A public awareness piece.. Provides basics of the disease with an emphasis of the fact that this disease is preventable and curable if handled in a righteous way.

1. A DESCRIPTIVE REVIEW
OF PNEUMONIA
Mash’hood Mahmood Khan Shahid
Saif ullah Khan
Hussaam ul Haq Mansoor

2. INTRODUCTION
• Pneumonia is an example of lower respiratory tract infection which is 7th leading cause of death
in USA. It could be bacterial, viral and fungal infection of lungs with inflammatory air sacs
(alveoli) filled with pus and making breathing difficult, and usually contagious. Risk of this
disease is found greater in children of age less than 5 and adults with age greater than 65. Being
a disease of different etiologies, it is good to have a diagnostic testing besides the empirical
treatment with drugs.

3. ETIOLOGY
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Chlamydophila pneumoniae
Legionella pneumophila
Mycoplasma pneumonia
Influenza Virus
Rspiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV)
Pneumocystis jirovecii

4. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
Shortness
of breath
and Chest
Pain
Productive
Cough
Fever
Confusion
Pain
Especially
in joints

5. DIAGNOSIS
Blood Test
Confirms infection without identifying the cause
Sputum Test
Identifies the cause of infection
Pulse Oxymetry
Indicates oxygen saturation
Urine Test
Gives identification of S. pneumoniae and L.
pneumophila
CT Scan / X-Ray
Clear and detailed picture of lungs
Pleural Fluid Culture
Determine type of infection
Bronchoscopy
Look into airways and lungs for determining the extent
of blockage

6. TREATMENT STRATEGIES
Eradication of
offending
organism
Rehabilitatio
n of
respiration
Adjunctive
therapy
•Fluid
Hydration
•Optimal
nutrition
•Fever
control
Empirica
l Therapy
•Based upon present clinical status
(Age, Medication History, Underlying
Disease, Major organ function)
•Regimen must eradicate majority of
organisms.
Definitiv
e
Therapy
•Based upon the sputum culture reports.
•Treatment regimen should consider
comorbidities, severity, and bacterial
resistance.

7. VACCINATION
Pneumococcal Conjugate
Vaccine
Inactivates Influenza Vaccine
Pneumococcal
Polysaccharide Vaccine
Live Attenuated Influenza
Vaccine

8. For adults of 65 or olderPCV & PPV
• 1st administer PCV, then P.PV next year
• If you’ve already received a dose of PCV at a younger age, CDC does not
recommend another dose.
Inactivated VaccineInfluenza Vaccine
•For age group of >50 and health care workers.
•Annual revaccination.
•Use Chemoprophylaxis at the beginning of vaccination.
•Can be administered in high risk individuals.
Live Attenuated VaccineInfluenza Vaccine
•Recommended for health individuals of age 5-49.
•Must be avoided in high risk patients.
•Annual revaccination.

9. PREVENTIVE MEASURES
Chemoprophylaxis
(For Viral
Pneumonia)
•In individuals
with
contraindication
to Influenza
Vaccine
•Non-respondents
to influenza
vaccine
•Mean duration
from vaccination
to immunity
Smoking Cessation
•Especially
hospitalized CAP
patients
•Administer PPV
in persistent
smokers.
•Inculcate smoke
cessation
strategies.
Cough Etiquettes
•Washing of Hands
•Use of masks
•Tissues for
sneezing and
snoring
•Cleaning surfaces
with frequent
contact

10. ROLE OF PHARMACIST
• Optimizes medication regimen by erasing medication errors, managing polypharmacy, drug-
interactions and abuse of drugs.
• Should counsel patient to complete antibiotic course to avoid emergence of resistance and
recurrence of disease.
• Encourage their visitors to get themselves and their children vaccinated against pneumonia.
• Decrease disease and economic burden on society by educating people about pneumonia and
its prevention.
• Adjust therapy based upon patient’s socio-economic status.
• Address prominent risk factor to this disease like smoking, alcoholism, COPD, AIDS,
Persistent cold & flu.
• Play their role with other health care professionals in treating the disease.

11. REFERANCE
1. Pharmacotherapy A Pathophysiological Approach 9th Edition (Joseph T. DiPiro)
2. Infectious Diseases Society of America/American Thoracic Society Consensus
Guidelines on the Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Adults (
https://www.cdc.gov/pneumonia/management-prevention-guidelines.html )
3. Center For Disease Control And Prevention (https://www.cdc.gov/ )