how does pneumonia manifest itself?
84163
Main symptoms consist of cough, productive of dirty phlegm, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, or any or all of the above.
506721
Generally no.  There are however, particular genetic diseases that can predispose people towards pneumonia.  Cystic fibrosis comes to mind.  CF patients get a lot of secretions stuck in their lungs.  The goop, coupled with the inability to properly aerate plugged up parts of the lungs, turns the person's respiratory tract into a paradise for microbes.
888312
I should think not.  People have been known to exert themselves when they are sick and their cold has gone into pneumonia.  Your body needs rest to fight off the illness.
550832
This sounds pretty serious!  You could have any number of things, but, two things come immediatelty to mind--ERD esophageal relux disorder which means the stomach acid is filling your esophagus; and Hiatal hernia which means part of your stomach has slipped through the diaphragm causing you to regurgitate acid.  If you choke and get some of this acid into your lungs you could develop pneumonia.\nMake an appointment to see your doctor right away.  And while you are waiting to see him, elevate the head of your bed w/ some bricks or books; or sleep w/ several pillows so you are not flat!\nGood luck!
625159
I believe this will help you.\n\nhttp://www.copd-international.com/\n\nGood luck. Pneumonia is not contagious, if caused by a cold, then that would be contaguious, you will not develop pneumonia unless you don't take care of yourself.
727440
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. \n\nPneumonia is still a common disease. Many people die from it every year, most commonly women and people over the age of 70. The overall death rate due to pneumonia is currently 5 per cent.\n\nHalf of all pneumonia cases are caused by bacteria. The streptococcus bacteria, known as pneumococcus, is the main cause of the most typical pneumonia. \n\nHow is pneumonia contracted? \n\nInfection usually occurs when you breathe in the micro-organisms. \n\nMore rarely, pneumonia is contracted when bacterial colonies from infections in other places in the body - such as an infected bone - travel via the blood circulation to the lungs and stay there. \n\nFinally, you can breathe in the contents of your stomach, eg following vomiting, which causes chemical pneumonia and may bring micro-organisms into the lungs.
139564
It sounds to me like what I had late last year. Walking pnemonia was the culprit and I had a very bad cough and was sore around my lungs (front and back) from coughing for days on end. I contacted my physician and he prescribed an antibiotic (I cannot remember which one) which helped fight the infection, and also prescribed cough syrup with codine to help supress the cough and enabled me to sleep at night. \n\nI hope this helps you out and most importantly - get well soon!\n\nOh, and I'm not a doctor - but I play one on Yahoo!
247960
Go to the doctor as soon as possible\nPains in the chest could be from a virus or pneumonia
266380
I have copd. What I cough up is extremely thick and not always the same color. It's gray to yellow usually.\n\nMy doctor said when it is almost hard because it is so thick it is what they call a "plug". That is what clogs the tubes to your lungs and make it difficult to breathe. When you use your inhaler it breaks this up and you have to cough it up so you can breathe easier.\n\nIf I cough up the clear, slimy stuff I know there is more coming in order to breathe, I have to have the really gross plug come up.\n\nI never thought I would be talking like this to another human being(besides my doctor). This is too much and you actually want to know about it....
495193
1... the name is correct was formely called diplococcus pneumonia, but today is "Streptococcus pneumoniae"\n\nStreptococcus pneumoniae is a species of Streptococcus that is a major human pathogen.\nIt was recognized as a major cause of pneumonia in the 1880s, and is the subject of many humoral immunity studies.\n\nThe organism was originally named Diplococcus pneumonia in 1926 because of its characteristic appearance in Gram-stained sputum. It was renamed Streptococcus pneumoniae in 1974 because of its growth in chains in liquid media. Because of its role as the etiologic agent of pneumonia, it has long been known informally as the pneumococcus.
63412
because it is cold\n\nthis could happen if you have asthma, bronchitis,if you are a smoker, or are around smoke all of the time; it could also happen if you yell alot or are hoarse, or if your throat is sore; it could also happen if you have a repsiratory infection\n\ndo you cough every single time you have ever eaten it? if not, it is no big deal, but if it happens every now and then it would be because of the things I listed above
320418
Legionnaires' Disease is caused by  Legionella pneumophila.  It casuses pneumonia and typicall abdominal cramping.  It typically grows in air vents with moisture.  You can read more of it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A882371
72064
Although you probably are familiar with the fact that pneumonia can be caused by infection, the word pneumonia (or pneumonitis) actually refers to any kind of inflammation of the lungs. This inflammation is caused by the body's reaction to some irritant, usually an infectious agent or an inhaled chemical, and results in an accumulation of fluid and pus deep in the lungs.\n\nTypes of pneumonia\nThere are many kinds of pneumonia:\n\nInfectious pneumonia (see below)\n\nWalking pneumonia is pneumonia that is usually mild enough that the child does not have to stay in bed.\n\nDouble pneumonia is pneumonia that affects both lungs.\n\nForeign body aspiration pneumonia is caused by inhaling a small object like a peanut.\n\nAllergic pneumonia (usually known as allergic pneumonitis) is triggered by various allergens.\n\nAspiration pneumonia is caused by breathing liquid, such as swimming pool water or vomit, into the lungs.\n\nChemical pneumonia is caused by inhalation of chemicals from the air, such as from a chlorine gas leak.\nInfectious pneumonia\nThis is, by far, the most common type of pneumonia. In children, it often is so mild that it's mistaken for a bad cold or the flu and goes undiagnosed. In fact, both colds and the flu can lead to pneumonia. Most categories of organisms--including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites--can cause pneumonia, but viral and bacterial causes are encountered most frequently\n\nThe overwhelming majority of viral pneumonia in children is caused by influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), parainfluenza, or adenovirus. Measles is an important cause of pneumonia in many developing countries and can cause severe, or even fatal, infection in any child who is not immunized.\n\nCauses of bacterial pneumonia include Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococci), Haemophilus influenzae, Staphylococcus aureus (staph), pertussis (whooping cough), and streptococci. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a common cause of walking pneumonia. Pneumocystis carinii is a type of pneumonia usually seen only in children with decreased host defenses (such as those on chemotherapy for cancer or with HIV/AIDS), although it can be found occasionally in otherwise healthy newborns.\n\nDetermining the cause of pneumonia is important to ensure that a child receives appropriate therapy. For example, antibiotics can work wonders in children with bacterial pneumonia, but they may cause only a temporary benefit, if any, after a peanut has been inhaled--in which case, the only cure is to remove the peanut
693839
Yes, you may have pneumonia or bronchitis.  You should get a chest x-ray.  Blood in the spit(sputum) is not normal if its coming from the lungs and not from your mouth.
217593
Pneumonia is a medical condition, not the name of a bacterium.  Many different types of bacteria can cause pneumonia, or an accumulation of fluid in the lungs.\n\nStreptococcus pneumoniae a big cause.\n\nIt like most bacteria are members of the Monera kingdom.
940791
Pneumonias caused by viruses and bacteria are highly contagious especially in the early, acute stages. If you still have fever, the infection is active and your sputum (the gunk you cough up) is loaded with germs. Isolation techniques should be followed.
346531
When you ask does pneumonia turn toxic, what do you mean?  If you are refering to a person with pneumonia going into septic shock it is possible depending on the circumstances.\n\nPneumococcal pneumonia is often preceded by a URI. The onset is often sudden, with a single shaking chill; persistent chills suggest another diagnosis. The chill is ordinarily followed by fever, pain with breathing on the affected side (pleurisy), cough, dyspnea, and sputum production. The pain may be referred and, with lower lobe involvement, may suggest intra-abdominal sepsis, such as appendicitis. The temperature rises rapidly to 38° to 40.5° C (100.4° to 105° F), the pulse is usually 100 to 140 beats/min, and respirations accelerate to 20 to 45 breaths/min. Additional common findings are nausea, vomiting, malaise, and myalgias. The cough may be dry initially but usually becomes productive with purulent, blood-streaked or rusty sputum. In many patients, especially those at age extremes, symptoms may be more insidious.\n\nFindings during physical examination vary depending on the character of the process and the stage in which the patient is evaluated. There may be typical signs of lobar consolidation or pleural effusion. In bronchopneumonia, the usual finding is crackles.\nComplications\n\nSerious and potentially lethal complications include progressive pneumonia, sometimes associated with the adult respiratory distress syndrome and/or septic shock. Some patients develop infections at contiguous sites (eg, empyema or purulent pericarditis). Pleural effusions are found in about 25% of patients by chest x-ray, but < 1% have empyema. Bacteremia may result in extrapulmonary infections, including septic arthritis, endocarditis, meningitis, and peritonitis (in patients with ascites). Some patients develop pulmonary superinfections: temporary improvement during treatment is followed by deterioration, with recurrence of fever and worsening pulmonary infiltrates.\nlthough the morbidity and mortality of pneumococcal pneumonia have decreased substantially since the advent of penicillin, pneumococcus accounts for about 85% of all lethal cases of community-acquired pneumonia in which an etiologic agent is known. The overall mortality rate is about 10%, and treatment has minimal effect on mortality during the first 5 days of illness. Factors that herald a relatively poor prognosis include age extremes, especially < 1 yr or > 60 yr; positive blood cultures; involvement of > 1 lobe; a peripheral WBC count < 5000/µL; presence of associated disorders (eg, cirrhosis, heart failure, immunosuppression, agammaglobulinemia, anatomic or functional asplenia, and uremia); involvement of certain serotypes (especially 3 and 8); and development of extrapulmonary complications (eg, meningitis or endocarditis).\n\nMildly ill patients who are treated relatively early usually defervesce during the first 24 to 48 h; however, seriously ill patients, particularly those with the poor prognostic features noted above, often require >= 4 days to become afebrile. Therapy should not be modified if there is gradual clinical improvement and the etiology is confirmed.\n\nWhen patients do not improve, these factors should be considered: wrong etiologic diagnosis, adverse drug reaction, far-advanced disease (most common), superinfection, inadequate host defenses due to associated conditions, noncompliance with the drug regimen by outpatients, antibiotic resistance of the involved strain of S. pneumoniae, and complications, such as empyema requiring drainage or metastatic foci of infection requiring a higher dosage of penicillin (eg, meningitis, endocarditis, or septic arthritis).