EXCLUSIVE: If you suffer with heart disease this infection could be FATAL

Dr Helen Webberley has spoken about the symptoms of pneumonia

WE SOMETIMES joke about freezing to death but this nasty infection is quite literally fatal.

 

With the cold weather arriving in Britain, cold and flu season has once again arrived with people coughing all over the place. 

Avoiding the sneezes of passing strangers might be enough to dodge a cold, but what about catching pneumonia? 

 

The condition is usually associated with the elderly who catch pneumonia when they've contracted another illness - but did you know those who suffer from heart disease are also at risk? 

NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com quizzed Dr Helen Webberley, Chief Medical Advisor at MediChecks, about the infection - who is most susceptible and how it can be avoided. 

The doctor, who works for an online blood testing service, revealed all. 

 



There is a huge difference between a cold and pneumonia



What is pneumonia?

HW: "Pneumonia is classified as a chest infection that also has changes that are visible on a chest x-ray - so this could be because the infection has caused a radio-opaque pocket of pus, or a collection of pus within the lung."

What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

HW: "Some or all of: cough, breathlessness, tiredness, fever, feeling unwell, shivers, shakes, chest pain. 

"Some people have very few of these symptoms despite having a nasty infection."

How is it different to having the flu or a cold?

HW: " A flu or cold is a viral infection which affects the nose, throat, upper airways - causing sniffles and irritation and fever. 

"Pneumonia is a deeper infection in the lung and causes a deep chesty cough."

 



Smoking can heighten your susceptibility to picking up pneumonia



Are just older people affected by pneumonia?

HW: "All age groups can be affected, although the elderly are more susceptible to the severe complications (like death). 

"Anyone who is vulnerable, poorly nourished or has a low immunity can be more at risk."

How does one catch it?

HW: "The bugs are floating around in the air and are already living in our nasal passages. 

"When they get a bit 'above themselves' they can multiply faster than our body can control them and cause an infection."

Can it be fatal?

HW: "Yes - if you are poorly or elderly or vulnerable then the infection can get the better of you. Particularly if you have other co- morbidities such as heart disease or HIV.

 

There is a jab people can have to protect against the infection

How can you avoid pneumonia this winter?

HW: "Have the pneumonia jab if you are offered it, keep warm and turn the heating on if it is very cold. 

"Avoid people with coughs and colds. Eat well and DON'T SMOKE!"

Can diet/lifestyle help you avoid it?

HW: "Those who eat well, exercise moderately, have low stress levels and don't smoke are all less likely to a) develop pneumonia and b) succumb to it in a nasty way."