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The Ultimate Guide to Treating Pneumonia in Singapore (2021)

PLACEHOLDER
Portrait of Human
Human

May 28th, 2020· 5 min read

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Introduction

Pneumonia (pronounced ‘New-mo-nee-ah’) is a serious inflammatory condition of the lungs, in which air sacs may be filled with fluid or pus, causing:

  • Cough with phlegm
  • Pus
  • Fever
  • Chills
  • Difficulty breathing

Symptoms of Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a serious medical condition & potentially a life-threatening illness [1] and it is one of the leading causes of death in Singapore, just behind cancer.

According to data from the Ministry of Health (MOH), pneumonia alone accounts for 20.6% of deaths in Singapore during 2018 [2].

Elderly over the age of 65, infants and young children, as well as people with chronic diseases are at greater risk of developing severe pneumonia, which can be life-threatening.

You can learn more about Pneumonia in our other article here.

Fortunately, all hope is not lost for people suffering from pneumonia, as there are treatments available to help you recover. In this guide, we will explore the possible methods of treating pneumonia in Singapore.

Where can I get Pneumonia?

Pneumonia can be classified into various groups, depending on where you got infected and what type of infection you have.

It is important to know that pneumonia has multiple causes; healthcare professionals need to understand your infection clearly in order to allow them to come up with a suitable treatment plan for their patients [3].

Community-acquired pneumonia

The most common type of pneumonia patients usually catch is pneumonia outside of hospitals or other health care facilities. This type of pneumonia may be caused by bacteria, fungi, or even viruses.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia

Patients usually catch pneumonia during a hospital stay for other illnesses, or if they live in long-term care facilities. These types of pneumonia can be serious as the bacteria causing it may be more resistant to antibiotics, thus it can be more serious.

What treatments are there for Pneumonia?

In general, the methods for treating pneumonia involves treating the infection as well as preventing complications.

Treatment for Pneumonia can generally be divided into two types:

  • Home Treatment
  • Hospital Treatment

Healthcare professionals will take a look at a whole host of factors, some of which are:

  • Age
  • History
  • Type of Viruses

These factors help doctors make a judgement on the suitable treatment methods for each patient.

In most cases, young and healthy patients can be treated at home, while patients with severe symptoms may need to be hospitalised [4].

What kind of home treatments are available?

For younger and relatively fit patients with ‘mild’ pneumonia, they may be treated at home using oral medication, enough rest and a balanced diet. With early treatment using antibiotics, it can help to treat and speed recovery from pneumonia.

Oral medications may include antibiotics, antiviral drugs, cough medicine, fever and pain relievers. Antibiotics are the medicines mainly used to treat bacterial pneumonia, and medical professionals need to determine the type of bacteria in order to assign the correct antibiotic to treat it.

Cough medicine is used to calm your cough so that the patient can rest, as well as preventing the loosening of fluid from the lungs. Fever and pain relievers are used to reduce the discomfort from fever.

With mild pneumonia, patients can manage it at home with the help of healthcare professionals.

However, it is important that the patients do not skip any dosage of oral medications such as antibiotics as bacteria can become resistant.

If the symptoms do not improve within 3 days, the patient might need to contact their General Practitioner (GP) as the patient might need to have a longer course of antibiotics, or even get hospitalised.

During treatment, it is advised that people with weakened immune systems need to avoid close contact with the patient as they are less able to fight off infections.

Why not take a step in protecting yourself further? Read about how hand sanitisers and air purifiers can help you tackle bacteria and viruses.

How is treatment at Hospitals like?

How is treatment at hospitals like?

Elderly patients, patients with chronic diseases, or those who have symptoms which are severe may need hospitalisation.

In general, only about 15% of patients with pneumonia require hospitalisation [5]. During hospitalisation, patients will be given antibiotics as soon as possible.

Depending on the severity, you can be given fluids and antibiotics through a drip in their arm.

Patients will also be given assistance to help them breathe properly with the use of an oxygen mask, and in some serious cases of pneumonia, you might need breathing assistance through a ventilator in an intensive care unit (ICU).

With prompt treatment, most pneumonia patients can recover within 1-2 weeks, but it may take longer for patients with viral and other types of pneumonia.

What happens if treatment is not provided?

Patients who did not seek prompt treatment from healthcare professionals may run into a risk of complications arising from pneumonia, such as

  • lung abscess (death of lung which gets replaced by pus),
  • fluid accumulation around the lungs,
  • severe breathing difficulty,
  • bacteria in the bloodstream, which may all cause organ failure and death [6].

Hence, it is crucial for patients to detect their symptoms early so that they can receive prompt treatment.

Also, for people who are in the high-risk groups for developing pneumonia, such as children and adults with chronic diseases, we recommend immunisations such as the pneumococcal vaccine as it can help to prevent certain types of pneumonia.

Conclusion

Even though the symptoms of pneumonia can be life-threatening patients can still recover to lead a normal, healthy life with early detection and treatment.

It is important to follow the instructions from medical personnel strictly, such as following the recommended dosage for antibiotics and not skipping them, in order for a speedy recovery.

I hope that you've found this guide useful, and perhaps gained more insight into the application process. Most of the admissions-related information (admin and logistics wise) can be found on the official NUS Faculty of Dentistry website.

To help yourself out, you should take note of what people look for when they look for a dentist.

This article was written by Human and published on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. Human medically reviewed the article on Wednesday, 25 January 2017. The last update was made on Friday, 18 September 2020.

Disclaimer: Opinions belong to the author and not to the platform.

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