Community acquired pneumonia: CAP

Abstract

Introduction: Pneumonia is one of the most common diseases in modern medicine. It is an inflammation of the lung parenchyma caused by various agents or noxae. It is present equally in both sexes but does occur more commonly in people who are older, immunocompromised or have comorbidities (COPD, heart or kidney diseases). The most common causing microorganisms are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzea, Moraxella catarrhalis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Treatment decisions are based on physical examination results, lab analyses, sputum analysis, CURB65 and PSI scores. The patient is then treated as an in-patient or an out-patient. Treatment can be pharmacological or non-pharmacological. Patients are treated pharmacologically with combined antibiotic therapy according to antibiogram results or, more commonly, empirically. Since a high mortality rate from pneumonia persists worldwide, adequate and timely treatment of these patients is of the utmost importance.