Everyone Healthy Library
Pneumonia
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
- stroke-like symptoms such as face drooping, arm weakness or speech trouble
- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
- severe allergic reaction, swelling of the face/throat or widespread rash with breathing trouble
- severe abdominal pain, severe headache, stiff neck or sudden vision change
- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis common
Linked signs and symptoms
24Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
- Blood Pressure Below Normal (Hypotension)
- Breath Shortness (Dyspnoea)
- Breathing Rapid Hyperventilation (Tachypnea)
- Breathing Rapid, Shallow (Tachypnoea)
- Chills
- Cough
- Cough Producing Greenish Sputum
- Cough Productive
- Digits Cyanosis
- Fatigue
- Fever (Raised Body Temperature)
- Headache (Cephalgia)
- Heart or Pulse Rate Raised (Tachycardia)
- loss of appetite
- Mind: Malaise
- Muscle Aches
- Nausea
- Night Sweats
- Pain Muscle (Myalgia)
- Pain Whilst Breathing (Pleurisy)
- Pain: Chest
- Skin Bluish Coloration (Cyanosis)
- Sweating (Perspiring)
- Vomiting
Linked drugs / medications
4Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
9Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Behavioural changes
2Alternative and complementary therapies
2Vitamins and minerals
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
17These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Carbon Dioxide Total Content (TCO2)
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)
- Fibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products, FSPs, Fibrin Breakdown Products, Fbps)
- Fibrinogen Concentration test
- haptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- Inspiratory Capacity (IC)
- Partial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide (PCO2, PaCO2)
- Partial Pressure of Oxygen (PO2)
- Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Residual Volume (RV)
- Spirometry
- Total Lung Capacity (TLC)
- Vital Capacity (VC)
- White Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Biological markers/agents
18This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
11- Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 90–215 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Alpha-1-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–0.3 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Alpha-2-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.6–1 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Carbon Dioxide Total Content (TCO2)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 20–27 mEq/L; Newborn (0 - 1month): 13–21 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsCarbon Dioxide Total Content (TCO2)
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Total ProteinReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 15–45 mg/dL; Child (< 10y): 15–70 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- Erythrocyte Sedimentation RateReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0–20 mm/Hr; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 0–15 mm/HrLinked diagnostic testserythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR)
- Fibrin Split ProductsReference range exampleAll: 0–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products
- FibrinogenReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 150–400 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinogen Concentration test
- haptoglobin (Hp)Reference range example45–200 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testshaptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- Partial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide (PaCO2)Reference range exampleAll: 35–45 mm HgLinked diagnostic testsPartial Pressure of Arterial Carbon Dioxide (PCO2, PaCO2)
- White Blood Cell (WBC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 4.5–10.5 million/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 3.2–10 million/mLLinked diagnostic testsWhite Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Often decreased
7- Expiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 850–1,300 mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 1,000–1,500 mLLinked diagnostic testsExpiratory Reserve Volume (ERV)
- Forced Expiratory Flow Between 25% and 75% of FVC (FEF25-75)Reference range exampleAll: 60–100 %Linked diagnostic testsSpirometry
- Inspiratory Capacity (IC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 2,600–3,200 mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 3,000–3,500 mLLinked diagnostic testsInspiratory Capacity (IC)
- Partial Pressure of Arterial Oxygen (PaO2)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 80–100 mm Hg; Newborn (0 - 1month): 60–70 mm HgLinked diagnostic testsPartial Pressure of Oxygen (PO2)
- Residual Volume (RV)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 1,200–1,600 mL; Adult ( > 16y), Female: 850–1,300 mLLinked diagnostic testsPostvoid Residual Volume Test, Residual Volume (RV)
- Total Lung Capacity (TLC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 4,600–5,200 mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 5,800–6,200 mLLinked diagnostic testsTotal Lung Capacity (TLC)
- Vital Capacity (VC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 3,500–4,000 mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 4,500–5,000 mLLinked diagnostic testsVital Capacity (VC)
Introduction / full article
Pneumonia
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Tea Tree Oil [1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. WARNING: Tea Tree Oil is not recommended for children, pregnant women or mothers that are breastfeeding.
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that tea tree oil is effective in treating pneumonia)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
Megavitamin Therapy (Multivitamin, Vitamin Supplements) [1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]:
Please Note that while supplements are effective in correcting deficiencies in the body, their long-term usage is not helpful in preventing diseases like cancer and heart disease. To prevent these illnesses one should eat the natural foods which these vitamins and minerals come from. Replacing natural sources with artificial supplements actually increases the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases. Supplements should be taken only as a balanced multivitamin supplement that contains no more than 100% of the recommended daily allowance. It would be most helpful in people with restricted food intakes, pregnant women and women of childbearing age.
Recommendation: Weakly against. (There is no evidence that Megavitamin therapy can prevent or treat pneumonia. In fact, long term therapy can lead to increased risk)
Grade of Evidence: moderate quality of evidence
Comfrey (Blackwort, Symphytum Officinale) [1, 2, 3, 4]:
Please note, this herb is TOXIC IF TAKEN ORALLY, OR IF APPLIED TO AN OPEN WOUND. Can cause severe liver or kidney damage and lead to death. May ONLY be used as a cream over intact skin, and does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: Strongly Against (ONLY TO BE USED AS A CREAM OVER HEALTHY SKIN. If taken orally to treat pneumonia, Comfrey can lead to severe liver and kidney damage, and can even lead to death.)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Summary References
1. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19460762
3. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/comfrey
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2103401
6. http://archpedi.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/163/2/192.pdf
7. http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/ortho.html
8. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/72/5/707
9. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/no-index/about-ama/13638.shtml
10. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17327526
12. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-teatreeoil.html
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18816275
14. http://bastyrcenter.org/content/view/972/&page=
15. http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/62/4/769?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=staphaseptic&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
16. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2145499
17. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9055360
18. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12451368
19. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9848442
20. Bishop, C.D. (1995). "Anti-viral Activity of the Essential Oil of Melaleuca alternifolia". Journal of Essential Oil Research: 641–644