Types of Pneumonia
Reviewed by Brunilda Nazario, MD on April 08, 2020
ARTICLES ONPNEUMONIA TYPES
Types of Pneumonia
Walking Pneumonia
Viral Pneumonia
Bacterial Pneumonia
Chemical Pneumonia
If you get pneumonia, it means you have an infection
in your lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, and other
germs. Learning which type you have will help your
doctor suggest a treatment.
Doctors describe the type of pneumonia you have
based on where you got the infection. You may hear
health professionals use these terms:
Hospital-acquired pneumonia. You catch this type
during a stay in a hospital. It can be serious because
the bacteria causing the pneumonia can be resistant
to antibiotics.
You're more likely to get this type if:
You're on a breathing machine
You can't cough strongly enough to clear your
lungs
You have a tracheostomy (trach) tube to help you
breathe
Your immune system -- your body's defense
against germs -- is weak from a disease or
treatment
Community-acquired pneumonia. This is a fancy
way of saying you got infected somewhere other than
a hospital or long-term care facility. Community-
acquired pneumonia can be caused by bacteria,
viruses, and fungi. Vaccines can help protect against
the flu virus and certain bacteria that can also cause
pneumonia.
Continued
Community-acquired pneumonia also includes
aspiration pneumonia, which happens when you
breathe food, fluid, or vomit into your lungs. It's more
likely if you have problems swallowing or coughing. If
you can't cough up the material you took in, bacteria
can multiply in your lungs.
Doctors also break down the kinds of pneumonia by
the causes of the disease: bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
Bacterial Pneumonia
Bacteria cause most cases of community-acquired
pneumonia in adults.
You can catch pneumonia when someone who is
infected coughs or sneezes. Bacteria-filled droplets
get into the air, where you can breathe them into your
nose or mouth.
If you have a weakened immune system, your
chances of getting pneumonia are higher. You're also
more likely to get it if you have a condition
like asthma, emphysema, or heart disease.
You may notice symptoms like:
A cough that brings up mucus
Fever over 100.4 F
Fast breathing
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Fatigue
Antibiotics treat bacterial pneumonia. Your doctor
might do tests to find the type of bacteria that are
causing your infection so you can get the right one.
This would more likely happen with hospital-acquired
pneumonia.
SUGGESTED
Continued
If you have community-acquired pneumonia,
antibiotics that you take by mouth are usually enough
to treat the infection. If your symptoms are severe,
you may need to go to the hospital and get treated
with:
Antibiotics and fluids that your doctor puts in your
veins though an IV
Oxygen
Breathing treatments
Walking pneumonia is a less severe form of
bacterial pneumonia. Sometimes, doctors call it
"atypical" pneumonia.
Symptoms can be so mild that you don't know you
have it. You may feel well enough that you're able to
go about your regular activities, which is where the
"walking" in the name comes from.
Walking pneumonia can feel like a bad cold, with
symptoms like:
Fever
Cough
Headache
Chills
Antibiotics treat the infection. You're likely to start to
feel better in 3 to 5 days, but the cough can last a few
weeks.
Viral Pneumonia
Viruses are the second most common cause of
pneumonia. Many kinds cause the disease, including
some of the same viruses that bring
on colds and flu and the coronavirus that causes
COVID-19.
Continued
The symptoms of viral pneumonia are similar to the
flu, including:
Fever
Chills
Dry cough, which may get worse and
make mucus
Stuffy nose
Muscle pain
Headache
Tiredness
Weakness
These symptoms can range from mild to severe.
Antibiotics won't treat viral pneumonia, because they
work only on bacteria. Treatment usually depends on
the kind of symptoms you have. For example, if you
have asthma or emphysema, you may need
treatment to help with breathing.
Drink extra fluids to help loosen mucus in your chest.
To ease pain and bring down a fever, your doctor may
suggest that you try acetaminophen or a non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen. They
may also recommend an antiviral drug or
a medication to help you breathe easier.
Fungal Pneumonia
Fungi are a less common cause of pneumonia. You're
not likely to get fungal pneumonia if you're healthy.
But you have a higher chance of catching it if
your immune system is weakened from:
An organ transplant
Chemotherapy for cancer
Medicines to treat an autoimmune
disease like rheumatoid arthritis
HIV
Continued
You get fungal pneumonia by breathing in tiny
particles called fungal spores. People in certain jobs
are more likely to come into contact with them, such
as:
Farmers who work around bird, bat, or rodent
droppings
Landscapers and gardeners who work with the
soil
Members of the military or construction workers
who are around a lot of dust
Symptoms of fungal pneumonia are similar to other
types, including:
Fever
Cough
