Question

Which of the following statement(s) regarding pneumonia is/are correct?
I. Only bacterial infection leads to pneumonia.
II. There are various forms of pneumonia that tend to cause an excessive build-up of mucus in the lungs.
III. Oxygen does not easily diffuse into the blood and carbon dioxide cannot diffuse out easily is one of the effects of pneumonia.
IV. Difficulty in breathing, fever, chills, cough and headache are a group of symptoms that indicate pneumonia.

Answer 1

Pneumonia is a respiratory disorder. It leads to acute infection and inflammation of alveoli. The causative agent of pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae.

When an infected person coughs or sneezes, the respiratory droplets containing the bacteria get in the air and healthy persons who inhale the droplets get infected. The bacteria attacks the lungs and multiplies there, as a result fills the alveoli with mucus and pus. Since the alveoli are hindered with mucus and pus, the diffusion of gases across the membranes in the alveoli is also affected. Hence, oxygen does not easily diffuse into the blood and carbon dioxide cannot easily diffuse out.

The following are the symptoms of pneumonia:

• Difficulty in breathing, fever, chills.
• In severe cases, fingernails and lips turn grey to bluish in colour due to less oxygen in circulation.