Pneumonia: the cause of all chlamydia

Inflammation of the lungs, or pneumonia, is a dangerous condition that poses a serious threat to human health. Having mainly bacterial origin, this disease affects the alveoli, small bronchi and bronchioles, forming foci of the respiratory part of the lungs.

Chlamydial pneumonia, as the name suggests, is caused by chlamydia. It is well known that the causative agents of this form of pneumonia can be three kinds of bacteria: Chlamydia trachomatis, Chlamydophila psittaci and Chlamydophila pneumoniae. The latter is the cause of the development of "atypical" pneumonia. The development of bacteria in the patient's body occurs within 48-72 hours. Chlamydial pneumonia is predominantly a childhood disease, although it occurs in adults. Death due to the development of the disease occurs in 9% of cases. There are several ways to transmit chlamydial pneumonia:

• Airborne (with coughing, sneezing, runny nose, talking with a person with these symptoms);
• contact;
• Aspiration (ingress of foreign substances into the respiratory tract).

As with most diseases, acute and chronic forms of pneumonia are isolated.

Symptoms of Chlamydia pneumonia

The incubation period of the disease is 1-2 weeks. Symptoms of pneumonia caused by chlamydia include:

• heat;
• chills;
• Coryza;
• dyspnea;
• headache;
• nausea and vomiting;
• Feeling of perspiration in the throat;
• Reddened throat;
• Attacks of dry cough, with time passing into wet;
• Wheezing in the chest;
• General weakness;
• irritability.

Symptoms of chlamydial pneumonia are similar in many respects to the common cold. Therefore, often the patient has improper treatment, which can lead to complications. The first day of the disease chlamydial pneumonia is characterized by a runny nose, cough and mucopurulent discharge from the nasopharynx. If any of these symptoms are detected, it is strongly recommended that you consult a doctor for a correct and timely diagnosis.

Diagnosis of Chlamydia pneumonia

Diagnostic measures aimed at detecting chlamydial pneumonia include:

• Radiography (allows to see small-focal pneumonia);
• Immunological study (in which antigens are determined by bacteria with antibodies);
• Cytological examination (analysis of smears in laboratory conditions);
• Microbiological examination (in which the pure culture of the pathogen is determined).

Treatment of chlamydial pneumonia

Taking into account the peculiarities of bacterial pathogen development, an effective method of treatment as part of drug therapy is the use of antimicrobial agents. Their choice is due to the ability of the substances that make up these drugs to penetrate and accumulate in the affected cells, as well as block the intracellular protein synthesis. The group of such drugs include macrolides, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines. Of this number, the most effective and safe are macrolides (azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin, spiromycin and josamycin). Help in the treatment of pneumonia caused by chlamydia, fluoroquinolones, namely the representatives of the group: moxifloxacin (avelox) and levofloxacin (tavanik). Both agents are distinguished by the ability to suppress pathogenic flora, which causes the development of pneumonia.

In the treatment of chlamydial pneumonia, tetracyclines also proved effective, although these drugs have contraindications: pregnancy and liver failure. The group of these drugs include doxycycline and monocycline.

Antimicrobial therapy for chlamydial pneumonia should be continued for 2-3 weeks, not less. If this requirement is not fulfilled, then a relapse of the disease is possible, because it will simply remain untreated. With a mild course of the disease preference is given to the oral administration of antibiotics, while in severe form, the medications are recommended intravenously.

It should be noted that treatment should be comprehensive and include also drugs designed to correct the immune response of the body. Immonomodulators serve this purpose, namely lycopid, Roncoleukin, timogen and thymalin.