Asthma is a condition of chronic inflammation of the lungs. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs' tissues, most commonly caused by viruses and bacteria. Both illnesses can present with similar symptoms, including cough, respiratory distress and...
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause significant respiratory distress, difficulty breathing, fever, irritability, cough and decreased feeding and dehydration in babies. Babies can become seriously ill with pneumonia, as their...
The immune system protects the body from infections. People living with HIV/AIDS have a weakened immune system, which increases their susceptibility to a variety of infections, including pneumonia. The same germs that cause pneumonia in otherwise...
Pneumonia is an acute infection of the lungs. According to the World Health Organization, it is the leading cause of death in children worldwide, causing more fatalities than measles, AIDS and malaria combined. The symptoms of pneumonia in...
Asthma and pneumonia both impair lung functioning; however, each condition has a separate course and cause. The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute indicates that asthma is a chronic lung disease that leads to inflammation and narrowing of the...
Influenza and pneumonia describe disease conditions of the respiratory system. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, fevers, chills, cough, sputum production, malaise, runny nose, muscle aches and chest pain. Severe disease requires...
Pneumonia is a respiratory condition caused by virus, bacteria or fungi. It affects millions of people each year in the United States and children are especially susceptible to the condition. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, cough with yellow...
Pneumonia is an acute inflammation of the lung tissue. Symptoms will vary depending on the micro-organisms causing the pneumonia. A chest x-ray along with the patient's signs and symptoms are used to determine if pneumonia is present. A sputum...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 1.2 million hospitalizations and more than 55,000 deaths occurred in 2006 due to pneumonia. Pneumonia is a specific type of lung infection. The lungs are made of the airways, which...
Pneumonia is a medical condition characterized by an inflammation of the lungs caused by a bacterial, viral or fungal infection. Early symptoms of pneumonia often resemble the seasonal flu; however, they may progress to more severe symptoms such...
Pneumonia is a condition characterized by the inflammation of the lungs. This inflammation is typically caused by an infection, bacteria or a virus. If not treated in a timely manner, pneumonia can cause long-term lung damage and even turn fatal....
The term "atypical pneumonia" is a general reference to any pneumonia that is unusual in terms of the causative infectious germ, the symptoms or the clinical course. Medical professionals sometimes use the term to refer specifically to pneumonias...
Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound that occurs during breathing. It occurs when something is blocking the lungs' airways or making them too narrow. Wheezing is most obvious during exhalation, or when you are breathing out; however,...
As estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are two million cases of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections in the United States every year, of which 100,000 require hospitalization. Mycoplasma pneumoniae is considered to...
Pneumonia is a type of lung infection that can be caused by a number of bacterial or viral pathogens. Babies most often develop pneumonia symptoms as a result of a viral infection, explains MedlinePlus, an online medical resource provided by the...
Pneumonia is an infection that causes severe inflammation within the delicate tissue of the lungs. The infection can cause a variety of symptoms in adults and is the sixth leading cause of death within the United States, reports PDR Health, a...
Abdominal pain with fever is one of the most common children's complaints. There are several causes of these symptoms. In order to identify the cause, it is important to take into consideration the child's age and other symptoms like vomiting or...
Fungal pneumonia is a type of lung infection caused by fungi. Though this condition is uncommon in most people, those with compromised immune systems due to certain types of infection, such as HIV, are at an increased risk of developing fungal...
The lower portions of the lungs are normally sterile, that is, free of bacteria. When normal lung defenses fail, bacteria can infect the lungs, causing pneumonia. While most people recover from pneumonia, it can be life threatening. According to...
Pneumonia is a medical term used to describe an infection within the small air sacs in your lungs. This infection can affect both children and adults and is caused by pathogens (bacteria, viruses or fungi) that invade the airway passages. Unlike...
Pneumonia, an infection of the lungs, can be caused by viruses, fungi or bacteria. Bacterial pneumonia tends to be the most dangerous type and also the most common in adults. In healthy individuals, bacterial pneumonia can usually be treated...
The swine flu, caused by the H1N1 virus, was declared a global pandemic in 2009 by the World Health Organization. The swine flu H1N1 virus is a Type A influenza virus, similar to the standard human flu viruses. The symptoms of swine flu are...
Chest pain can still be concerning even without the concern of a heart attack. While chest pain on the right side generally does not indicate a heart attack--the heart is on the left side of your chest--several conditions can cause pain while...
Bacteria want to use your body for nourishment. To help them attain this goal, they have several weapons at their disposal. Among these weapons are toxins, which are poisons designed to harm your cells and tissues. Some can activate enzymes that...
The Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918-19 has been dubbed "the mother of all pandemics" by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) because it remains one of the most lethal outbreaks of infectious disease in human...
The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 has been dubbed "the mother of all pandemics" by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because it remains one of the most lethal outbreaks of infectious disease in human history,...
Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that causes heavy breathing, a fever and vomiting. Young infants are at high risk for pneumonia; if the infection is left untreated, complications can arise, such as acute respiratory distress syndrome....
Pneumonia is characterized by several symptoms, each caused by infections that impact the upper respiratory tract, including the lungs, says KidsHealth.org a website of the Nemours Foundation. Specific infectious agents that can cause pneumonia...
The National Institute of Health (NIH) says tobacco use is the most avoidable cause of death. Approximately 50 percent of smokers will lose their lives to smoking-related illnesses. According to the American Lung Association (ALA), more than...
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that's usually caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms. Pneumonia is a particular concern for older adults and people with chronic illnesses or impaired immune systems. Learn...
Staph infections cover a variety of skin infections, some more dangerous than others. Learn more about staph infection in this health video.
Bird flu has led to the deaths of hundreds of millions of wild and domestic birds and to a small number of human deaths. Bird flu remains difficult for humans to contract. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of bird flu in...
