What is Pneumonia?
{{Infobox disease | Name = Pneumonia | Image = Lobar pneumonia illustrated.jpg | Caption = | Alt = | DiseasesDB = 10166 | ICD10 = {{ICD10|J|12||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|13||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|14||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|15||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|16||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|17||j|09}}, {{ICD10|J|18||j|09}}, {{ICD10|P|23||p|20}} | ICD9 = {{ICD9|480}}-{{ICD9|486}}, {{ICD9|770.0}} | ICDO = | OMIM = | MedlinePlus = 000145 | eMedicineSubj = search | eMedicineTopic = pneumonia | MeshID = D011014 }} '''Pneumonia''' is a [[disease]] of the [[lungs]] and the lower [[respiratory system]]. The lung contains many small bulbs, or sacs, called [[alveolus|alveoli]]. These help to take out [[oxygen]] from the [[air]]. In the case of pneumonia, these bulbs become [[inflammation|inflamed]]. The lungs fill up with a fluid which is called [[pus]], and can no longer absorb as much oxygen as before. This is called [[empyema]] or [[emphysema]] (emp-ee-eema). This makes it hard for the person with pneumonia to breathe. They may feel out of breath, or like they are drowning. They may also feel pain when they breathe. Sometimes people die (30% of patients under 65) of pneumonia, even when they go to a hospital and take medicine (21% in-hospital [[Mortality rate|mortality]] rate all patients ages). ==Background== Pneumonia is an [[Contagious|infectious]] disease that can be caused by [[bacteria]], [[virus]]es, [[fungus|fungi]] or [[parasite]]s. It may be spread outside of hospitals (community-acquired pneumonia) and can both cause or be caused by other related disease present, including CA-[[MRSA]] (community acquired flu) or be hospital acquired (called nosocomical) if it happens 48 hours or less after visiting hospital. It can also be caused by chemical or physical damage done to the lungs. Other illnesses, like [[alcohol]] abuse or [[lung cancer]], can also result in pneumonia. People with pneumonia usually have difficulty [[breathe|bre