‘Walking Pneumonia’ is a term used to identify a type of pneumonia that is not ‘serious enough’ to require bed rest.
The condition is also known as a ‘Atypical Pneumonia’
It presents some of the symptoms of an typical pneumonia, but it differs in severity
Most patients with the condition will feel well enough to continue with work or with their normal daily activities
When it comes to treatment, it is important to identify the causative agent in order to provide the proper treatment course
Walking Pneumonia Symptoms
The symptoms of the condition are atypical of pneumonia, they include:
Absence of lobar consolidation upon chest radiographic visualization
Symptoms do not respond to antibiotics commonly used in pneumonia treatment
No leukocytosis in a Complete Blood Count test
Only a small or moderate amount of sputum production
Absence of alveolar exudates
Patients with the condition are also likely to show extra-pulmonary symptoms that may be related to the causative agent.
Other symptoms include:
Fever
Dry cough which later turns productive
Headache
Despite these symptoms, patients with Walking Pneumonia usually feel well enough and do not seem to be overly affected by the disease.
Causative Agents
Some of the common causative agents for Atypical Pneumonia include:
Chlamydia Penumoniae
Chlamydia Psittaci
Coxiella Purneti
Fancisella Tularemia
Mycoplasm Pneumoniae
In addition to the above, a cause of atypical pneumonia may also be caused by a fungus or by a virus.
Walking Pneumonia Treatment
In most cases, Walking Pneumonia patients would not have to use any antibacterial agents.
Key to treating the condition is indentifying the causative agent
Patients are cautioned against using antibiotic medication without proper sputum testing to identify if the condition is caused by a bacterial, a fungus, a virus, or a parasite.
Some common treatment methods for this condition include:
The appropriate antimicrobial agent, none is used if the condition is caused by a virus
Increased oral fluid intake – helps to loosen phlegm
Antipyretic – given to patients who have a fever
Cough suppressants or Mucolytics – depending on the type of cough a patient has
Temporarily/Permanently avoid Lung Irritants that can aggravate cough
Walking Pneumonia Recovery Time
An infection can last for a long as two weeks or longer.
But, it does not often cause downtime for the patient as the symptoms are mild
Overall, a patient may miss work for two or three days, at most, but since the symptoms can be handled with medication fairly well, this is usually not necessary
