What Is Walking Pneumonia?

Walking pneumonia is an infection caused by bacteria that primarily affects an individual's lower and upper respiratory tract. Walking pneumonia is not as severe as the other forms of pneumonia, so it is often referred to as atypical pneumonia. In most cases of walking pneumonia, hospitalization and bed rest are not required for recovery. It goes unnoticed and feels similar to the common cold for most individuals. Despite the mild symptoms produced by the bacteria that causes walking pneumonia, the affected cells are resistant to the antibiotic known as penicillin, which is often utilized in the treatment of pneumonia. Without treatment, most cases of walking pneumonia tend to last for between a week and a month. Approximately two million individuals in the United States are affected by walking pneumonia every year.

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Symptoms To Watch For

Even though walking pneumonia is not as severe as other forms of pneumonia, it still produces bothersome symptoms. The symptoms of this form of pneumonia have a rather slow onset, starting between one and four weeks following first exposure to the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. As the illness progresses, the fever becomes higher, the symptoms become worse, and coughing may produce discolored mucus or phlegm. Other symptoms include a sore throat or pharyngitis, fatigue or feeling tired, mild chills, a persistent cough that may or may not produce mucus, headaches, chest pain, a low-grade fever, pain upon inhaling deeply, appetite loss, shortness of breath, and sneezing. The symptoms of walking pneumonia last on average for between one week to over a month. Most cases of walking pneumonia are never diagnosed because the patient has mistaken it as a cold or mild sinus infection. While it is rare for symptoms to become any worse than described, some patients can experience life-threatening complications.

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Causes And Complications

The most common cause of walking pneumonia is an infection by the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria. Walking pneumonia is transmitted to an individual when an infected person expels microscopic droplets of saliva from their nose or mouth. This usually happens when the individual who is infected coughs or sneezes. When the Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria enter an individual's mouth, nose, and airways, they multiply and colonize. This colonization allows the bacteria to spread into the lung tissues and cause damage to the linings of the throat, windpipe, and lungs. It takes the Mycoplasma pneumoniae longer than most types of bacteria to colonize in an individual's tissues and produce damage that results in visible symptoms. Due to this property of the walking pneumonia-causing bacteria, most patients who become infected are those who have spent long amounts of time with another infected individual. Siblings and immediate family members are likely to spread walking pneumonia to one another. In rare cases, complications such as asthma attacks, new asthma symptoms, hemolytic anemia, toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme, serious pneumonia, encephalitis, and renal dysfunction can develop as a result of walking pneumonia.

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