Pneumonia and Respiratory Tract Infections Flashcards
What is bronchitis?
inflammation + swelling of bronchi
What is bronchiolitis?
inflammation + swelling of bronchioles
What is pneumonia?
inflammation + swelling of alveoli
What are demographic and lifestyle risk factors for development of pneumonia?
age <2 years or >65 years
cigarette smoking
excess alcohol consumption
What are social risk factors for development of pneumonia?
contact w/ kids aged <15 yrs
poverty
overcrowding
What are medication risk factors for development of pneumonia?
inhaled corticosteroids
immunosuppressants
proton pump inhibitors
What are medical history risk factors for development of pneumonia?
COPD, asthma, heart disease, liver disease, diabetes mellitus, HIV, malignancy, hyposplenism, previous pneumonia, complement/Ig deficiencies
The CRB65 severity score is based on?
confusion
respiratory rate
blood pressure
age
What is walking pneumonia?
Some atypical bacteria cause milder, more prolonged symptoms due to their slower replication rate. E.g. mycoplasma pneumoniae + C. pneumoniae
Why does pneumonia present a more challenging disease than bronchitis and bronchiolitis physiologically?
impairment of gas exchange through cellular infiltration / fluid leakage into airspace over a substantial area of the resp. tract > prevent O2 uptake + CO2 removal
What is the first immune cell recruited to the site during acute bacterial pneumonia?
neutrophil
How might cell recruitment change from acute bacterial pneumonia to more prolonged?
neutrophil > accumulation of lymphocytes (mainly T), macrophages, monocytes at site of inflammation
What type of pathogen in streptococcus pneumoniae?
gram +ve
extracellular
opportunistic
When would you treat viral pneumonia with dexamethasone?
when O2 required or when disease is determined to be severe enough to require ventilation
Why are anti-virals only effective early on in viral pneumonia?
early damage is virus dependent, late damage is immune mediated
