Pneumonia: Treatment and Care

With pneumonia on the rise nationwide, it’s important to know what to do if you think you have this potentially serious respiratory condition.

“If you think that you might have pneumonia, see a provider as soon as possible,” says Marie Amico, nurse practitioner at Valley Health Page Memorial Hospital Family Medicine | Stanley. “Pneumonia can be mild, but it can also be very serious, especially if you do not get it treated quickly. If your provider thinks that you might have pneumonia, they may request an X-ray of your lungs. Taking a chest X-ray is the best way to tell if you have pneumonia.”

You may need to consider going to the hospital for evaluation if you have extreme symptoms such as:

• Your cough keeps getting worse
• You start having trouble breathing when doing everyday tasks or when resting
• You have chest pain when you breathe
• You feel suddenly worse after getting better from a cold or the flu
• You have a weakened immune system from a disease or medication
• You already have a serious lung disease, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or emphysema
• You are 65 years of age or older

So how is pneumonia treated? It depends on the cause. Pneumonia caused by bacteria is treated with antibiotics. You should take all of your antibiotics, even if you feel better before you finish them. Pneumonia from some viruses, like those that cause flu or COVID-19, is treated with an antiviral medicine. For other types of viral pneumonia, there is no specific treatment.

“You should start to feel better 3 to 5 days after you start taking antibiotics,” says Jessica Painter, physician assistant at Valley Health Page Memorial Hospital Family Medicine | Stanley. “Most people can go back to their normal routine within a week of starting treatment. Even so, you might feel tired or have a cough for a month or longer after you get treated. Although this cough can take a while to go away, it is usually milder than when you first got sick.”

You should also get lots of rest and drink lots of fluids. If your symptoms do not improve or get worse after starting treatment, tell your doctor or nurse.

To prevent getting pneumonia again, make sure to wash your hands often with soap and water and consider quitting smoking if you are a smoker. A vaccine protects against the most common type of bacterial pneumonia, but it is not recommended for everyone. Ask your doctor if you should have it. You should get the flu and COVID-19 vaccines every year.