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Walking pneumonia is a mild lung infection that causes fatigue, cough, and flu-like symptoms. It is more common in children and adolescents and can be transmitted to immune-compromised individuals. A doctor can diagnose and treat the infection with medication and rest. Patients should exercise caution around vulnerable individuals.
Symptoms of walking pneumonia usually include fatigue, general flu-like symptoms, and cough, all with a gradual onset. This mild lung infection is more common in children and adolescents. It is important to get treatment because patients will be infectious and can transmit microorganisms to an immune-compromised person who may not be able to fight off the infection. A doctor can evaluate the patient to determine the source of the symptoms and provide treatment.
People develop walking pneumonia, also known as atypical pneumonia, when they get a lung infection that causes irritation and other symptoms. The infection is not severe enough to prevent the person from carrying out daily activities. The term “walking pneumonia” is a reference to the fact that many patients walk freely while fighting the infection and, along the way, can distribute the causative organisms to other people.
It can be easy to identify the symptoms of walking pneumonia when they all come together. A persistent cough is the most obvious warning sign. The patient may feel despondent and sleepy, though still active, and will have a sore throat and headache. Some patients have fever or chills, and joint pain and skin rashes may also occur. Swollen lymph nodes are also a warning sign.
A doctor can evaluate a patient with symptoms of walking pneumonia to make a diagnosis. They may recommend a chest x-ray to check the patient’s lung function. Blood tests can identify the presence of infection. It is also possible to do a culture of the patient’s sputum, but this takes so long that a doctor usually does not recommend it. When the results are back, the patient’s health crisis should be over, and thus the culture is primarily to verify the diagnosis, not to add to the diagnostic evaluation by the time the patient is ill.
Your doctor may prescribe medications to kill the organisms causing the infection. Patients may also need to rest and drink fluids to support their immune systems. A patient with symptoms of walking pneumonia should exercise caution in the elderly and people with serious illnesses, as these individuals may not be able to resist infections and may become dangerously ill. If a patient with symptoms of walking pneumonia develops extreme difficulty breathing, altered level of consciousness, or severe fatigue, she should see a doctor, as the condition may worsen.
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