lung and airway disorders
Hospital Acquired Pneumonia
Symptoms of Hospital Acquired Pneumonia
Symptoms are generally the same as those for Symptoms : A general feeling of weakness (malaise) Cough that produces sputum (thick or discolored mucus) Shortness of breath Fever Chills Chest pain Pneumonia acquired in the hospital may be more difficult for doctors to recognize than pneumonia acquired in the community. For example, many hospitalized people who develop pneumonia, such as older people, those with breathing tubes who are receiving mechanical ventilation, those with dementia, and those who are critically ill, may be unable to describe symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, and weakness. In those cases, pneumonia is often suspected on the basis of fever and an increase in the respiratory rate and the heart rate. Older people who have pneumonia may also have confusion, loss of appetite, restlessness and agitation, falling, and incontinence (an involuntary loss of urine). Pneumonia that is acquired in the hospital tends to be far more severe than pneumonia acquired in the community. 