12 Signs of Pneumonia Clinton May Have Ignored

12 Signs of Pneumonia Clinton May Have Ignored

Hillary Clinton collapsed after being overcome by pneumonia while paying respects at the 15th anniversary of 9/11 in New York City. It has been reported that two days before she was diagnosed with pneumonia. This illness has been known to creep up on everyone from babies to the elderly and even those assumed to be in good health, particularly college students.

There are ways you can stop the rapid advancement of this infection by paying attention to these 12 signs of pneumonia Clinton may have ignored.

The Low Down

Pneumonia is an infection caused by fungi, bacteria, viruses, or mycoplasmas (small agents of disease that are not a virus or bacteria but have traits of each). This infection manifests in one or both lungs and as a result the alveoli or air sacs become inflamed, fill with fluid and make breathing a challenge. Various symptoms can be associated with different pneumonias and sometimes there are no overt symptoms at all, yet subtle signs may be detected.

According to Gerard Criner, MD, director of the Temple Lung Center in Philadelphia,

“The lung is a large organ, and it’s a vital organ,..If it gets infected and it compromises the primary function to support ventilation, that’s a big contributor to morbidity and mortality. It’s also a way for patients to become profoundly ill, and the infection can spread beyond that local tissue and into the bloodstream.”

Most pneumonia’s are not communicable (contagious) unless linked to influenza.

Common Signs

These common signs of pneumonia are usually a continuous struggle and not just a temporary spell.

Common signs include:

Chest pain – Pain in the chest which can feel like sharp or stabbing soreness that gets worse when you cough. It is important to immediately see a doctor if your chest pain worsens as it can also be a symptom of a heart attack.

Shaking chills – This is similar to the feeling you may experience when fighting the flu. Your entire body gets rushes of cold chills that cause you to uncontrollably shake. Technically these shaking chills are called ‘rigors’.

Fever – Spiking a fever in conjunction with other symptoms may indicate pneumonia. It can be a mild or high, sweating or dry and is a sign that your body is full “fight mode”.

Low body temperature – The Mayo clinic reports that you could develop lower than normal body temperature (in adults older than age 65 and people with weak immune systems) when pneumonia strikes.

Cough wheezing – An unassuming cough could quickly turn into a wheezing challenge to breathe. In addition to this wheezing cough can be greenish, yellow or bloody mucous phlegm.

Muscle aches and joint stiffness – Also similar to flu symptoms, pneumonia could cause muscle aches throughout your body accompanied by joint stiffness.

Nausea or vomiting – As your body goes into alarm mode your immune system, which is primarily located in your gut, may send a message to empty so nausea and sometimes vomiting can ensue. This would most likely be in the advanced stages.

Fatigue – As more oxygen becomes depleted your energy level can drop significantly.

Rapid breathing – Also, because oxygen is limited, you will breathe faster to try to get more.

Rapid heartbeat – Lack of oxygen causes heart rate to increase as it works harder trying to pump what oxygen is left in the blood.

Signs in Scenarios

The American Lung Association describes bacterial and viral, the two most presented forms of pneumonia.

“In bacterial pneumonia, your temperature may rise as high as 105 degrees F. This pneumonia causes profuse sweating, and rapidly increased breathing and pulse rate. Lips and nail beds may have a bluish color due to lack of oxygen in the blood. A patient’s mental state may be confused or delirious.”

“The initial symptoms of viral pneumonia are the same as influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within 12 to 36 hours, there is increasing breathlessness; the cough becomes worse and produces a small amount of mucus. There is a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.”

 

Knowing these 12 signs of pneumonia will hopefully give you pause to do something about it before ending up in serious condition like president hopeful Hillary Clinton.