Atypical pneumonia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
| Atypical pneumonia Classification and external resources |
|
| DiseasesDB | 1132 |
|---|---|
| MedlinePlus | 000079 |
Atypical pneumonia is a term used to describe a form of pneumonia not caused by one of the more traditional pathogens.
Contents |
[edit] Causes
| PNEUMONIA |
 |
| Infectious pneumonias |
| Pneumonias caused by infectious or noninfectious agents |
| Noninfectious pneumonia |
| edit this box |
It can caused by one or a combination of the following organisms:
- Legionella pneumophila
- Causes a severe form of pneumonia with a relatively high mortality rate, known as legionellosis or Legionnaires' disease.
- Mycoplasma pneumoniae
- Usually occurs in younger age groups and may be associated with neurological and systemic (e.g. rashes) symptoms.
- Chlamydophila pneumoniae
- Mild form of pneumonia with relatively mild symptoms.
The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) was also considered a kind of atypical pneumonia, and is still called so in the Chinese mainland.
[edit] Symptoms
Symptoms include pyrexia, shortness of breath, laboured breathing, cough and potentially cough fractures, arthralgia (joint pain), malaise, loss of appetite, confusion, rash, and diarrhoea.
[edit] Treatment
Treatment is with oral antibiotics, mainly with those which interfere with protein synthesis e.g. erythromycin, and diagnosis is confirmed by blood cultures and sputum samples.
[edit] Prognosis
Prognosis is usually good and is influenced by age and immunosuppression.
