Written by Editorial Team
Pneumonia is a serious disease that can be life-threatening. Pneumonia can be potentially fatal if not diagnosed and treated on time irrespective of developments that have taken place in the field of medical science. Therefore, pneumonia during pregnancy can create severe complications that can hinder the normal progress of pregnancy and healthy fetal development.
Continue reading to understand more about the causes, symptoms, treatment, and preventive measures of pneumonia during pregnancy.
In This Article
Pneumonia is a serious type of bacterial or viral infection that causes inflammation of the lungs. The infection can affect both or any one of the lungs. The air sacs of an infected individual’s lung are inflated with fluid or pus. The lungs become less elastic, leading to breathing issues.
Most cases of pneumonia are reported during the winter season. This is because of the damp weather catalysis the thriving of the microbes that cause pneumonia. It is definitely a serious condition, especially during pregnancy.
Due to low immunity during pregnancy, pregnant women are at a higher risk for developing pneumonia. Similarly, during pregnancy, the expecting mothers are more prone to the flu. Any type of respiratory illness during the pregnancy, even if it is a simple cough or flu, could develop into pneumonia it persisted for too long. The lung capacity is also slightly hindered due to the bump and this can also make pregnant women more susceptible to pneumonia.
Pneumonia can develop as an after effect of several bacterial and viral infections like:
The main symptoms of pneumonia involves:
There are several means by which pneumonia is transmitted.
The expecting mother has more chance of contracting pneumonia if she is :
[Read : Asthma During Pregnancy]
Pneumonia can affect not only the health of the mother but also the unborn baby. Due to pneumonia during pregnancy:
If not diagnosed and treated on right time, maternal pneumonia can be fatal.
Treatment for this infection is pretty difficult as not all the medicines usually prescribed for pneumonia cannot be administrated during pregnancy because it may affect the normal development of the fetus and progression of pregnancy.
This is a much more complicated type of pneumonia. It spread much faster than bacterial pneumonia. Antibiotics cannot treat viral infections. Antiviral medications are used to treat pneumonia during the early stages. This will help to alleviate the flu-like symptoms and the spreading of the virus in the body.
For bacterial pneumonia, antibiotic therapy is the main means of treatment. The cough suppression medicines are used in case of a severe cough. Doctors usually never try to stop the cough altogether because the cough is the body’s way of getting rid of the phlegm that is accumulated in the lungs.
[Read : Antibiotics During Pregnancy]
To prevent getting the infection during your pregnancy,
Never ignore or attempt to self-treat persisting cough and flu symptoms. Early diagnosis and timely treatment, can bring down the risk associated with it during pregnancy. Remember, there is no home treatment for pneumonia. Stay Safe !!
Read Also: Intrauterine Growth Retardation
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