Specialist Doctor Büşra Çimen Şeker, Department of Chest Diseases at İzzet Baysal State Hospital, warned against pneumonia, the frequency of which begins to increase as the weather gets colder. Specialist underlines that pneumonia is a disease that can be fatal. Dr. Şeker called on patients with risk factors to be more careful.
“PNEUMANE IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE”
Specialist said that pneumonia is an infectious disease. Dr. Büşra Çimen Şeker said, “Pneumonia is an infectious disease. Those who are in close contact with the sick person should not use the same kitchen utensils such as forks, spoons, plates or personal items such as towels. People who use it and those who are exposed to microorganisms as a result of coughing or sneezing in the same environment are at risk. We do not have the rule that just because a patient is infected with a microorganism, that patient will develop pneumonia. First, the microorganism must pass through the filter of the patient’s immune system. For this reason, not everyone who gets the microorganism will get pneumonia. “It varies depending on the patient’s condition,” he said.
DIFFERENT TREATMENT METHODS ARE APPLIED
Specialist stated that in case of pneumonia, they apply different treatment methods depending on the patient’s condition. Dr. Şeker said, “In case of pneumonia that does not heal, we, as physicians, re-evaluate the situation. If the patient is infected with community-acquired pneumonia, which we call community-acquired pneumonia, we provide different treatments for hospital-acquired infections. When we start as a community-based treatment and do not see a response in the patient, we gradually expand our antibiotic spectrum according to different organisms. Again, is there an underlying cancer condition in pneumonia that does not heal? Is there a condition that will suppress the immune system? Why isn’t our patient getting better? Or could it be a case of tuberculosis? We need to review these. “In general, our recovery rates with treatment are high, but it is necessary to consider the current conditions of patients who do not recover,” he said.
A DISEASE THAT CAN BE FATAL
Specialist stated that pneumonia can be fatal. Dr. Şeker said, “Pneumonia is a disease that can be fatal. This situation is especially related to the patient’s existing chronic diseases. If our patient has some chronic diseases, we need to be more careful in patients with risk factors. Because it is an infection affecting the lungs, the patient may develop respiratory failure. Apart from this, the sudden and rapid immune response that occurs when bacteria enters the patient’s blood can worsen the week and lead to intensive care. In people with chronic diseases, pneumonia is more severe, which can lead to serious complications such as respiratory failure. Apart from this, there may be a situation in which the patient’s existing microorganism, which we call myocarditis, mixes with the blood and affects the heart. “For these reasons, it can be fatal,” he said.
“CLEANLINESS IS VERY IMPORTANT IN PNEUMONIA”
Expert stated that cleanliness is very important against pneumonia. Dr. Büşra Çimen Şeker said, “The precautions to be taken against pneumonia are as follows. Cleaning is very important, especially in pneumonia. Hand cleaning, body cleaning, personal hygiene, cleanliness of our environment and regular ventilation of closed environments are very important. Smoking and alcohol use should be reduced or stopped if possible, or reduced if not possible. “Keeping chronic diseases under control, regular check-ups of patients, stopping the progression of chronic diseases, and pneumonia vaccines are also very important issues,” he said.
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