Treatment of pneumonia: should it be hospitalized?

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. Pneumonia can usually be cured by taking medication at home. However, under certain circumstances, pneumonia can also require hospitalization. Here is a complete review of the treatment options you can take to treat pneumonia.

What are the drugs usually used for pneumonia?

Quoted from the Cleveland Clinic, here are treatment options along with drugs that are usually prescribed to treat pneumonia according to the type of pneumonia and its cause:

Bacterial pneumonia

It looks like another bacterial infection, bacterial pneumonia is also treated with antibiotics.

There are several factors in giving antibiotic drugs to cure pneumonia, such as other diseases you may have, the type of medication you are currently using, the use of antibiotics that you have just used, the results of antibiotic resistance tests, and your age.

The antibiotic class of drugs most often prescribed by doctors to treat pneumonia are:

• Amoxicillin (with or without Clavulanate)
• Cefalosporin class III drugs, such as eftriaxone or cefotaxime

Antibiotics can also be combined with macrolide class antibiotics, such as:

• Azithromicin
• Erythromycin
• Clarithromycin.

Medicines to relieve pain and reduce fever can also help relieve the symptoms that occur during pneumonia. Ask your doctor if you should take cough medicine as these can help clear mucus from your lungs.

Viral pneumonia

Antibiotics were not created to fight viruses. So, you will not undergo treatment with antibiotics to cure viral pneumonia.

In fact, there is no specific treatment for most viral pneumonia. However, if the flu virus is thought to be the cause of pneumonia, you may be advised to take antiviral drugs to reduce the duration and severity of the illness, such as:

• Oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
• Zanamivir (Relenza)
• Paramivir (Rapivab)

Your doctor may also recommend over-the-counter medications to relieve other troublesome symptoms. Medicines and other therapies, such as oxygen therapy to clear the respiratory tract of mucus, may also be recommended by a doctor.

Oxygen therapy is a treatment that provides you with supplemental oxygen. Although generally done in a hospital, you can also apply this therapy at home.

Your healthcare provider will help you choose the most suitable equipment for you. Oxygen is usually passed through a tube in the nose or in a mask. Oxygen equipment can attach to other medical equipment, such as a ventilator.

Fungal pneumonia

Your doctor may prescribe an antifungal medication if fungus is the cause of your pneumonia. Some of the antifungal drugs that are often used to treat pneumonia due to fungi are:

• Fluconazole (Diflucan)
• Itraconazole (Sporanox)
• Flucytosine (Ancobon)
• Ketoconazole (Nizoral)

Should you run pneumonia treatment in the hospital?

Actually, pneumonia treatment can be done alone at home or in the hospital, depending on your body condition and how severe the symptoms are. The following is a series of pneumonia treatments, both at home and in the hospital.

Home remedies

Your doctor may recommend that you do home treatment if your pneumonia symptoms are not too severe. A series of treatments that can be done, including:

1. Take antibiotics

If the doctor judges that your disease is not too severe, it is likely that the doctor will only prescribe antibiotics to take home.

It is important to understand and follow every doctor's instructions regarding the dosage and procedures for taking the medicine so that you can recover quickly. Also make sure you finish the antibiotic within the time period prescribed by the doctor.

2. Get complete rest

Apart from prescribing medication, your general practitioner will also advise you to get plenty of rest at home. Don't force yourself to do your usual activities.

The reason is, the symptoms of pneumonia can make you very weak. You need to be completely rested for a few weeks until your condition improves. Do the activity gradually and slowly until your body has fully recovered.

3. Take pain relievers

Symptoms of pneumonia are sometimes accompanied by fever and pain. For that, you can take paracetamol drugs that are sold freely in stalls or pharmacies. Don't forget to drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.

4. Wear a mask to prevent transmission

While at home, don't forget to wear a mask to prevent transmission to other family members when you cough.

5. Natural medicine

You can also do natural remedies to relieve pneumonia symptoms, such as coughing, shortness of breath, and fever. You can use salt water to rinse your mouth, other pneumonia herbal remedies, such as turmeric, ginger, and peppermint.

Generally, pneumonia can be cured in 2-3 weeks with simple home remedies. In older adults and people with other health problems, recovery may take about 6-8 weeks or more.

Hospital treatment

If your symptoms worsen, you may need to be hospitalized. The following are symptoms and signs of pneumonia that require hospitalization:

• Fever continues to rise above 40ºC even after taking medication
• Heavy shortness of breath

In addition, people at high risk are often advised to be hospitalized immediately once a doctor is diagnosed with pneumonia. These high-risk people are:

• People with weak immune systems
• Have heart disease or other lung conditions
• Was very sick before he got pneumonia
• Infants, young children, and adults aged 65 years and over

If you do pneumonia treatment in the hospital, you will be trained by a physiotherapist to adjust coughing techniques so that you can expel phlegm more effectively and can cough without feeling too much pain.

If you experience shortness of breath, you may be placed on an oxygen tube to help with your breathing. You may also be given pneumonia antibiotics through an IV. Infusion is also done to help meet the body's fluid and electrolyte needs while you are hospitalized.

Make sure you follow the recommended treatment to avoid complications of pneumonia that may arise.

How long will it take to recover from pneumonia?

It may take six to eight weeks for you to get into your routine after being hospitalized for pneumonia. However, the time it takes for each person to recover after pneumonia is not the same, depending on:

• Age
• Causes of pneumonia
• How severe is pneumonia
• Whether you have any other risk conditions or not

Most people with pneumonia continue to feel tired for about a month or so. If you continue to feel tired after treatment, you need to be fully rested (bed rest) to speed up recovery and prevent relapses.

While recovering, limit contact with family and friends. This is useful for preventing pneumonia germs in the body from spreading to your loved ones.

In addition, you need to cover your mouth and nose when coughing, throw the tissue in a closed container immediately, and wash your hands properly often.

If you are taking antibiotics, your doctor will ensure that your chest x-rays are normal again after you have taken all of the prescribed medication. This may take weeks.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a preventable condition. You can take the following preventive steps to lower your risk of getting pneumonia:

• Get a vaccine to prevent pneumonia
• Wash your hands regularly
• Do not smoke
• Pay attention to your health by paying attention to the symptoms of pneumonia that don't go away
• Implement a healthy lifestyle.