Question
Could it be pneumonia? My wife is 25 years old and is suspected of having pneumonia. She has been receiving intravenous treatment in the hospital for about five or six days. She has been experiencing frequent coughing, feeling chest tightness, and difficulty breathing. The past treatment and its effects are as follows: her body temperature is fluctuating, sometimes high and sometimes low, along with coughing and chest tightness. What kind of help is needed: how to alleviate cough and chest discomfort?
Answer
It could possibly be allergic asthma, an inflammatory condition caused by a systemic autoimmune allergic reaction, which usually does not respond well to antibiotic treatment and requires anti-allergic therapy. Oral anti-allergic medication such as ketotifen can be taken for three days; if the symptoms significantly improve, it proves that it is a respiratory allergy. It is currently autumn, the peak season for pollen allergies, and many people with allergic constitutions are prone to various discomforts. The symptoms of respiratory allergies are similar to those of fever, making them easily misdiagnosed as fever and treated accordingly. Generally speaking, asthma patients with allergic rhinitis tend to have more severe nasal inflammation but milder asthma symptoms; whereas patients directly affected by allergic asthma usually have more severe asthma symptoms but milder nasal inflammation.