Thursday 11 October 2018

Pointers In Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention

By Ann Wagner


When the lungs get filled with food, saliva or liquids through pulmonary aspiration, a condition known as aspiration pneumonia takes place. Infection in the lungs makes it uncomfortable for one to breath properly as these organs will tend to dysfunction. Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention steps allows you to take out habits or things that could lead you to suffering from this condition.

When pneumonia occurs, it usually displays some symptoms that you may face. One of them includes poor oral health whereby you may have bad breath. A lot of coughing with sputum and throat clearing when you eat, chest pains, fatigue, difficulty in swallowing food and wheezing are part of the symptoms. The elderly, who are above 60 years are susceptible to this condition especially those with neurological disorders.

The bacteria in the food you eat can find its way to the lungs when it goes down the wrong way or comes back up from the stomach through the oesophagus. In some circumstances, this may happen even when you are eating and suddenly have a gag reflex which can be prevented when you cough. However, those having medical condition such as throat cancer, Parkinsons disease or neurological disorders may not manage to control it.

Aspiration pneumonia can be prevented with the help of advice and guidance from a specialist. For instance, people suffering from dysphagia can be taken through diet modification. Since this condition causes a person not to swallow food properly, providing a diet that has good viscosity can allow you to swallow food properly without feeling the need to cough or any pain.

The other step for prevention is through swallowing therapy. Swallowing food properly is important in preventing food from reaching the lungs. A swallow therapist can guide you through exercises that will help you relax the gut muscles and allow you to get food to the stomach properly. This will be helpful to people having difficulties in swallowing their foods due to medical conditions.

Having a good practice on dental hygiene also helps a great deal. Keeping your teeth clean at all times through regular brushing and use of mouth wash reduces the percentage of bacteria in your saliva. Intake of a lot of water also helps out in your oral hygiene. This is preventative such that when saliva finds its way to the lungs. It will have less bacteria that may cause an infection to the lungs.

Your chosen lifestyle will also have a great impact on preventing aspiration pneumonia. If you may be having a tendency of taking too much alcohol, you are risking your body to be prone to the illness. Alcohol equates to a lot of vomiting especially when taken in excess which in the end results to both food and liquid reaching the lungs. To avoid this, a change is recommended, instead of too much alcohol substitute it with other beverages.

In rare cases where preventive measures do not succeed, it is important to pay a visit to the doctor. Here you will be questioned about your general health and have some tests run to ascertain the level of infection. The specialist will then provide a set of medication which may include antibiotics to take away the bacteria in your lungs. It is important to finish your dose of drugs and, taking care if they make you drowsy and practice proper swallowing habits.




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