More and more viruses are being identified as the cause of respiratory infection:
- Half of all pneumonias are believed to be of viral origin
- Most viruses attack the upper respiratory tract but some produce pneumonia, especially in children
- Most viral pneumonias are patchy and self-limiting
Primary influenza virus pneumonia is severe and may be fatal:
- The virus invades the lungs and multiplies
- There are almost no physical signs of lung tissue becoming filled with fluid
- Pregnant women or people with pre-existing heart or pulmonary illness are most susceptible
The initial symptoms of virus pneumonia are those of influenza:
- fever
- dry cough
- headache
- muscle pain
- prostration
The symptoms advance rapidly, within 12 to 36 hours:
- increasing breathlessness
- worsening cough producing scant amount of bloody sputum
- high fever
- possibly blueness of lips
During the final stage the patient has:
- unbearable air hunger
- breathlessness
Other virus pneumonias are complicated by an invasion of bacteria, and all the typical symptoms of a bacterial pneumonia.
