Four types of pneumonia, four different treatments
Before thinking about "which antibiotic to take" we need to know which type of pneumonia you have. Your symptoms, your history and a chest X-ray tell us from the very first visit, so we avoid weeks of taking medication that will not cure you.
Bacterial
The most common in adults. It starts abruptly, with high fever, yellow or greenish phlegm and a sharp chest pain when breathing.
S. pneumoniaeAtypical
Low-grade fever, a dry cough that will not go away and a strange tiredness you cannot explain. Common in young people: it masquerades as a cold for weeks.
Mycoplasma · LegionellaAspiration
Occurs in older adults, people with reflux or after a choking episode. It requires specific antibiotics, not the "usual" ones.
From reflux or chokingWe decide with numbers, not with fear
Not every pneumonia needs the hospital, but some do. We use an international scale (CURB-65) that reviews 5 of your data points and clearly tells us whether you can recover at home or need to be under close observation. That way we decide together, with no surprises.
From 0 to 5 points. The more points, the closer the case needs to be monitored.
Sudden confusion or disorientation
High urea in blood tests
Very fast breathing (30 or more per minute)
Low blood pressure
Being 65 years old or older
When to call NOW, without waiting for tomorrow
Most pneumonias are cured with timely treatment. But there are signs that the illness is getting out of control and that you need emergency care within hours, not days.
Warning signs
If these appear, go to the emergency room
The typical course of a treated pneumonia
Knowing what to expect day by day lowers anxiety and helps detect when something is not going well. These are the approximate timelines of a bacterial pneumonia that responds to treatment.
Fever, chills, cough and a tiredness that will not go away. Many people wait, believing it is a cold that will pass on its own.
Chest X-ray, lab tests and oximetry. We choose the targeted antibiotic. The fever usually drops within 48–72 h.
The cough persists but improves. The antibiotic course is completed. Gradual return to your activities.
Follow-up X-ray to confirm resolution. In older adults or smokers: rule out an underlying lesion.
The 3 tests that change your treatment
Treating without confirming pneumonia is playing roulette. With three basic tests in a single visit we get a solid diagnosis, a measured severity and a treatment targeted at the most likely germ.
The chest X-ray: the key test
It tells bronchitis apart from pneumonia, shows the extent of the infiltrate and detects whether there is an associated pleural effusion. A single PA and lateral X-ray changes the treatment decision in more than 60% of cases.
Blood tests
They tell us whether the infection is bacterial or viral, and how intense the inflammation is.
Pulse oximetry
Measures oxygen saturation: it defines whether you need supplemental oxygen or hospitalization.
Sputum culture
In moderate-to-severe cases it identifies the specific germ and fine-tunes the antibiotic.
If you have had more than 3 days
of fever and a cough with phlegm,
you deserve an X-ray and an evaluation
An early diagnosis changes the story. Chest X-ray, lab tests and oximetry in a single visit, with an antibiotic targeted at the most likely germ, without punishing your body with blind treatments.