It doesn’t need a season or an epidemic to appear and take down innocent, healthy people.
One of the complicating factors of pneumonia is that it is often mistaken for the flu or even the common cold, at least early in the cycle of the illness. The type of pneumonia and the severity of the symptoms usually determine whether a person seeks medical attention.
As with any other illness, quick and appropriate treatment can have a significant impact on the duration and severity of symptoms.
Viral vs. Bacterial Pneumonia
Understanding the different kinds of pneumonia can help us appreciate why some people are struck down by the illness, while others walk around completely asymptomatic. For starters, it’s important to look at how both viral and bacterial pneumonia present in patients.
Viral pneumonia is typically less extreme in its related symptoms than bacterial pneumonia and is often mistaken for the flu. Viral pneumonia is frequently diagnosed as “walking pneumonia,” or mild or moderate pneumonia and is not responsive to antibiotic treatments. Bacterial pneumonia is more often the culprit for hospitalization.
Because of the sneaky nature of pneumonia in its multiple forms, many affected people are unaware that they have it. Walking pneumonia is particularly difficult to identify without a medical examination because it mimics a bad cold or flu. As a result, sufferers often continue to try to carry on with typical daily tasks, adding insult to injury.