Factors, like difficulties in establishing a precise diagnosis, choosing initial therapy, appearance of new pathogens and growing resistance to standard antrimicrobials have made decision making and effective therapeutic treatment increasingly difficult. Thus, it continues to be rated as a major health problem despite the availability of potent antimicrobials. However, proper and planned approach can help overcome pneumonia in most cases. Based on proper history, clinical signs and specific investigations, pneumonia can be quickly diagnosed, while also ruling out differential diagnosis like pleural effusion, penumothorax etc. The presence of abrupt onset, fever, shaking chills, chest pain, rusty expectoration and signs of consolidation on examination represents typical pneumonia.
Typical presentation favours bacterial pneumonia.
Atypical presentation favours viral or fungal pneumonia. St. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and Klebsiella cause typical lobar consolidation. Bilateral patchy consolidation is caused by staph aureus, chlamydia and viral organisms. Anerobes, Stap, aureus, Enteric bacilli HIV Pneumocystis Carinii M. avium intracellular, CMV, Fungal organisms, Staph aureus, Pseudomonas etc. Is it associated with other diseases like malignancy, tuberculosis and is it associated with complications like empyema, abscess, memnigits etc.