How to alleviate the symptoms of pneumonia

Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
Updated on July 03, 2025
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Pneumonia is a common clinical disease, often accompanied by symptoms such as fever, cough, and expectoration. Some patients may also experience symptoms like hemoptysis, chest pain, and chest tightness. Symptomatic medications can be used to alleviate these symptoms; based on different symptoms, one can choose antitussives, expectorants, hemostatics, and antipyretics, among others. Additionally, treatment should be based on the cause of the disease, for example, selecting sensitive antibiotics for bacterial infections. For viral pneumonia, appropriate antiviral medications should be chosen for treatment. (Specific medication use should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Is pneumonia contagious?

Pneumonia can be divided into many types, including viral pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, and those caused by special bacteria such as tuberculosis bacillus, and atypical bacteria such as Legionella, Mycoplasma, Chlamydia, etc. Generally, pneumonia does not cause large-scale disseminated transmission, because most people have normal immune systems that can resist these less virulent bacteria; however, in populations with lower immunity, inhaling droplets from patients with bacterial pneumonia can potentially lead to pneumonia. However, pneumonias caused by "SARS", anthrax, pneumonic plague, etc., are highly contagious and can cause large-scale transmission through droplets, and these are strictly controlled infectious diseases in our country. In cases of open tuberculosis, the patient's sputum and cough droplets might contain the pathogen, which could then infect those in close contact. Infectious pneumonia typically has an abrupt onset, with an incubation period of 2-10 days, and fever as the initial symptom, generally above 38℃, possibly accompanied by chills, coughing, scant sputum, occasional bloody sputum, palpitations, shortness of breath, and in some cases, difficulty breathing. It may also be accompanied by muscle soreness, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, and diarrhea.

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The difference between Mycoplasma pneumonia and Chlamydia pneumonia

Mycoplasma pneumonia and Chlamydia pneumonia are clinically similar, making them difficult to distinguish from each other as both have similar symptoms and treatment options. Treatments such as erythromycin and quinolones can be used for both. The main difference between them lies in the laboratory tests. If tests for pneumonia, Mycoplasma antibodies or antigens are positive, then it is diagnosed as Mycoplasma pneumonia. If tests for Chlamydia pneumonia antibodies are positive, or if a throat swab test detects Chlamydia, then it is diagnosed as Chlamydia pneumonia.

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What department does pneumonia go to?

What department should I go to for pneumonia? Pneumonia, as the name suggests, is a lung disease, which is to say it is a disease of our respiratory system. Therefore, the most appropriate department to visit would be the Department of Respiratory Medicine. If the patient's condition is relatively stable, they can visit the outpatient Respiratory Medicine department. Of course, there are a small number of patients whose condition is very critical, and in such cases, they must first visit the Department of Emergency Medicine. The doctors in Emergency Medicine will decide based on the patient's condition whether their next step should be to go to Respiratory Medicine, be admitted for in-hospital treatment, remain in the emergency for observation, or need to be admitted to the ICU for further emergency treatment.

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Can pneumonia vaccines prevent mycoplasma pneumonia?

There are currently two types of pneumonia vaccines available domestically: the 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine and the 7-valent or 13-valent vaccines. These vaccines primarily prevent infections caused by certain serotypes of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The pneumonia vaccines cannot prevent Mycoplasma pneumonia, as Mycoplasma and Streptococcus pneumoniae are two different types of pathogens and do not share the same antibodies for protective effects. Thus, the pneumonia vaccines are mainly for preventing diseases related to Streptococcus pneumoniae infections, and are ineffective against Mycoplasma pneumonia.

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Can pneumonia symptoms include swollen feet?

Pneumonia generally does not cause swelling of the feet. Pneumonia is mainly due to various infectious or physicochemical factors that damage our alveoli, causing inflammation in the lungs, which leads to pneumonia. The main symptoms of pneumonia include coughing, fever, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and expectoration. Generally, swelling of the feet does not occur. The occurrence of foot swelling is mostly due to right heart failure or poor venous flow in the cavity, and the stagnation of blood flow in the lower limbs leads to this edema. If this occurs, it is important to consider whether it is due to heart failure in the elderly, or conditions such as kidney or liver diseases leading to hypoalbuminemia, and relevant tests should be conducted. This is not a complication caused by pneumonia itself, but rather a problem with some other organs of the patient.