Essay Sample on Pneumonia

Introduction

Pneumonia is still a leading cause morbidity especially among the immunosuppressed and elderly populations despite advancements in its treatment. The choice of therapy in pneumonia is dependent on the causative pathogen which could be fungi, virus, or bacteria. The most common cause of pneumonia is usually bacteria (Mantero et al., 2017). Treatment entails supportive treatment, antibiotic therapy and modulation of the inflammatory reactions which could damage tissues.

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Some of the antibiotics that have been shown to be effective against pneumonia include fluoroquinolones, macrolides, and beta-lactams (Matila et al., 2014). The specific causative agent will influence the choice of antibiotic. The three have a broad spectrum of activity hence they will be suitable for most cases. For the mediation of inflammatory process, corticosteroids are useful (Mantero et al., 2017). In acute patients, supportive care should be provided to ensure the airway remains open.

In paediatrics, the typical type of pneumonia is bronchopneumonia. Usually, children are given penicillin or third-generation cephalosporins (Zec et al., 2016). The administration is usually oral or parenteral. However, parenteral administration has been shown to increase the incidences of adverse reactions occurring rapidly (Zec et al., 2016). Thereby, where possible, antibiotics should be administered orally to minimize side effects and adverse reactions. The geriatric population is also prone to side effects following antibiotics therapy due to age-related physiological changes. For instance, fluoroquinolones have a high likelihood of causing cardiac arrhythmias and central nervous system stimulation in the elderly (Samai, 2013). Due to their unique physiological state, most of the elderly population are prone to side effects and adverse drug reactions. To minimize these occurrences, pharmacists and other healthcare providers should help in the identification, prevention, and resolution of drug-mediated issues in the elderly (Samai, 2013). Additionally, where necessary doses should be titrated to a level where there is a balance between side effects and therapeutic effect.

References

Mantero, M., Tarsia, P., Gramegna, A., Henchi, S., Vanoni, N., & Di Pasquale, M. (2017). Antibiotic therapy, supportive treatment, and management of immunomodulation-inflammation response in community-acquired pneumonia: review of recommendations. Multidisciplinary Respiratory Medicine, 12(1). doi:10.1186/s40248-017-0106-3

Mattila, J. T., Fine, M. J., Limper, A. H., Murray, P. R., Chen, B. B., & Lin, P. L. (2014). Pneumonia. Treatment and Diagnosis. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 11(Supplement 4), S189-S192. doi:10.1513/annalsats.201401-027pl

Samai, K. (2013, August 4). Adverse effects of Antibiotics in the Geriatric Patient Population. Retrieved December 7, 2018, from ecom.edu/adverse-effects-of-antibiotics-in-the-geriatric-patient-population/

Zec, S., Selmanovic, K., Andrijic, N., Kadic, A., Zecevic, L., & Zunic, A. (2016). Evaluation of Drug Treatment of Bronchopneumonia at the Pediatric Clinic in Sarajevo. Medical Archives, 70(3), 177. doi:10.5455/medarh.2016.70.177-181