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Fungal pneumonia can be caused by endemic or opportunistic fungi and can be contracted through occupational or recreational exposure. Treatment involves antifungal drugs and supportive care. Patients with weak immune systems are at higher risk and may develop complications in other organs. Mortality rates can be high in immunocompromised patients.
Fungal pneumonia is an infection in the lungs in which fungi are the causative organism. It can be endemic in nature, indicating an infection caused by pathogenic organisms known to cause disease in both healthy and diseased people, or opportunistic, involving a fungus that does not normally make people ill, but will cause infection in people with compromised immune systems. like cancer patients. Treatment for fungal pneumonia requires giving the appropriate antifungal drug and providing the patient with supportive care so the drug has an opportunity to work.
A common cause of fungal pneumonia in healthy people is occupational exposure. People who work around feces, in environments where there are many fungi, or in facilities where fungi are used to make products may all be at risk of fungal pneumonia. Wearing face protection is usually recommended when people will be exposed to fungi, such as when people are clearing out a house after water damage. People can also develop fungal pneumonia as a result of something they do recreationally; cavers, for example, can get this lung infection from inhaling fungi from bat guano.
In individuals who have weak immune systems, sometimes fungal pneumonia is caused by organisms that normally live on the patient and cause no problems. In other cases, patients become infected when exposed to people who carry the spores. The immune system could normally fight off the spores and stop them from multiplying, but in immunocompromised patients, the body is helpless and cannot stop the fungal infection.
Fungal pneumonia typically causes fever, difficulty breathing, and cough. The patient may develop a bluish tinge to the extremities if breathing becomes significantly impaired, limiting the body’s oxygen supply. Immediate treatment involves giving a broad-spectrum antifungal and collecting lung sputum cultures to gather more specific information about the fungus responsible. If the patient cannot breathe on their own, a respirator may be used, while other patients may be given supplemental oxygen to help them breathe more comfortably.
Patients with fungal pneumonia can develop signs of damage in other organs such as the heart, kidney and liver. If this infection is identified, the patient is carefully evaluated for complications such as these so that prompt treatment can be provided before they become a serious medical problem. In patients with a weak immune system, mortality rates can be as high as 90% with this infection, while relatively healthy patients have a much better prognosis and good chance of recovery if given aggressive and timely treatment.
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