General practitioner Anastasia Agaeva: pneumonia is especially dangerous for some people. How can they protect themselves?
Doctor Agaeva told RT in an interview for whom pneumonia can be most dangerous. People at high risk of developing pneumococcal infections have a particularly hard time with this disease. Doctor Agaeva pointed out this danger in a conversation with RT, while also specifying who is included in this risk group.
Here are the categories for whom pneumonia is especially dangerous:
- People over 65;
- Patients with chronic lung diseases (for example, with COPD or bronchial asthma);
- Heart patients – people with coronary heart disease, chronic heart failure, cardiomyopathy;
- Patients with diabetes;
- People with immunodeficiency conditions (including HIV, cancer) or receiving immunosuppressive therapy.
How to protect yourself from pneumonia?According to Agaeva, the most effective method of protection against it is vaccination against pneumococcal infections and the flu virus – such vaccination is considered the best method of prevention for people with a high risk of developing pneumonia.
Also, people at risk are advised to avoid crowded places, avoid overtime, follow a work and rest schedule, avoid stress, eat more vitamin-rich foods, vegetables and fruits, wash your hands more often, and ventilate rooms. At the first signs of illness, you should consult a doctor.
Why are they talking about the danger of pneumonia now? There is a significant increase in the incidence of pneumonia in Russia. Rospotrebnadzor confirms that the incidence of pneumonia is increasing in the country, noting that the main causative agent of the disease is mycoplasma. Mycoplasma pneumonia is dangerous due to its complications in the heart, kidneys, and intestines.
How pneumonia manifests itself.Pneumonia is generally characterized by respiratory failure, fever, cough, and shortness of breath. A feature of mycoplasma pneumonia, which many Russians are now suffering from, is the absence of a fairly severe condition and pulmonary wheezing, which are usually observed with bacterial pneumonia. People do not understand that they do not just have an acute respiratory viral infection, and remain on their feet. In most cases, you need to do a computed tomography (CT) scan to see the characteristic changes in the lungs.
Earlier, the MedikForum.ru portal wrote about how to distinguish bronchitis from pneumonia.
Important! Information is provided for reference purposes. Ask a specialist about contraindications and side effects and do not self-medicate under any circumstances. At the first signs of illness, consult a doctor.
Anastasia Agaeva Health General Practitioner