or reduced immunity due to AIDS, HIV, medications, or other causes are at higher risk and should not have contact with individuals with pneumonia. Organ transplant recipients, smokers, alcoholics, and individuals with any chronic health problem like diabetes or heart disease are also at risk.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is one of the strains that causes what is often known as “walking pneumonia”. This term is used because it is a milder strain than other types of pneumonia that tend to cause hospitalization. Thus, the patients are able to walk around and may be able to perform normal tasks rather than requiring bedrest for the duration of the illness. The term “walking pneumonia” has fallen out of favor in the medical field and is considered outdated, but is still frequently used by laymen.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is distinctive because symptoms tend to progress slowly and tend to be mild. Common symptoms include headache, shaking, fever, chills, excessive sweating, chest pain, and sore throat. Generally, patients usually have a cough that is dry and does not have phlegm or blood. In rare cases, some individuals may suffer from other symptoms, including rashes, skin lesions, vomiting, mental confusion, anxiety, diarrhea, eye pain or soreness of the eye, muscle aches, stiff joints, lumps on the neck, rapid breathing, and ear pain. When examined by a doctor, individuals with mycoplasma pneumonia typically have enlarged lymph nodes and inflammation of the eardrum. Suspected cases of pneumonia should immediately be treated by a physician.
Tags: different types of pneumonia, inflammation, lung disease, lung infection, mycoplasma, mycoplasmal, respiratory infection, throat, type of bacteria, Walking Pneumonia