Pneumonia is a lung infection which could lead to life threatening situations if not treated. There are as many as thirty reasons that the experts cite for this. Mainly it is bacterial infection but the other common causes would be virus and mycoplasma. Bacterial pneumonia occurs when the immune system of a body is not working properly or is weakened due to age or some other reasons like malnutrition. These bacteria enter the body and infest the lungs where they multiply at a very fast rate. Viral pneumonia may have the following symptoms chickenpox, influenza, etc. The virus infects the lungs and causes swelling in them. Mycoplasma pneumonia is the same as bacterial infection except the causing organism. People who smoke, have a lower or reduced immunity, people with cancer, HIV, with chronic heart and lung disease and alcoholics are more susceptible to pneumonia and are hence required to be overcautious with their health conditions and require a pneumonia vaccine as a step towards prevention of the disease.
January 28, 2012
