Aspiration pneumonia is an infection of the lung caused by the entry of contaminated liquids or objects from the mouth or stomach and, therefore, is mainly associated with changes in swallowing.
This pneumonia usually has a cure and is more common in infants, the elderly, patients in a coma or who breathe with the help of appliances, producing symptoms such as high fever and difficulty breathing.
Treatment should be started as soon as possible with the use of oral antibiotics, and hospitalization may be necessary in more severe cases.
Symptoms of aspiration pneumonia
Symptoms of aspiration pneumonia usually include:
- Fever above 38ºC;
- Cough with catarrh;
- Feeling of shortness of breath;
- Easy tiredness.
The symptoms of pneumonial baby may be different, manifesting mainly through excessive crying and decreased appetite. The symptoms of aspiration pneumonia in the elderly cause mental confusion and decreased muscle strength, being rarely associated with fever.
Usually these signs and symptoms appear up to 3 days after the person has suffered gas or food secretions, being diagnosed by a pulmonologist after evaluation of the clinical history and complementary tests such as chest X-rays and blood or phlegm tests.
Aspiration pneumonia in baby
Aspiration pneumonia in the baby is one of the major lung infections in children under 1 year of age, since it is common for the infant to choke or place small objects in the mouth that can go to the lungs.
Generally, this pneumonia is caused by choking with vomiting, which can happen when your baby has esophageal malformations, such as atresia, or when he is belly up.
Treatment can be done at home with the ingestion of antibiotic syrups, but sometimes hospitalization may be necessary, depending on the severity of the disease.
Treatment of aspiration pneumonia
The treatment lasts about 2 weeks and can be done at home using a combination of antibiotics such as ceftriaxone and clindamycin or levofloxacin and clindamycin. But, depending on the severity of the disease, and the state of health of the patient, hospital admission may be necessary.
During treatment, the patient should always brush his teeth, keeping his mouth clean and clear throat throat, because these are great ways to prevent the transport of bacteria from the mouth to the lung.
In the elderly, in addition to the treatment of aspiration pneumonia, it is important to prevent the problem, which has led to pneumonia recurring. For this, techniques such as ingesting solid foods in small amounts and taking gelatine instead of water may be used.
After treatment, it is recommended to have an x-ray of the chest to confirm that there is no fluid in the lung, as well as avoiding places with a lot of pollution and taking the pneumococcal vaccine to prevent pneumonia from returning.
