Does ordinary pneumonia hurt?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on June 23, 2025
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Pneumonia is relatively common in clinical settings and is classified as a lower respiratory tract infectious disease. Patients with ordinary pneumonia can be further divided into mild and severe types. If the condition of ordinary pneumonia is mild, the patient may not experience chest pain. However, if the ordinary pneumonia infection is severe, it can cause chest pain, and may also be accompanied by fever, cough, phlegm, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing among other clinical symptoms. Therefore, the diagnosis of ordinary pneumonia must take into account the patient's medical history and related auxiliary examinations to make a definitive diagnosis.

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What department should I go to for pneumonia?

Pneumonia, as the name suggests, is inflammation of the lungs and belongs to the category of respiratory diseases. Therefore, the primary department to consult is Respiratory Medicine. In places where there is no Respiratory Medicine department, such as community health service centers or township health clinics, patients would have to consult the general internal medicine department instead. Of course, if the symptoms of pneumonia are severe and the condition is critical, and it happens outside of regular outpatient hours, then the patient must be seen by the emergency medicine department. The emergency medicine department will manage and triage pneumonia patients, and then decide their next steps, such as whether to transfer them to the ICU, a regular Respiratory Medicine department, or keep them for observation in the emergency department.

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Differential Diagnosis of Pediatric Pneumonia

Childhood pneumonia needs to be differentiated from other respiratory diseases such as bronchial foreign bodies, bronchial asthma, and pulmonary tuberculosis. A bronchial foreign body generally has a history of inhalation of foreign objects, sudden choking coughs, and a chest X-ray might indicate atelectasis or pulmonary emphysema. If the foreign body has been present for a long time, the disease course is prolonged and may lead to secondary infections, similar to pneumonia or concurrent with pneumonia. The differentiation of bronchial foreign body involves detailed medical history inquiries to check for inhaled foreign objects, then using symptoms and auxiliary examinations like chest X-rays for confirmation. Bronchial asthma, especially in children, might not always present with obvious wheezing attacks but rather persistent coughing. The X-ray might show increased and disordered lung markings and pulmonary emphysema, which can easily be confused with pneumonia. Typically, children with bronchial asthma have an allergic constitution and generally require pulmonary function tests and other auxiliary examinations to differentiate from pneumonia. Pulmonary tuberculosis generally occurs in those with a history of contact with tuberculosis patients. Their tuberculin skin test is positive, and X-rays may show features of tuberculosis lesions in the lungs, which can be used to differentiate from pneumonia.

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Can pneumonia recur?

Can pneumonia recur? It should be decided based on an individual's constitution. If one has normal immunity and a good constitution, generally, it will not recur after recovery. If one is frail or has low immunity, there is also a certain chance of recurrence clinically. Therefore, it is important to timely adjust the constitution and enhance immunity. One should drink more water, quit smoking and alcohol, avoid exposure to smoke, dust, second-hand smoke, and irritating chemicals, and do more aerobic and endurance exercises. This can help improve the body's immune capabilities and aid in disease recovery.

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What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

Pneumonia can have many manifestations, and each person's symptoms can be different. It is highly heterogeneous, varying from mild to severe and can last for short or long durations. The main factors depend on the type of pathogen involved and the state of the body. The most common symptoms of pneumonia are coughing and producing sputum. The cough can be mild or severe and may be accompanied by sputum. The amount of sputum can vary and may be yellow, green, red, or rust-colored. Other possible symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing, respiratory distress, and most cases of pneumonia also involve fever. The duration and severity of the fever are somewhat related to the course of the illness. However, a small portion of patients may have atypical symptoms, especially older adults, who may not show direct respiratory symptoms but instead exhibit consciousness disturbances such as coma, confusion, fatigue, and more.

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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.