Let's first talk about pneumonia. Factors such as bacteria, virus, molds, chemicals, inhaled food, etc., may cause liquid to accumulate in the originally clean alveoli, and this liquid is a combination of leucocyte, inflammatory substances, bacteria / fungi / virus.

When fluid accumulates in the alveoli, it hinders the exchange of blood gas, which in turn affects breathing. We call this pneumonia. The germs in pneumonia may run into the bloodstream and develop into septicemia, causing multiple organ failure.

As a result, pneumonia ranked number three amongst the top ten causes of death in 2016! In fact, more people died from pneumonia than from lung cancer!

Although "the walking illness" gives a horror-movie vibe, our main topic today, is about atypical pneumonia-mycoplasma pneumonia, which is one of the relatively less severe pneumonias. The symptoms are often so mild, you won’t even notice you’re sick. Your condition wouldn’t be as serious as the pneumonia caused by the flu and streptococcus pneumoniae that you have to be hospitalized.

On the contrary, patients with mycoplasma pneumonia can still walk around, which is why it got its name "the walking pneumonia".

So what exactly is mycoplasma? Don’t let its name confuse you. Mycoplasma is actually a kind of bacteria, not a mold, but when it was discovered in 1944, scientists thought it was a mold or virus, which resulted in it getting such a confusing name.

Mycoplasma can infect the lungs and other parts of the respiratory tract, and it can be spread from person to person. Mycoplasma is a special kind of bacteria. It does not have a firm cell wall. Therefore, types of antibiotics that attack bacterial cell wall such as penicillin, would not be able to get rid of mycoplasma! It is also the smallest organism that can live and reproduce on its own. Viruses smaller than mycoplasma must survive and reproduce within cells and cannot survive on their own.

Mycoplasma infection is common amongst school-age children and young people under the age of 40. The latent period of mycoplasma is very long at about one to four weeks, unlike how symptoms appears in two to three days when infected by virus. Not every mycoplasma infection causes pneumonia, sometimes it merely causes bronchial inflammation.

If you live or work in a crowded place, people who are already infected with mycoplasma can spread small droplets of bacteria containing mycoplasma through coughing and sneezing. After one person in the family is infected with mycoplasma pneumonia, other family members are likely to get infected as well. Crowded places such as schools, kindergartens, university dormitories, military camps, and nursing homes are also places where mycoplasma infections occur easily.

Mycoplasma infection may occur in any time of the year, especially during the summer and autumn.

Patients may experience:

● Sore throat

● Chest pain when breathing

● Coughing that becomes progressively worse, with dry coughs in the beginning

● Mild flu-like symptoms such as fever and feeling cold

● Headache

● Fatigue

But most cases of mycoplasma infection result in mild symptoms, and patients often recover without help! Infected children under the age of five often do not have a fever, but they will experience nausea and vomiting, so they are easily mistaken for having gastrointestinal inflammation.

After learning the symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia, you might wonder: "This is similar to other respiratory infections!" True, generally speaking, it is difficult to diagnose mycoplasma pneumonia at an early stage, unless any family member or classmates have been diagnosed with mycoplasma pneumonia in the past, which might help diagnose the illness.

Not only bacterial pneumonia, aside from the earlier mentioned mycoplasma pneumonia, streptococcus pneumoniae, staphylococcus aureus, haemophilus influenzae, chlamydia pneumoniae, veterans pneumoniae may all cause pneumonia.

With possible killers of viral pneumonia added, the list continues. It is therefore not easy to identify mycoplasma pneumonia.

Since antibiotics used to cure other bacterial pneumonia usually do not work for mycoplasma pneumonia, patients may find that their symptoms remain unchanged after taking the medicine. After seeking medical attention for the second or third time, the doctor would likely realize that what they’re dealing with is mycoplasma pneumonia.

If the symptoms of pneumonia are severe in the first place, then chest X-ray and blood mycoplasma antibody test must be used to detect the possibility of mycoplasma pneumonia. Mycoplasma pneumonia grows slowly, and microbiological culture is less commonly used to diagnose mycoplasma pneumonia. Once a mycoplasma infection has been identified, appropriate antibiotic treatment can be used.

Although mycoplasma pneumonia itself may not be a severe illness, some people can develop serious diseases after the infection:

●  Those who suffer from other respiratory diseases, and is infected by mycoplasma pneumonia during recovery

●  Those with weak immune system

●  Those with Asthma

It should be noted that no vaccine can prevent mycoplasma. Moreover, this is not a disease that “makes you immune because you’re once infected" After having mycoplasma pneumonia, you may find yourself infected again the following summer.

Therefore, to avoid mycoplasma pneumonia, you should pay attention to the following health habits:

● Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and throw away the napkin used.

● Washing your hands often is the best way to prevent germs from spreading.

● Smoking causes detrimental effects to the lungs, causing them to become prone to infection. Please quit smoking!

● Exercise, a regular diet and sufficient sleep will help keep the body safe and strong against infection.

【本文由「照護線上」授權轉載，原文出處：會走路的肺炎 – 黴漿菌肺炎（懶人包）】

*「照護線上」連結至https://www.careonline.com.tw

You can be a little different after 50. Be young at heart and you can live an elegant and fulfilling life.

By now, you should have a better understanding of time and money management. Let us enjoy life, fulfill our dreams and live for ourselves!

Gan Dan Academy is an online learning site with “elegant life” and “friendly care” being the two main themes. Using videos, you can browse topics such as health, food, home care, assistive tools and other topics you’re interested in for free.

Let us live an elegant life after 50!

“Elegant life” – stay healthy, do exercise, keep a healthy diet, never give up on learning, have fun.

You may be “old” but you can still live a free and fulfilling life. In Gan Dan Academy, you can access different resources every day, enriching your life.

“Friendly care” – home care, life care, assistive tools, moving safely, environment inspection.

When “caring” for others, you are not alone. Learn all the essential tips and knowledge from Gan Dan Academy to relieve stress.

Ø Feel free to follow Gan Dan Academy’s Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/GanDan2018/

Ø Feel free to add Gan Dan Academy on Line

Search for ID: @gandan

LINE@：http://line.me/ti/p/%40nvb3485w

Ø Stella Matutina provides long-term care education, long-term care, women care, devotion service. For more information, please check out -> Stella Matutina Social Welfare Foundation.

http://www.lkk.org.tw/