Walking Pneumonia

Walking pneumonia also known as atypical pneumonia is a mild form of pneumonia. Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes the airways to swell, air sacs in the lungs to fill with mucus and other fluids, a high fever, and a cough with mucus. Walking pneumonia usually doesn’t require bed rest or hospitalization. After a few days you start to feel better, or you may feel well enough to be up and doing daily tasks. This is how this type of pneumonia got its name, because you may be up and walking around.

Walking pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, virus, or molds. It is contagious, for about 2-4 weeks before symptoms start and you stay contagious until your symptoms end. Walking pneumonia is spread by droplets from your sneezes, coughs, or breath being passed and inhaled by someone else. Walking pneumonia is slow to spread so even though you may be contagious and not know it, it isn’t an illness that causes widespread contamination. Walking pneumonia is very common in children between the ages of 5-15. It is the most common cause of pneumonia in school aged children.

Risk Factors

Children that are two and younger are at higher risk of developing walking pneumonia. Adults older than 65 also are at higher risk. Being immunocompromised, having conditions like COPD, asthma, or emphysema can also put you at higher risk. Living or working in crowded places like a school, dormitories, nursing home, or military barracks can also raise your risk. People who use tobacco products have a higher risk of developing walking pneumonia. Another risk is using inhaled corticosteroids regularly.

Symptoms

Symptoms appear gradually. Symptoms are usually mild. Sometimes symptoms can be mistaken for a bad cold or the flu. Symptoms become present 2-3 weeks after you were first infected. Symptoms in a child can be not feeling well, tiredness, headache, fever, dry cough, ear infection, sinus infection, sore throat, croup, or a skin rash. Symptoms for adults include fever 101 degrees Fahrenheit or below, cough that can last for weeks to months, fatigue, headaches, chills, sore throat, chest pain, fast breathing, labored breathing, ear pain, malaise, vomiting, loss of appetite, rash, or joint pain. Symptoms tend to be localized. If the infection is higher up in the lungs you may have difficulty breathing and chest pain. If your infection is lower in the lungs closer to the belly you may not experience labored breathing, but you may have stomach upset, loss of appetite, and vomiting.

Diagnosis

Since symptoms can look like a bad cold or flu you may not feel like reaching out to your doctor to be diagnosed. When you do go to the doctor they will probably start with a physical exam. During which they will want to listen to your lungs with a stethoscope to check for any abnormalities in your breath sounds. From listening to your lungs your doctor may be able to discover if you have fluid in your lungs. Other tests that your doctor may want to run are a chest X-ray, or they may take a sample of mucus from your nose or throat. A less common way to diagnose is to take a blood test.

Treatment

Treatment depends on what caused your walking pneumonia. If you have bacterial walking pneumonia your doctor can prescribe you antibiotics. Common antibiotics to treat walking pneumonia are macrolide antibiotics, fluoroquinolones, or tetracyclines. If you have viral walking pneumonia you will have to ride the illness out until it is over. You can use over the counter medications to help ease your symptoms. NSAIDs can help with fever. A humidifier or warm fluids can help if you have a sore throat or chest congestion. Some bacterial cases will go away on their own without antibiotics, but it may take you longer to feel better.

Complications

If you leave walking pneumonia left untreated it can cause further complications. You may develop a more serious form of pneumonia. Walking pneumonia can worsen asthma symptoms. Encephalitis, swelling and irritation of the brain, can occur. Developing hemolytic anemia can also be a complication.

Prevention

There is no vaccine for walking pneumonia. So there is no way to prevent walking pneumonia one hundred percent. Sickness usually lasts between 4-6 weeks. A cough caused by walking pneumonia can last weeks to months after the initial symptoms start. The best way to help prevent getting walking pneumonia is to eat healthy, exercise regularly, wash hands continuously, and cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing.