Mycoplasma pneumonia, also known as walking pneumonia, is caused by a bacterial infection and can last up to a month. Symptoms include a dry cough, fever, and flu-like symptoms. Antibiotics can help resolve the condition more quickly, but some doctors recommend bed rest. It can be contagious and those with the condition should avoid contact with vulnerable individuals.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is called atypical pneumonia and can also be referred to as walking pneumonia because it has a tendency to make people not as sick as other forms of the disease. In other words, many people are still able to stand while sick. However, it shouldn’t be thought of as viral, an occasional way of describing walking pneumonia, because the disease is really caused by a bacterial infection. The responsible germ is Mycoplasma or M. pneumoniae and this can be killed with antibiotic treatment. Although called atypical, this form of pneumonia is quite common and most often affects people under the age of 40, especially children or those with compromised immune systems.
Symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia can vary from individual to individual. Many people develop a bit of a fever, even if this takes a few weeks to develop. Dry cough with chest pain is common, and flu-like symptoms such as sore throat, headache, pain, or chills may occur. Some people also get ear or eye infections from the bacteria, and others may get a rash.
If people suspect they have mycoplasma pneumonia or any form of pneumonia, they should see a doctor. Sometimes people dismiss this illness as a bad cold because it doesn’t cause the same level of illness seen with most forms of pneumonia. However, people can feel sick for a long time, and this type of pneumonia can easily last for a month. Therefore, it is recommended that people with these symptoms get medical help first.
Doctors can run several tests to look for pneumonia. They might listen to your chest with a stethoscope or take a chest x-ray. Blood tests can confirm the presence of M. pneumoniae, or sometimes evidence of the bacteria is evaluated through a sputum (cough mucus) culture or throat culture.
Not all doctors agree on the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia. If symptoms are not severe, some doctors simply recommend bed rest. The body can possibly fight off M. pneumoniae without any kind of special treatment. On the other hand, in people’s interest in getting better sooner, doctors may recommend a course of treatment with antibiotics. These can help the condition resolve more quickly and would certainly be indicated if the disease is severe or if a person has other health conditions that could be complicating pneumonia.
As stated, many people get better without antibiotics, but it can take about a month for symptoms to go away. Many people can’t afford or don’t choose to be sick for that long. If a doctor does not recommend antibiotics, patients certainly have the right to ask for them.
Mycoplasma pneumonia can be contagious, and those with the condition should try to avoid contact with anyone who is medically vulnerable. This would particularly include those with autoimmune diseases or very young children. While complications don’t often result from disease, they can occur when a body is too young or too sick to fight off disease.
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