Pneumonia in immunodeficient patient; Pneumonia - immunocompromised host

• Cough (may be dry or produce mucus-like, greenish, or pus-like sputum)
• Chills with shaking
• Easy fatigue
• Fever
• General discomfort, uneasiness, or ill feeling (malaise)
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea and vomiting
• Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse with deep breathing or coughing
• Shortness of breath

Other symptoms that may occur:

• Excessive sweating or night sweats
• Joint stiffness (rare)
• Muscle stiffness (rare)
• Swollen glands

The doctor may hear crackles or other abnormal breath sounds when listening to the chest with a stethoscope. Reduced or absent breath sounds can be an important sign, because it may mean there is a buildup of fluid between the chest wall and lung, called a pleural effusion.

Tests may include:

• Arterial blood gases
• Blood chemistries
• Blood culture
• Bronchoscopy (in certain cases)
• Chest CT scan (in certain cases)
• Chest x-ray
• Complete blood count
• Lung biopsy (in certain cases)
• Serum Cryptococcus antigen test
• Sputum Gram stain
• Sputum immunofluorescence tests (or other immune tests)
• Urine tests (to diagnose Legionnaire's disease)

Images

The lungs

Pneumococci organism

Lungs

Respiratory system

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Pneumonia Treatment

Review Date: 06/09/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Jatin M. Vyas, PhD, MD, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)