Pneumonia lasts how long

Additionally, the widespread inflammation that occurs in some people with COVID can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS — a severe type of lung failure. In more severe cases, the damage can last a long time. In fact, early data is showing that up to a third of COVID pneumonia patients have evidence of scarring on X-rays or lung testing a year after the infection.

Lee: Regardless of what causes it, regaining strength after pneumonia can take quite a long time — from several weeks to many months. During COVID pneumonia recovery, your body first has to repair the damage caused to the lungs; then it has to deal with clearing leftover fluid and debris and, finally, scarring until the tissue is fully healed over — all of which come with unpleasant symptoms. If you are recovering from COVID pneumonia and experiencing persistent problems, I recommend seeing your doctor for a follow-up evaluation.

If your recovery is prolonged, he or she may recommend a specialized program, such as pulmonary rehabilitation, to help get you back on track. The onset of walking pneumonia is gradual, with an incubation period of weeks after exposure. During the later stages of the illness, symptoms worsen, and fever becomes higher. Coughing may yield discolored sputum also.

The treatment for atypical pneumonia is a cycline antibiotic, such as doxycycline, or a macrolide antibiotic, such as azithromycin. Walking pneumonia is often caused by a type of bacterium that produces milder symptoms that come on more gradually than do those of other types of pneumonia. The illness often is brought home by young children who contract it at school.

Family members of infected children typically begin having symptoms two or three weeks later. This kind of pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics. Recovery time is usually days, but maybe longer. Over the past decade, some strains of mycoplasma have become resistant to macrolides due to the widespread use of azithromycin to treat infections.

Other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus RSV and human metapneumovirus , are common causes of pneumonia in young kids and babies. Bacteria such as Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause pneumonia, too. People with bacterial pneumonia are usually sicker than those with viral pneumonia, but they can be treated with antibiotic medications. You might have heard the terms "double pneumonia" or "walking pneumonia.

It's common for pneumonia to affect both lungs, so don't worry if your doctor says this is what you have — it doesn't mean you're twice as sick. Walking pneumonia refers to pneumonia that is mild enough that you may not even know you have it.

Walking pneumonia also called atypical pneumonia because it's different from the typical bacterial pneumonia is common in teens and is often caused by a tiny microorganism, Mycoplasma pneumoniae pronounced: my-co-PLAZ-ma noo-MO-nee-ay. Like the typical bacterial pneumonia, walking pneumonia also can be treated with antibiotics. It's common for a person with pneumonia to start out with something milder like a cough or sore throat — which also can happen in other infections.

But pneumonia is a bit worse because the infection goes down into the lungs. When pneumonia is caused by bacteria, a person tends to become sick quickly, develop a high fever, and have difficulty breathing. When it's caused by a virus, the illness comes on more gradually and might be less severe.

Someone's symptoms can help the doctor identify the type of pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumoniae , for example, often causes headaches, sore throats, and rash in addition to the symptoms listed above. The routine vaccinations that most people receive as kids help prevent certain types of pneumonia and other infections.

If you have a chronic illness, such as sickle cell disease, you may have received extra vaccinations and disease-preventing antibiotics to help prevent pneumonia and other infections caused by bacteria. People should get a pneumococcal vaccination if they have diseases that affect their immune system like diabetes , HIV infection , or cancer , are 65 years or older, or are in other high-risk groups. Depending on the bugs that are likely to affect them, these people also may get antibiotics to prevent pneumonia, as well as antiviral medicine to prevent or lessen the effects of viral pneumonia.

Doctors recommend that everyone 6 months and older get an annual flu shot. That's because someone with the flu could then come down with pneumonia.