In short
Pneumonia is a lung infection that ranges from mild to life-threatening. Blood tests help doctors judge severity and decide who can recover at home versus who needs hospital care.
On your report
WBC / Total Leukocyte Count, CRP, Procalcitonin
On this page
01
What Pneumonia Is
Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, which can fill with fluid or pus and make breathing difficult. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or, less often, fungi, and can develop on its own or as a complication of a cold or flu that spreads deeper into the lungs.
02
Who Is at Higher Risk
Young children, adults over 65, smokers, and people with chronic lung disease, heart disease, diabetes, or weakened immune systems face a higher chance of severe illness. Recent hospitalization or a breathing tube also raises risk, since pneumonia acquired in a hospital setting tends to involve more resistant organisms.
03
Symptoms
Common symptoms include cough with phlegm, fever, chills, chest pain that worsens with breathing or coughing, and shortness of breath. Older adults may show confusion or a lower-than-normal temperature instead of a high fever. Rapid breathing, bluish lips, confusion, or a persistent inability to keep fluids down are signals to seek emergency care.
04
Diagnosis and Judging Severity
A chest X-ray confirms the infection's location and extent, while blood tests add crucial detail: an elevated white blood cell count (WBC) often points to bacterial infection, C-reactive protein (CRP) tracks inflammation, and procalcitonin helps distinguish bacterial from viral causes and gauge how aggressively to treat. Oxygen levels and vital signs, alongside these results, largely determine whether home treatment or hospital admission is safer.
05
Treatment Landscape
Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics chosen based on likely organism and local resistance patterns, while viral pneumonia may be managed with supportive care or, in some cases, antivirals. Mild cases often improve at home with rest, fluids, and the prescribed course, while more severe cases — marked by low oxygen, high procalcitonin, or difficulty breathing — need hospital-based oxygen support and intravenous treatment. Vaccines against pneumococcal disease and flu lower risk, and a primary care doctor or pulmonologist guides recovery and follow-up.
Values mentioned in this story
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Sources
- Pneumonia - MedlinePlusmedlineplus.gov
- Pneumonia - WHO Fact Sheetwho.int
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