Internal Medicine

Consequences of pneumonia

introduction

Pneumonia is usually a bacterial infection of the lungs; viruses or fungi are more rarely the cause of the disease. The consequences of pneumonia can be caused by the inflammation itself, in which case the lung tissue is usually affected. The greatest fear, however, is that the pathogens will spread, which would restrict the function of other organs and damage them in the long term. Pneumonia is a serious illness and can cause lifelong damage.

Long-term consequences of pneumonia

Long-term consequences of pneumonia can be limited to the lungs themselves, but often other organs are affected as the disease spreads. In the lungs, there is often scarring in the tissue due to pneumonia. These remain for a lifetime and result in functional impairments in the lungs. Bronchiectasis (enlargement of the bronchi) can also be a consequence of pneumonia and leave long-term scars in the airways. With minor tissue damage, affected persons may not be affected at all, but respiratory insufficiency (the lungs are not able to absorb sufficient oxygen) can also occur. Outside of the lungs, the worst long-term damage usually occurs as a result of blood poisoning, in which the pathogen spreads throughout the body. This can lead to kidney function damage and heart failure. Meningitis can also cause long-term neurological damage. How severe the consequential damage is depends to a large extent on how quickly the underlying blood poisoning can be treated.

Difficulty breathing with pneumonia

In the case of severe pneumonia, the tissue can be so inflamed that it is no longer possible to absorb sufficient oxygen from the air. In order to absorb oxygen from the air in the lungs into the blood, the oxygen must pass through a thin wall of lung tissue. If there is inflammation, this layer of tissue can be thickened. In addition, the passage of oxygen through the inflammatory cells can be difficult. This means that not enough oxygen can be absorbed in severe pneumonia. At the same time, the body does not release enough CO2 from the blood into the exhaled air. The symptoms can be so severe that it can range from shortness of breath (respiratory failure) to life-threatening lack of oxygen.

You can find more information about shortness of breath after pneumonia on our main page: Shortness of breath

Bronchiectasis in pneumonia

Bronchiectasis is an enlargement of the bronchi, i.e. the airways. This is usually not triggered in the acute stage of pneumonia. Rather, bronchiectasis occurs when the pneumonia becomes chronic. Such bronchiectasis can in turn lead to further complications. For example, they promote the occurrence of further pneumonia. In addition, there may be scarring in the lung tissue, which restricts lung function and thus leads to a poorer supply of oxygen. Bleeding in the lungs can also occur in bronchiectasis.

For more information on the symptoms and treatment of bronchiectasis, see: Bronchiectasis

Blood poisoning from pneumonia

If you get blood poisoning (called sepsis), the bacteria that caused the pneumonia get into the bloodstream. Usually this happens when the body's defenses are already weakened. This means that the body cannot contain the infection and cannot keep the pathogens in check in a certain location. The bacteria can get into the entire body via the blood and attach to other organs. The consequences are severe damage to various organs. These usually start relatively simultaneously and quickly develop into a life-threatening threat. Damage to the heart and kidneys are particularly dangerous in sepsis. Since blood poisoning usually spreads throughout the body within a short period of time, multiple organ failure can result if the spread is recognized too late. Several organs are damaged so severely at the same time that they can no longer fulfill their function. In the lungs, this quickly leads to a disturbed gas exchange, which leads to shortness of breath and a lack of oxygen. If the heart is affected, the blood circulation can no longer be adequately maintained. The blood pressure drops sharply, the organs are supplied with too little blood, this weakens the body further and can also damage the brain. With kidney failure, the elimination of both fluid and toxins is massively disturbed.

If blood poisoning occurs as part of pneumonia, it is also referred to as delayed pneumonia. You can find information on the course, treatment of delayed pneumonia and more at: Delayed pneumonia

Inflammation of the heart muscle as a result of pneumonia

Pneumonia can affect the heart if the pathogen spreads from the lungs to the heart. Due to the proximity of the two organs, such a spread is not particularly unlikely. This can lead to pericarditis (inflammation of the pericardium) or endocarditis (inflammation of the inner lining of the heart). Both diseases are associated with impaired cardiac function. This can also cause permanent damage to the heart, which permanently reduces its function. In the worst case, acute heart failure occurs, which is a life-threatening threat.

Read more on this topic at:

Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis)
What are the symptoms of myocarditis?

Meningitis in pneumonia

Meningitis occurs when the pathogens causing pneumonia spread to the brain. Usually, the brain is specially protected against such intruders by the blood-brain barrier. So only very selected substances can get into the brain from the blood vessels. In severe cases, however, the spread of the bacteria can be so strong that they also establish themselves in the brain and on the meninges and trigger inflammation there. Intense headaches and fever up to severe dysfunction and permanent brain damage can be the consequences of meningitis.

For more information about the symptoms of meningitis, see: Meningitis symptoms

Pulmonary embolism in pneumonia

Those who develop severe pneumonia are often seriously ill and therefore confined to bed for several weeks. The lack of exercise can lead to thrombosis, especially in the legs.These are small blood clots that occur especially when there is no continuous blood flow in the vessel. These clots can completely block a vein in the leg and cause severe blood flow problems there. The most dreaded complication is pulmonary embolism, in which the clot separates from the leg and reaches the lungs. There it can close a large lung vessel and severely impair the function of the lung, which is already weakened by the inflammation. Such a pulmonary embolism can be life-threatening.

Since pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening event, it should be recognized quickly. Read about it: Symptoms of pneumonia, infarct pneumonia

Duration of the consequences of pneumonia

The duration of pneumonia varies greatly. In young otherwise healthy people, pneumonia itself usually only heals after several weeks. If there are additional complications, they take longer. How long these episodes last largely depends on how quickly they are discovered and how much time it takes to treat them. If you intervene quickly, the consequences can be minimized so that the healing process is only extended by a few weeks. In the event of severe damage, however, these consequences can last for a lifetime. In the worst case, the complications of pneumonia or the pneumonia itself will result in death. The duration of the consequences is therefore usually between several weeks and / or months up to years or even lifelong.

For more information, see: Duration of pneumonia

Certain home remedies that have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects can also be used to support therapy. Please also read our article: Home remedies for pneumonia