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Hippocrates was the first to describe pneumonia symptoms. He wrote that pneumonia was a disease 'named by the ancients'.
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It wasn't until 1875 that bacteria were found in the lungs of an individual that had died of pneumonia.
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Pneumonia is estimated to affect approximately 450 million people each year around the world. Roughly 4 million people die from pneumonia each year around the world.
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The most common type of bacterial pneumonia in children is streptococcus pneumonia.
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The second most common type of bacterial pneumonia is haemophilus influenza.
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The most common viral cause of pneumonia is respiratory syncytial virus.
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Pneumonia can be spread by coughing and sneezing.
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When being examined for possible pneumonia the physician looks for common symptoms, but they also look for high heart rate, low blood pressure, harsh breathing sounds, and crackling sounds in the chest.
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Pneumonia is often acquired in the hospital because patients are already not in the best health and are more easily affected.
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A child is considered to be more easily affected by pneumonia if they live in a crowded home, their parents smoke, or if the air quality is poor due to wood stoves and cooking practices.
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Once diagnosed with pneumonia a person is usually treated with antibiotics. Usually only severe cases require admission to the hospital.
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Some believe that breastfeeding a child exclusively for the first six months of life offers protection against pneumonia.
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Very young children or the elderly often do not have the most common symptoms of pneumonia.
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Factors that increase one's risk of contracting developing pneumonia include smoking, heart failure, diabetes, asthma, COPD, cystic fibrosis, and a weakened immune system.
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In order to diagnose pneumonia a doctor may do a chest X-ray, physical examination, blood tests, and have the patient's sputum testes.
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Some believe that vaccination and/or proper treatment for pneumonia would reduce childhood deaths by a million each year.
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The discovery of penicillin and other antibiotics meant that pneumonia was becoming more treatable in the 1900s.
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Vaccines in the 1970s and onward have helped to reduce mortality and infection rates around the world.
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November 12th, 2009 was the first annual World Pneumonia Day, meant to help raise awareness about pneumonia.
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Some people refer to pneumonia as 'the old man's friend' because it shortens the life (and time spent suffering) of someone who is old and sick and close to dying.
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