Pneumonia symptoms and causes

Pneumonia refers to the inflammation of the lungs. It is one of the most serious infectious diseases. The disease assumes alarming proportions if both the lungs are affected; this condition is called double pneumonia in common parlance.

Pneumonia symptoms
Cold in the head or throat, shivering fever
Most cases of pneumonia begin with a cold in the head or throat. The patient generally feels a chill, shivering fever, difficulty in breathing, and sharp pain in the chest. This may be followed by a cough with pinkish sputum, which may later become brownish. In young children, the disease may cause delirium and convulsions. The temperature may rise to 40.6 degree C and the pulse may go up to 150 beats per minute. A common complication of pneumonia is pleurisy.
Pneumonia causes
Germs and viruses
Pneumonia is caused by various types of germs such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, and pneumococcus. At times, certain viruses are also responsible for this disease.
Fungal infections and toxins in the body
Other causes are fungal infections, irritation by worms, inhaling foreign matter, irritant dust or noxious gases. The real cause of pneumonia, however, is a constitution weakened by the presence of toxins in the body, especially in the lungs and air passages. The accumulation of toxins is due to wrong feeding habits and a faulty lifestyle.

Common Cold / Running Nose Symptoms and Causes

A common cold, also known as acute coryza, is an inflammation of the upper respiratory tract caused by infection with common cold viruses. A common cold occurs more often than any other disease - hence, its name. A person may suffer from a common fold several times in a year. A cold usually lasts from three to ten days. The patient feels miserable for the first three days or so.

Common Cold Symptoms

Soreness of throat, congestion of nasal passages

The initial signs of a cold are a feeling of soreness of the throat and congestion of the nasal passages. Although the disease normally begins in the nose and throat, it affects all parts of the body.

Running nose, Sneezing, headache, chill

Its usual symptoms are a running nose, sneezing, a rise in temperature, headache, sore throat, chill, aches and pains in the body, and loss of appetite. The skin around the nostrils may become sore.

Causes of Common Cold

Exposure to the virus

A common cold results from exposure to the virus. Its intensity, however, depends upon the state of health of the person and environmental factors.

Exposure to cold, low vitality, dust, changes in temperature

Low vitality, exposure to cold, lack of sleep, mental depression, fatigue, and factors such as sudden changes in temperature, dust, and other irritating inhalations are important contributory causes.