What Are the Symptoms and Stages of Lobar Pneumonia?

Lobar pneumonia is caused by bacteria infecting the lungs that must be treated with antibiotics. Due to how it affects the lungs, lobar pneumonia may also be called non-segmental pneumonia. Like other types of pneumonia, lobar pneumonia can affect anyone of any age, including children and the elderly. In fact, children under age two and adults over age 65 are particularly at risk of pneumonia, as are those who smoke or have certain chronic health conditions. Pneumonia, including lobar pneumonia, can even be fatal in those who have particularly weak immune systems.

Let’s take a look at the signs of lobar pneumonia, its stages, and its dangers. We’ll also discuss treatment options and how in-home care can help seniors who are diagnosed with pneumonia.

What Causes Lobar Pneumonia?

There are many different types of pneumonia, but each can be placed in one of four different categories based on cause. These categories are bacterial, viral, mycoplasma, and other. Lobar pneumonia is a bacterial pneumonia. There are a number of bacteria that can cause pneumonia, but the most common one is streptococcus pneumoniae. Again, while bacteria can infect anyone regardless of age, those who are older or have weakened immune systems are more at-risk. Smoking, heavy alcohol use, and having a respiratory disease that has weakened your system can increase the risk of coming down with a bacterial pneumonia.

The key difference between lobar pneumonia and other bacterial pneumonia such as bronchopneumonia is that the bacteria has affected specific lobes. With bronchopneumonia, the lungs are affected in patches surrounding the bronchioles or bronchi. It’s not limited to specific lobes but affects the lungs in general.

Lobar Pneumonia Symptoms

Lobar pneumonia has the same symptoms that most other bacterial pneumonia has. If you’ve come down with this condition, you’re likely to have fever, chills, cough that produces phlegm, chest pain when breathing, fatigue, shortness of breath, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, and sweating. If you’re over 65, you may also experience a lower than usual body temperature and may even suffer from some confusion or changes in your mental awareness. 

As with most diseases, not everyone will experience every one of these symptoms. Some may have a high fever but not experience as much nausea or diarrhea, while others may have the opposite. 

Any time you’re having difficulty breathing, especially if you’re over 65 and find yourself wheezing and unable to catch your breath, you should see a doctor. If you have chest pain, a fever, and a persistent cough resulting in phlegm, consider going to the emergency room. Again, in older patients with chronic illnesses or a weak immune system, any form of pneumonia can be life-threatening. One of the dangers of pneumonia is that it can be mistaken for the flu or a bad cold at first, especially if early symptoms are on the weaker side. If you’re at high-risk, see a doctor as soon as you can.

The Stages of Lobar Pneumonia

Lobar pneumonia has four stages:

Congestion

During this stage, the lobe affected becomes inflamed. You will develop congestion, making it difficult to breathe. This typically happens within 24 hours of being infected. At this point, it’s easy to confuse lobar pneumonia with a cold or other, less serious condition.

Consolidation

 During this stage, you’ll still feel congested, but now you’ll have even more difficulty breathing. This is because cells of various types, including red and white blood cells as well as bacteria, are clogging up your airway. This usually happens about two to three days after infection occurs, and it can last for up to four days. 

Grey Hepatization

Result in the affected lung taking on a yellowish-grey color. During this stage, your body does begin sending a large number of white blood cells to the lungs to battle the infection. Unfortunately, the red blood cells and other good cells in the lungs start breaking down, creating more phlegm. Stage three can last for up to eight days.

Recovery stage

If you’ve taken antibiotics as directed, you should feel much better by this stage. You will still have a cough and may cough up phlegm, but it won’t be as bad. You should start breathing more easily, and by the end of the stage, you should be back to normal. 

How is Lobar Pneumonia Diagnosed?

Doctors will diagnose lobar pneumonia by looking at your symptoms and your health history. Typically, blood tests or sputum cultures will be done to look for bacteria. Doctors may do other tests, including X-rays and CT scans, to rule out other categories of pneumonia and other diseases. Often, though, a simple physical examination and a look at your health records are enough to determine if you likely have pneumonia or not. Tests are usually only done to determine the category of pneumonia in order to correctly treat it.

Treating Lobar Pneumonia 

Lobar pneumonia is treated using an antibiotic. This will help your body overcome the bacteria and increase how quickly you recover. It can also help make the symptoms better. You will also need to get plenty of rest, drink fluids, and eat a good diet to give your body the energy it needs to fight off the infection. Taking some cough medication and pain medication may also be helpful. In severe cases, you may need oxygen treatments or hospitalization. 

There are some complications that can come from any type of pneumonia. These include abscesses in the lungs, sepsis, and even respiratory failure. In that case, you may need surgery or other advanced treatment.

Preventing Pneumonia

There are some ways of protecting you from pneumonia. First, you should get the flu vaccine each year. The flu often leads to pneumonia, so being immunized against the current strains of the flu can help you avoid both it and pneumonia. Second, you should get the pneumococcal vaccine. This vaccine prevents common types of bacterial pneumonia, so it will help you avoid lobar pneumonia. Doctors do recommend that anyone over the age of 65, under the age of five, or who has a weakened immune system get this vaccine. It’s a lifetime vaccine, so you will only need to get it once. 

Lobar Pneumonia in the Elderly

If you have an elderly loved one who is showing any signs of pneumonia, you may want to take them to the doctor as soon as possible. This is especially true if they have a weakened immune system, have just had surgery, or have had serious respiratory conditions in the past. If they do have lobar pneumonia, they will need to start on antibiotics as soon as possible.

Taking care of a loved one who has pneumonia can take up a good amount of your time. You need to make certain they are getting enough fluids and are eating. If they typically have difficulty standing or walking, they’re going to need additional support while they’re sick. They may not have the energy to do much, so they will need you to help them get up and walk to the bathroom. 

Why Having In-Home Care is Ideal for Pneumonia Patients

Having an experienced caregiver on hand to assist your loved one and monitor their condition can be incredibly helpful when they’re ill. Interim HealthCare offers regular nurse to home services to those who need it. We can help prepare meals, assist patients with daily tasks, and make certain they take their medication on time. You don’t have to worry about taking time off work or leaving your loved one alone while you run errands and handle your own business.

When you partner with Interim HealthCare, you’re putting your loved one’s health and life in our hands. We take that responsibility seriously, and we will work diligently with you and your loved one to provide the highest quality services possible. We want to make certain everything we’re doing helps you and your loved one, whether that’s light housework every few days or daily visits. We’re here for you, too. Our respite care services are designed to give you a break when you need it so you can recharge. Being a caregiver is a lot of work, which is why taking care of yourself is so important.

If you’d like to learn more about how we can help you, use our locator to find the nearest Interim HealthCare. We will answer any questions you may have and can schedule a visit with you and your loved one if you’d like.