11 Signs of Pneumonia: Symptoms in Kids and Adults

Pneumonia is an inflammatory respiratory condition that often presents with a range of symptoms and discomfort. Depending on the cause and your overall health, the onset of this illness can be sudden or gradual and can mimic other respiratory conditions.

While symptoms can differ in intensity, they are typically more pronounced in young children, older adults, and individuals with weakened immune systems. The article outlines the most common indications of the disease, which can help you understand its signs and symptoms for timely diagnosis and treatment, preventing potentially fatal complications.

Persistent Cough

A persistent cough is a classic manifestation of pneumonia. It often produces mucus that may be yellow, green, or sometimes tinged with blood. Depending on the severity of the cough, it can last for several days to weeks.

Normal coughing is a natural reflex to remove irritants from the airway and your body’s way of clearing the lungs of potential microorganisms and accumulated phlegm. In pneumonia, the cough is persistent and doesn’t seem to resolve despite home remedies and medication.

The cough may worsen at night or during physical activity, causing discomfort and exhaustion. In some cases, continuous coughing is accompanied by chest pain or labored breathing, further signaling respiratory distress.

Fever and Chills

Fever is another common manifestation of pneumonia. It often presents as a high temperature, especially in infections caused by bacteria. The fever associated with pneumonia may vary in intensity and only go away temporarily, but it usually comes back if the infection persists.

In addition, chills often accompany fever, marked by episodes of intense shivering as the body works to regulate its temperature. These chills may occur repeatedly, particularly during the early stages of pneumonia, and can be a sign of escalating infection.

Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing is another prominent symptom of pneumonia, which occurs as the lungs struggle to exchange oxygen effectively due to a combination of inflammation of the airways and fluid buildup.

This makes it difficult for you to perform routine activities such as walking and talking without feeling breathless. In severe cases, individuals may experience rapid, shallow breathing or a sensation of suffocation.

This symptom can worsen with physical exertion due to the increased oxygen demand, even when there were previously no issues with these activities, highlighting the respiratory system’s compromised function.

Headaches

Pneumonia can also cause headaches as a result of body-wide inflammation and your immune response to infection. Fever triggers the release of inflammatory mediators that can lead to blood vessel changes, resulting in headache as a secondary symptom.

Persistent coughing combined with an insufficient oxygen supply to the brain can cause discomfort and increased pressure in the head. Additionally, dehydration from sweating and decreased appetite caused by pneumonia may contribute to headaches.

Chest Pain

Chest pain associated with pneumonia often occurs during coughing or deep breathing, as inflamed lung tissue presses against the chest wall and your muscles become strained from the effort of coughing.

This pain may range from mild discomfort to sharp, sometimes with stabbing sensations, depending on the length and severity of the infection.

The pain is typically localized to one side of the chest but can sometimes affect a wider area of the torso. It may worsen as the pneumonia progresses or as the infection spreads to the lining of the lungs.

Sweating

Sweating also commonly occurs with pneumonia as your body constantly regulates its temperature during infection. This response is due to heightened metabolism, reflecting the body’s efforts to manage the infection and its effects.

Excessive sweating often leaves you cold and clammy, especially after a high fever or chills. Night sweating is a notable symptom in pneumonia patients. It can be so severe that it soaks bedclothes and sheets, which can be uncomfortable and disrupt sleep.

Neck Lumps

Swelling of the neck lymph nodes, particularly those in the neck and under the chin, may occur in pneumonia as the body’s immune system filters and responds to infection in the respiratory tract.

These lymph nodes can become tender or enlarged to the point of being visible. While swollen lymph nodes are more commonly associated with viral infections like the flu or common cold, they can also manifest in bacterial pneumonia.

Fatigue and Weakness

Fatigue and weakness are other common symptoms of pneumonia due to the continuous body’s efforts to fight the infection and compromised breathing. Exhaustion is apparent even with minimal physical activity, such as walking and doing household chores.

As pneumonia can also reduce appetite, the reduced food and fluid intake affects energy production. This symptom may persist throughout the illness and often correlates with the progression of pneumonia, with more severe infections causing greater exhaustion.

Loss of Appetite

Loss of appetite is a common symptom in individuals suffering from pneumonia. This reduction in the desire to eat can be a direct effect of the body’s energy being diverted towards fighting the infection, as well as the general malaise and discomfort that comes with illness.

When experiencing pneumonia, patients might also find eating uncomfortable due to difficulty breathing or chest pain. This lack of nutrition can complicate recovery, as the body requires more energy and nutrients to heal.

Changes in Mental State

Changes in mental status, such as confusion or disorientation, can occur in pneumonia, especially in elderly patients or those with severe infections.

This symptom often arises when the infection reduces oxygen levels in the blood, affecting brain function and alertness. It is more common in cases of advanced pneumonia or complications like sepsis.

Pneumonia Symptoms in Children

Younger children are more prone to pneumonia due to their underdeveloped immune systems, which are less effective at fighting infections due to a lack of prior exposure to pathogens. Their smaller airways are also more easily obstructed by inflammation or mucus.

In children, the signs and symptoms of pneumonia can be particularly pronounced and may present differently than in adults. Common symptoms include a high fever, coughing, and rapid or labored breathing.

They may also show chest retractions, nasal flaring, or grunting, indicating respiratory distress from pneumonia. Additionally, older children also complain of chest or abdominal pain. Others could develop a persistent, productive cough with yellow or green sputum.

Young children might also exhibit unusual irritability, lethargy, and difficulty feeding, while others might develop vomiting or diarrhea. Younger children might cry nonstop or become restless when breathing deeply. However, you should watch out for unusual drowsiness, as it can signal worsening infection.

Pneumonia Symptoms in the Elderly

The elderly are susceptible to pneumonia due to weakened immune systems, often caused by aging and chronic illnesses. However, symptoms can be subtle and may not present as typically as in younger individuals.

Common signs like cough and fever might be less apparent or even absent. Instead, confusion or a change in mental status can often be the primary symptom, indicating a severe infection.

Reduced lung elasticity and weakened cough reflexes impair mucus clearance, while frequent hospitalizations and exposure to pathogens increase their susceptibility to respiratory infections and complications.

When to Seek Medical Attention

You need to seek urgent medical care if your symptoms include severe respiratory distress, such as difficulty breathing, gasping, or bluish lips, which could indicate critical oxygen deprivation in the body. High fevers above 102°F (39°C), worsening chills, or persistent chest pain during breathing or coughing are also red flags.

Additionally, seek immediate attention if combined with confusion or altered mental status occurs, especially in the elderly, as this may signal severe infection or sepsis. Worsening symptoms, like persistent cough or fatigue, despite treatment, indicate potential complications or treatment failure requiring prompt medical intervention.

High-risk groups, including infants, young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, also need care at the earliest sign of pneumonia. Timely treatment is crucial to prevent complications, especially in vulnerable populations with chronic health conditions.

Complications of Pneumonia

Pneumonia complications can develop when the infection intensifies and spreads, resulting in further health issues that demand immediate medical attention. These complications could vary in severity, potentially affecting other body systems and increasing the risk of long-term health challenges.

Recurrent Infections

Recurrent infections are a complication of pneumonia because the condition can weaken lung function, damage respiratory tissues, and impair immune defenses. These effects make the lungs more susceptible to future infections, particularly in high-risk individuals.

You may also be at risk for this complication if you experience an incomplete recovery due to inadequate treatment, mismanagement, non-adherence to medications, or prolonged inflammation, which can cause a cycle of respiratory illnesses.

Permanent Lung Damage

Lung damage can occur as a long-term complication of pneumonia, particularly in severe or untreated cases. Scarring of lung tissue may reduce lung capacity and impair your breathing.

This damage can lead to persistent respiratory symptoms such as chronic shortness of breath and increased susceptibility to future lung infections. Severe or recurrent pneumonia can also cause permanent enlargement of airway parts (bronchiectasis) that reduces the ability to expel foreign bodies, including microorganisms.

Excess Fluid Buildup

Fluid accumulation can also happen as a complication of pneumonia. An example is pleural effusion, which is the buildup of excess fluid in the space around the lungs called pleura. It can lead to sharp chest pain, especially during coughing or deep breaths, and difficulty breathing.

When this collection of fluid becomes infected, this may result in empyema. Empyema usually occurs post-pneumonia and could result in lung scarring if left unattended.

Additionally, pus can accumulate within the lung tissue and form lung abscesses. Lung abscesses are common in pneumonia caused by aspirated stomach contents and oral fluids that contain bacteria marked by foul-smelling sputum.

Respiratory Distress

Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a severe complication of pneumonia where fluid leaks into your lungs, causing critical breathing difficulties. In this condition, the lungs become stiff and less capable of expanding, worsening respiratory symptoms and compromising overall oxygen delivery.

ARDS leads to dangerously low oxygen levels in the blood, significantly hindering normal body processes and causing damage to other organs. It requires intensive respiratory support as it can lead to further complications like organ dysfunction and respiratory failure, particularly in more vulnerable individuals.

Breathing Failure

Respiratory failure is a severe complication of pneumonia that occurs when the lungs can no longer function to supply enough oxygen to the blood or remove carbon dioxide due to the infection.

In critical cases, respiratory failure requires prompt medication attention, hospitalization, and mechanical ventilation to support breathing in order to survive.

Body-Wide Infection

Sepsis is another life-threatening complication of pneumonia that occurs when the infection spreads beyond your lungs and infects the bloodstream, causing widespread inflammation that results in significant organ damage.

If untreated, sepsis can lead to septic shock, characterized by dangerously low blood pressure and multiple organ failure. The septic shock would require even more intensive care to avoid potentially fatal consequences.

Heart Complications

Although rare, heart issues can also be a complication of pneumonia. It may lead to an increased risk of heart attack or worsening existing heart conditions and is more common in older adults or those with chronic heart issues.

Moreover, the widespread inflammation caused by pneumonia can contribute to arrhythmia or irregular heartbeat and other heart illnesses due to the stress caused by the heartbeat’s compensation to meet oxygen requirements currently impaired by pneumonia.

Blood Clotting Issues

Pneumonia can sometimes lead to blood clotting issues, such as an increased risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism. Inflammatory responses triggered by the infection can make your blood more prone to clotting, potentially leading to serious complications in affected individuals.

Clotting issues related to pneumonia may manifest as symptoms like swelling or tenderness in the limbs, suggesting deep vein thrombosis. Sudden chest pain, shortness of breath, or rapid heartbeat can indicate a pulmonary embolism. These symptoms, which can be mistaken for other conditions, require prompt attention to prevent serious complications.