Long Term Effects Of Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a lung illness that may affect anybody, regardless of age or health status. It’s uncomfortable and makes breathing difficult, but most people are back to normal after a few weeks. Elderly people, on the other hand, are more susceptible to illness, which may be lethal or long-lasting. To better understand the long-term implications of pneumonia, let’s take a look at some of the virus and what it does.

If you find that your senior is having breathing difficulty and a deep cough, it’s time to get them to the doctors. Some seniors may struggle to get places, and this is when you should consider elder care providers to help get them to and from places. If some viruses are not treated for seniors, it can have very negative outcomes that get harder to deal with. Elder care can help ensure seniors stay healthy and get them to the doctor when needed. Here is how pneumonia could affect seniors.

Less Cognitive Abilities

 Elder Care in Reston, VA: Seniors and Pneumonia

Patients with pneumonia were twice as likely to have cognitive deficits after they were treated, according to several recent studies. There was a modest cognitive impairment that did not impede day-to-day activities, but there were also seniors who suffered from a more serious reduction in cognitive function. According to research, approximately one in four persons hospitalized for pneumonia had moderate to severe cognitive impairment.

Pneumonia is one of the most prevalent reasons for hospitalization in older persons shows a substantial linkage between impaired cognitive function and a previously established relationship between acute hospitalization and cognitive function. It’s still unclear what the whole link between pneumonia and cognition is, though.

May Experience a Higher Rate of Depression

Pneumonia-infected elderly people are also more likely to suffer from depression. Depression, like a decline in cognitive abilities, may be a side effect of any hospitalization. When dealing with health issues, being away from home and loved ones may put anybody at risk. Depression may also lead to poor health management that not even elder care providers can battle for a senior. This lack of care can lead to pneumonia, creating another link between depression and pneumonia. These can lead a senior to be stuck in a vicious cycle.

Lung Damage in Seniors

Lung damage from pneumonia is possible but improbable because of the infection it causes in the lungs. When the lungs get infected with pus from pneumonia, breathing becomes difficult. As a rule, the air sacs are clear and can perform their functions. Even if the body can’t get rid of the fluid, severe pneumonia may reduce lung capacity and make breathing difficult for months. In certain situations, it may also leave scars. Scar tissue is thicker and less pliable than normal lung tissue, making it more difficult for the lungs to perform normally.

Organ Failure

Acute (or short-term) respiratory failure is another complication of severe pneumonia. As a result, the lungs are unable to provide the body with the oxygen it needs. Your organs shut down if they don’t get the oxygen they require to perform correctly.

If you or an aging loved-one is considering elder care in Reston, VA please contact the caring staff at Butters Home Health Care today. (703) 371-2113

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5975139/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4259844/