Pulmonary sepsis corresponds to an infection that originates in the lung, normally associated with pneumonia, and whose inflammatory signal is spread throughout the body, leading to the appearance of symptoms such as fever, chills, muscle pain and respiratory changes, mainly, such as accelerated breathing., shortness of breath and excessive tiredness.
People who are hospitalized, have chronic illnesses and have a weaker immune system are more at risk of developing pulmonary sepsis and, therefore, in the presence of any symptom suggestive of pulmonary sepsis it is recommended that you go to the hospital for tests to be done and can be started treatment if necessary.
Main symptoms
The symptoms of pulmonary sepsis are related to the involvement of the lung by microorganisms and the generalized inflammatory response caused by the body in an attempt to eliminate the infectious agent responsible for the disease. Thus, the main symptoms of pulmonary sepsis are:
- Fever; Chills; Rapid breathing; Shortness of breath; Increased heart rate; Cough with phlegm, most of the time; Muscle pain; Excessive tiredness; Chest pain, especially when breathing; Headache; Mental confusion and loss of consciousness, since ideal amounts of oxygen may not reach the brain.
Pulmonary sepsis is more frequent in people who have a more compromised immune system, therefore there is a greater risk of developing this type of situation in people with chronic diseases, who are old or young, due to the weakening of the immune system or little maturity, respectively, in people who have been hospitalized in the Intensive Care Unit for a long time and in drug and alcohol users.
How is the diagnosis
The diagnosis of pulmonary sepsis must be made at the hospital by the general practitioner or infectious disease by assessing the signs and symptoms presented by the person. In addition, laboratory and imaging tests should be performed to confirm pulmonary sepsis.
Therefore, X-rays of the lung may be requested to check the focus of the infection, in addition to blood and urine tests, in which in most cases a decrease in the number of platelets and the number of leukocytes can be observed., increased bilirubin and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) and increased amount of protein in the urine. Understand how the diagnosis of sepsis is made.
Treatment for pulmonary sepsis
The treatment for pulmonary sepsis aims to eliminate the focus of infection, relieve symptoms and promote improvement in the person's quality of life. Most of the time the treatment is carried out in the hospital, with the hospitalized person, because it is possible to monitor it, mainly respiratory, as the treatment happens in order to prevent complications.
Due to respiratory impairment, mechanical ventilation can be performed, in addition to antibiotic administration according to the microorganism related to pulmonary sepsis.
