Pneumonia (said: noo-MOH-nyuh) is a lung disease. The lungs get swollen and fill up with liquid.
In people with HIV, the 2 most common types are bacterial pneumonia and PCP (Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia).
What you should know about bacterial pneumonia:
- It is caused by bacteria
- You can get very sick from it in just a few days
- Symptoms include:
- Fever
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing up green or yellowish mucus
- It is treated with antibiotic medicine
- There is a vaccine that can lower the chance of getting one type of bacterial pneumonia
What you should know about PCP:
- It is caused by a fungus
- It gets worse slowly
- Only people with a weak immune system get it
- It is often seen in HIV-infected people with CD4 cell counts below 200
- If untreated, it can cause the lungs to stop working
- Symptoms include:
- Feeling very tired
- Shortness of breath
- Fast breathing
- Dry cough
- Fever
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- To know if you have it, you must have a chest x-ray and give a mucous sample
- It is treated with several medicines taken together
- There is no vaccine for it
Next >> Tuberculosis
