Diagnosing pneumonia

Submitted by Emma Hamilton on Mon, 11/05/2009 - 1:10pm

Pneumonia is a serious acute infection that can be fatal.

In order to diagnose pneumonia a doctor will take a medical history, conduct a physical examination and take a number of tests.

The frail elderly are at risk of developing community-acquired pneumonia, end-of-life pneumonia and aspiration pneumonia.

If you are caring for an older person at risk of pneumonia who is suffering flu and symptoms worsen despite treatment, seek medical help immediately.

Tests used to diagnose pneumonia include:

Medical history- a medical history may reveal recent flu or infection, hospitalisation or surgery. A person may complain of cough, difficulty sleeping, confusion, difficulty breathing, lethargy, recent incontinence and decline in function.
Physical examination- a chest examination may reveal abnormal breathing sounds and signs of fluid in the lungs.
Chest X-ray - a chest X-ray will determine the extent of the damage to the lungs and the location of the infection.

Sputum culture - a sputum culture will determine the type of organism causing pneumonia and which antibiotics would best treat the infection. For older people who are debilitated and cannot cough effectively getting this specimen can be problematic.
Blood test - blood cultures help determine the type of organism causing pneumonia and how well the body is fighting the infection.