Vatican update on Pope Francis health: Bilateral pneumonia wey dem dey treat Pope Francis for – wetin e mean?

Pneumonia na infection wey dey affect di air sacs wey dey in di lungs. Dis sacs fit dey filled wit fluids, e dey cause symptoms such as cough wit phlegm or pus, fever, chills, body aches, confusion, and difficulty breathing.

Various microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses and fungi, fit cause pneumonia.

Pneumonia-causing microorganisms fit spread through airborne droplets from coughs and sneezes or wen you touch contaminated surfaces and den transfer germs to di mouth, nose, or eyes.

Di term bilateral mean say dem fit find di infection for both lungs rather dan just one. However, dis no fit make am more serious, according to researchers from di University of Technology Sydney.

Pneumonia account for approximately 344 million cases and 2.1 million death worldwide in 2021, including 502,000 death among small pikin under five, according to data from di Global Burden of Diseases study.

Di World Health Organization report say lower respiratory infection rank as di fifth causing death surpassed by only ischemic heart disease, covid-19, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Wen one doctor suspect pneumonia afta conducting physical examination, dem fit order blood test to confam di infection and attempt to identify di organism wey dey cause am, although dis no dey always dey possible, di Mayo Clinic explain, one leading healthcare institution in di United States.

Dem go recommend chest X-ray wey go fit locate di infection, along wit sputum test or swab from di lungs to identify di infectious source.

Dem dey measure blood oxygen levels wit oximeter as pneumonia fit prevent di lungs from delivering enough oxygen into di bloodstream.

Pneumonia fit become serious in anyone, but in someone as old as di Pope, di risk dey much higher.

Medical sabi pipo tok say age na major risk factor for severe infections, especially for pipo ova 65 and under two years.

Oda risk factors besides age include lung damage from previous infections, lung diseases, such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, smoking, and weaken immune system.

For Pope Francis case, in addition to im age, oda risk factors come into play: e get long history of respiratory illnesses and suffer from pleurisy – inflammation wey dey happun in di membrane wey involve di lungs – during im youth.

As result, dem don comot one part of im lungs, e make am more expose to di effects of di infections.

Initially, dem admit di Pope to di hospital to go do treatment and test for bronchitis on 14 February.

E don experience di symptoms for several days and e don delegate officials to read di speech e prepare for events.

Bronchitis na inflammation of di lining of di bronchial tubes, di structures wey dey carry air throughout di lungs.

Dem fit treat Pneumonia wit antibiotics to target bacterial infections or antivirals to combat viral infections.

If di infection dey cause by multiple bacteria, dem fit give di patient broad-spectrum antibiotic.

However, treating viral pneumonia dey more challenging, as available antiviral medications dey neither highly effective or e no dey specifically targeted.

For hospital, patients wey dem admit wit pneumonia dem dey give dem fluids and oxygen.

Physiotherapy also fit help patients eliminate fluid buildup in di lungs, especially in cases wia dem no dey easy to carry.

As di Vatican previously note, di pope initial respiratory infection na “polymicrobial,” meaning say na combination of pathogens cause am.

As result, im treatment dey more difficult, and e dey receive antibiotics and corticosteroids – one class of anti-inflammatory drugs.