Pneumonia can be a serious illness that requires prompt medical attention. Knowing when pneumonia is getting worse allows you to seek help when needed. Here are some signs that pneumonia may be worsening and tips on when to call your doctor.
What are the symptoms of worsening pneumonia?
Some key symptoms that pneumonia is getting worse include:
- Increasing difficulty breathing
- Worsening cough that may produce thick, green, or bloody mucus
- Fever above 102°F that persists or keeps rising
- Increasing chest pain, especially when breathing
- Confusion, disorientation, or slurred speech
- Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Fatigue, weakness, or loss of appetite
- Bluish lips or nails
As pneumonia progresses, you may notice breathing becomes much harder. Taking deep breaths, walking across a room, or talking may leave you winded. The lungs struggle to get adequate oxygen to the rest of the body.
A worsening cough produces thicker, darker mucus as more lung tissue becomes inflamed and infected. Coughs are often painful as well. Vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea can develop as the infection spreads.
In severe cases, pneumonia can lead to respiratory failure, sepsis, or inflammation around the heart. This requires emergency medical care to prevent life-threatening complications.
When should I call my doctor?
Call your doctor right away if you have any signs of worsening pneumonia, such as:
- Increasing difficulty breathing or chest pain
- Confusion or slurred speech
- Blue lips or nails
- Persistent fever over 102°F
Shortness of breath, in particular, warrants an urgent call. Labored, rapid breathing is a sign you are not getting enough oxygen. Other late-stage pneumonia symptoms also need immediate attention to keep things from becoming critical.
In children, additional severe symptoms that require a doctor’s visit include:
- Dehydration
- Persistent vomiting
- Severe abdominal pain
- Lethargy or extreme irritability
Call your doctor if symptoms are not improving after 2-3 days on antibiotics. The medications may need to be adjusted to beat the infection.
When should I go to the emergency room?
Head straight to the ER if you experience:
- Severe difficulty breathing
- Blue lips or face
- Confusion or drowsiness
- Chest pain
These signs indicate you may have severe pneumonia that requires hospitalization and urgent treatment. Labored breathing, low oxygen, and changes in mental status mean your lungs are failing and your vital organs are in jeopardy.
Additional reasons to go to the ER include:
- Uncontrolled fever
- Coughing up blood
- Dehydration
- Inability to keep down medicines or fluids
If your immune system is weakened by age, illness, or medications, even mild pneumonia can become dangerous. When in doubt, do not wait – get emergency care.
What treatments can help worsening pneumonia?
If pneumonia is worsening, doctors have several treatment options to help:
- Hospitalization – Severe pneumonia often requires inpatient treatment and close monitoring in a hospital.
- Supplemental oxygen – Extra oxygen by mask or nasal tube helps ensure the body gets enough oxygen when the lungs are inflamed.
- IV antibiotics – Intravenous antibiotics work faster and more powerfully than oral antibiotics.
- Chest X-ray or CT scan – Imaging helps identify the location and extent of lung infection.
- Cough medicine – Cough suppressants and expectorants make coughs more productive and less painful.
- IV fluids – Fluids combat dehydration and support blood pressure.
In critical cases, very ill patients may require ventilation on a breathing machine in the ICU. Severe complications like respiratory failure make breathing impossible without mechanical ventilation.
Antibiotics remain a crucial part of treatment. However, if symptoms worsen on antibiotics, the medicine may need to be changed to a broader spectrum drug or combination of antibiotics to attack the lung infection from different angles.
How can I prevent pneumonia from getting worse?
You may be able to avoid complications and keep pneumonia from worsening by:
- Seeing your doctor at the first sign of pneumonia symptoms for evaluation and prompt treatment.
- Taking all antibiotics as prescribed until finished.
- Getting lots of rest and avoiding strenuous activity.
- Drinking plenty of fluids to stay hydrated.
- Using cough medicine and throat lozenges to ease coughing.
- Taking deep breaths and using incentive spirometry if given to exercise your lungs.
- Avoiding smoke, dust, and lung irritants.
Call your doctor right away if symptoms do not improve as expected on antibiotics. You should start to feel a little better after a couple days. Report any worsening symptoms immediately.
Protect yourself against respiratory illnesses like pneumonia with good hygiene. Wash your hands frequently and disinfect shared surfaces. Get recommended vaccines like pneumonia and annual flu shots.
What are pneumonia complications to watch for?
Potential serious complications of pneumonia include:
- Respiratory failure – The lungs become severely inflamed and fill with fluid, making breathing impossible. Mechanical ventilation is required.
- Sepsis – The lung infection spreads to the bloodstream and poisons the whole body.
- Pleural effusion – Fluid collects around the lungs, making breathing difficult and painful.
- Empyema – Pus collects in pockets around the lungs.
- Lung abscess – A pocket of pus forms in the lungs.
Other possible complications include:
- Meningitis from bacterial spread to the brain and spinal cord membranes.
- Pericarditis or inflammation of the sac around the heart.
- Kidney failure if sepsis sets in.
Call 911 or go to the ER if you have symptoms of these dangerous complications, like difficulty breathing, chest pain, high fever, confusion, or low blood pressure.
Who is most at risk for pneumonia complications?
You are more likely to develop complications and severe pneumonia if you:
- Are over age 65.
- Are under age 2.
- Have a chronic disease like COPD, asthma, diabetes, or heart disease.
- Have a weakened immune system from illness or medications like chemotherapy.
- Have difficulty swallowing.
- Have been hospitalized recently.
- Smoke cigarettes.
Young children, older adults, and people with health conditions have a harder time fighting off lung infections. Pneumonia progresses quicker and is more dangerous in high-risk groups.
People in nursing homes or hospitals are also vulnerable due to close contact spreading respiratory illnesses easily. Talk to your doctor about pneumonia vaccination if you have ongoing health problems or weak immunity.
How is pneumonia diagnosed?
Doctors use several tools to diagnose pneumonia and assess its severity:
- Medical history – The doctor asks about symptoms, underlying conditions, and potential pneumonia exposures.
- Physical exam – Listening to the lungs can reveal crackling sounds signaling pneumonia.
- Chest X-ray – This imaging scans the lungs and detects areas of infection and inflammation.
- Pulse oximetry – A small sensor measures oxygen saturation in the blood, which may be low with pneumonia.
- Blood tests – These can detect infection markers signaling pneumonia and help identify the organism causing it.
- Sputum culture – A culture of mucus coughed up from the lungs can identify bacteria causing the illness.
Doctors integrate these findings to accurately diagnose pneumonia and determine treatment options based on its cause and severity.
Conclusion
Pneumonia can quickly worsen from a mild infection to a life-threatening emergency. Pay attention to signs of progressively worse pneumonia like difficulty breathing, high fever, chest pain, and confusion. Call your doctor or go to the ER right away if your condition seems to be deteriorating.
With prompt and appropriate treatment guided by your doctor, you can recover and avoid dangerous complications of pneumonia getting out of control. Know your risks, take all medications as directed, and report worsening symptoms immediately.