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Lobar pneumonia is a sudden lung infection that can cause serious complications if left untreated. It is caused by bacterial organisms entering the airways after a cold or flu episode. Treatment involves antibiotics and supportive care, and hospitalization may be necessary for severe cases. After recovery, patients may experience difficulty breathing and should watch for signs of recurrence.
Lobar pneumonia is a form of lung infection that involves contiguous inflammation across one of the lung lobes. It usually occurs very suddenly and can have serious complications if left untreated, including permanent damage to lung structures, leading to lifelong breathing problems. Treatment involves giving aggressive antibiotics to kill the causative organisms, along with supportive care while the antibiotics have time to work and during the patient’s recovery.
People commonly develop lobar pneumonia after a cold or flu episode, when bacterial organisms have a chance to enter the airways. They travel to the lungs and use the patient’s weakened immune system to colonize one of the lobes, causing inflammation. It can spread rapidly, filling the tiny air sacs in the lungs with fluid and making breathing difficult. The patient develops congestion and may cough and have a fever.
If chest x-rays are taken, an obstructed area can be seen in the affected lobe. This allows your doctor to determine the extent of your infection. A culture of the material in the lung can be done to see which type of bacteria is responsible so that antibiotic therapy can be tailored to the infection. Your doctor may recommend broad-spectrum antibiotics before the culture results come back in the interests of treating the infection as quickly as possible and preventing it from spreading to the rest of the lung.
In some cases, hospitalization for lobar pneumonia may be necessary. Some patients develop congestion so severe that they have difficulty breathing and require supportive care such as mechanical ventilation and intravenous antibiotics given in a hospital setting. Complications may be a concern for patients who have a previous history of respiratory disorders and for patients with compromised immune systems who are less able to fight off aggressive infections.
After a patient has recovered from lobar pneumonia, it is common to experience some difficulty breathing during recovery. Sometimes a respiratory therapist can help patients with a regimen designed to help them regain suppleness and strength in their lungs. Doctors may also prescribe medications to open the airways and reduce inflammation as the patient recovers from the pneumonia. It is important to pay attention to early signs of recurrence so that appropriate action can be taken to treat relapsing lobar pneumonia infections before they have the opportunity to compromise the patient’s lungs.
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