Pneumonia

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Lungs	Pneumococcal pneumonia	Pneumococci organism	Pneumonia
Respiratory system	White nail syndrome

Pneumonitis; Bronchopneumonia; Community-acquired pneumonia

• Wash your hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose, going to the bathroom, diapering, and before eating or preparing foods.
• Don't smoke. Tobacco damages your lung's ability to ward off infection.
• Wear a mask when cleaning dusty or moldy areas

Vaccines can help prevent pneumonia in children, the elderly, and people with diabetes, asthma, emphysema, HIV, cancer, or other chronic conditions:

• Pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax, Prevnar) prevents Streptococcus pneumoniae.
• Flu vaccine prevents pneumonia and other infections caused by influenza viruses. It must be given yearly to protect against new viral strains.
• Hib vaccine prevents pneumonia in children from Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Taking deep breaths may help prevent pneumonia if you are in the hospital -- for example, while recovering from surgery. Often, a breathing device will be given to you to assist in deep breathing.

If you have cancer or HIV, you should talk to your doctor about additional ways to prevent pneumonia.

Marx JA, Hockberger RS, Walls RM, eds. Rosen’s Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 5th ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2002;

Cohen J, Powderly WG. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier, 2004.

Mandell, GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles of Infectious Diseases. 5th ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.

Review Date: 10/31/2005
Reviewed By: Frederic F. Little, M.D., Department of Allergy and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.