What Is Walking Pneumonia?

How To Treat It

Most cases of walking pneumonia are treated at home because the symptoms do not produce a need for the patient to seek medical attention. When a patient does seek medical treatment for walking pneumonia, a physician will do a physical examination and laboratory tests to determine what type of bacteria or if a virus is causing the infection. If the bacteria is not a strain that is known to be resistant to antibiotics, the patient will be prescribed a course of oral antibiotics to help eliminate the infection. Some patients who experience complications or have especially severe forms of walking pneumonia caused by the penicillin-resistant Legionella bacteria may need to be hospitalized. In a hospital setting, a patient with severe walking pneumonia can be monitored closely, receive respiratory therapy, supportive oxygen therapy, intravenous fluids, and potent intravenous antibiotic therapy to help them recover. It can take anywhere from a week to a month for a patient to recover from walking pneumonia, depending on whether they have received treatment.

Compare walking pneumonia to other types of pneumonia next.

Comparison To Other Types Of Pneumonia

Pneumonia is a condition where patients experience airway inflammation due to an infection by a virus, fungus, or bacteria. Walking pneumonia, as mentioned, includes mild cases of pneumonia in an individual. An individual with walking pneumonia experiences a mild fever during their illness, where a patient with pneumonia experiences a high fever that exceeds 101 degrees Fahrenheit. A walking pneumonia patient will experience a non-productive dry cough for several weeks, while someone with pneumonia will experience a mucus or phlegm-producing cough. Both forms of pneumonia are known to produce headaches, loss of appetite, sore throat, and chills. An individual who has pneumonia will experience pain in their chest when breathing and shortness of breath, whereas a walking pneumonia patient will experience chest pain and labored breathing. Individuals who have pneumonia are most often treated in a hospital, while those with walking pneumonia rarely require hospitalization.

Learn about preventing walking pneumonia next.