How are bacterial pneumonias different from viral pneumonias?
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6 doctors weighed in:
How are bacterial pneumonias different from viral pneumonias?
6 doctors weighed in
Dr. Klaus d Lessnau
Internal Medicine - Pulmonary Critical Care
In brief: Difficult
Often very difficult to distinguish.
However, bacterial pneumonia is more likely if the patient is very sick.
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Dr. Lokesh Guglani
Pediatrics - Pulmonology
In brief: Differ in many ways
Viral & bacterial pneumonias differ in many respects other than the causative agent.
Their symptoms can overlap with both causing fever, cough, shortness of breath etc. They can be differentiated on basis of some blood tests, cultures of respiratory secretions & chest xray. It is also important to remember that some illnesses that start as viral illness can develop secondary bacterial infection.
In brief: Differ in many ways
Viral & bacterial pneumonias differ in many respects other than the causative agent.
Their symptoms can overlap with both causing fever, cough, shortness of breath etc. They can be differentiated on basis of some blood tests, cultures of respiratory secretions & chest xray. It is also important to remember that some illnesses that start as viral illness can develop secondary bacterial infection.
Dr. Lokesh Guglani
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Dr. Carlo Hatem
Internal Medicine - Pulmonary Critical Care
In brief: Cause and treatment
The cause is different.
Viruses are much smaller than bacteria, harder to identify, and are treated with an entirely different kind of medications. Treatment for one does not work for the other.
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