What Antibiotic Is Used For Pneumonia

Published March, 07, 2021 Laura Moody RPh

What Is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a pathological process that affects lung tissue. It occurs in both adults and children. Inflammation of the lungs needs urgent treatment, fifty-fifty if it is not severe.

The cause of pneumonia is mainly an infection. Therefore, the utilise of antibiotics for pneumonia in adults and children in combination with additional drugs is the basis of treatment.

The main symptoms of the disease are:

Fewer 100F and up to 104F (sometimes higher);
Short breath;
Cough with yellowish or rusty sputum;
Pain in the chest;
Wheezing when animate.

Types Of Antibiotics

Antibiotics are divided according to their chemical structure into:

Beta-lactam antibiotics are the nigh extensive group. It includes the following groups of drugs:
- Penicillins: amoxicillin, ampicillin, penicillin, etc.;
- Cephalosporins: ceftriaxone, cefazolin, cefepime, etc.;
- Monobactams: aztreonam;
Macrolides. These include azithromycin, clarithromycin, etc.
Aminoglycosides: kanamycin, gentamicin, tobramycin, etc.
Tetracyclines: doxycycline, tetracycline, etc.
Lincosamides: clindamycin.

Of the above groups, beta-lactam antibiotics and macrolides are used to treat pneumonia.

The effectiveness of pneumonia treatment is evaluated 2-3 days after the outset of treatment. Despite an improvement in the patient'southward general status, the antibiotic should not be discontinued or changed to another subspecies. The recommended class of antibiotics is essential to pass in full according to the physician's prescription. It will not allow bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance and preclude the evolution of complications of lung pathology in the near futurity.

For ease of employ in adults and children, antibiotics come up in different dosage forms. For adults, they are tablets and capsules; for children with lower respiratory tract lesions, suspensions are prescribed. Injectable forms are used at any age, but due to the process'due south invasiveness, they are used more often in adult therapy.

Semi-constructed Penicillins

Advanced penicillins are more effective against pneumonia than their predecessors. This group of antibiotics is predominantly used to treat uncomplicated pneumonia. [1]

An undoubted reward of semi-synthetic penicillins is their low toxicity compared to other groups of antibiotics. That is why this grouping of drugs is often used to treat inflammation in adults and children, and pregnant women.

Penicillin antibiotics include oxacillin and cloxacillin, which are the most effective and fastest in treating pneumonia caused by staphylococci.

Amoxicillin is another popular antibiotic with extended antimicrobial properties. It is widely used in adults with community-caused pneumonia.

Augmentin contains a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanic acid, which can effectively eliminate bacterial lung infection.

Macrolide Antibiotics

The macrolides group is most often prescribed as first-line drugs if the patient has an individual intolerance to penicillins. These antibiotics are agile against atypical forms of the illness caused by intracellular membrane parasites, chlamydia, or mycoplasmas. Macrolides are also effective confronting gram-positive bacteria. [2]

The most widely used macrolide antibiotics are:

azithromycin (Zithromax);
clarithromycin (Klacid and );
erythromycin (Erymax, Erythrocin, Erythroped);
spiramycin;
telithromycin (Ketek).

Sometimes erythromycin is used to treat lower respiratory tract infections. It is widely used to treat atypical forms of the disease.

The duration of handling with erythromycin for uncomplicated pneumonia is commonly from 7 to ten days. A disadvantage of this drug is frequent side effects after its use.

Cephalosporin Antibiotics

The cephalosporin group is ordinarily used if the patient has been shown to have private intolerance to macrolides. Typically, cephalosporins provide treatment for elementary pneumonia.

There are four generations of cephalosporin antibiotics:

–First-generationdrugs are used to treat lower respiratory tract infections (cephalexin)

–Second-generation medications include cefuroxime and cefoxitin, which are used to care for infections acquired past various leaner. Cefoxitin is the nigh used antibiotic from this group to treat pneumonia. [three]

–Third-generation antibiotics (cefotaxime, ceftazidime, cefoperazone) have wide antibacterial activity. Such drugs are used to care for inflammatory processes in the lungs in severe cases. [4]

–Fourth-generation antibiotic is cefepime. It is the well-nigh constructive against gram-positive and gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms and in the case of complicated pneumonia.

Cephalosporin antibiotics are used to treat astringent and extremely astringent pneumonia. As a dominion, third- and 4th-generation drugs are used for this purpose. [5]

Drugs from this group are commonly well tolerated by the human body. The exceptions may be patients with severe renal or hepatic impairment and older people.

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

The use of fluoroquinolones is unremarkably recommended for allergic reactions to all other agents. This grouping is used to care for severe lower respiratory tract infections.

Considering of its broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity, this drug grouping is excellent for treating all forms of out-of-hospital pneumonia.

However, the use of early fluoroquinolones in community-acquired lower respiratory tract inflammation was limited because they were ineffective confronting pneumococcus.

Ofloxacin is most ordinarily used for the treatment of lower respiratory tract disorders that are not caused by pneumococcus. [6]

The about popular second-generation antibiotic is levofloxacin.

Clinical studies ostend high efficacy and good tolerability of levofloxacin for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. [seven]

Another effective medication from this group is sparfloxacin. However, despite its high antibacterial effectiveness, sparfloxacin has a notable side upshot – increased skin sensitivity to ultraviolet rays. Therefore, sparfloxacin is used to treat pneumonia only if there are no alternatives. [8]

Carbapenem Antibiotics

Carbapenems are used in the handling of inpatient lower respiratory tract inflammation. They are prescribed for complicated forms of pneumonia and septic processes. [9]

The about pop antibiotics from this group are:

doribax
doripenem
ertapenem
imipenem/cilastatin
invanz
meropenem

Pneumonia Treatment In Children

Antibiotics for pneumonia in children are used if the affliction has bacterial nature. Antibiotic therapy eliminates the cause of the affliction. Thus, it is a cardinal element of treatment.

Like in adults, the treatment depends on the severity of the affliction. Mild forms can be treated at home following all the doctor's instructions.

How Long Does Pneumonia Final Afterwards Antibiotics?

The length of handling in adults and children depends on the severity of the affliction and the type of the drug. For example, the length of treatment with azithromycin is 3 days, with amoxicillin – 7 days. [ten]

Your doctor may change the duration of handling depending on your health status.

Y'all should not terminate taking antibacterial drugs earlier than indicated past your doctor, as the next intake may be ineffective.