A lung abscess is a bacterial infection that causes the appearance of pus in the lung tissue. Handling needs to be done immediately on this condition. Otherwise, a lung abscess can lead to dangerous and potentially life-threatening complications.
Based on the origin of infection, lung abscess is divided into two types, namely primary and secondary. Primary lung abscess is a type of abscess originating from the lungs, for example due to pneumonia.
While secondary lung abscess occurs due to disorders or comorbidities in the lungs, such as tumors or lung cancer and bronchiectasis, inhaling harmful chemical compounds, or infections from other organs that spread to the lungs. In addition to bacteria, lung abscess can also be caused by parasitic and fungal infections.
Symptom and Risk Factors for Lung Abscess
Lung abscess can cause symptoms in the form of coughing up phlegm with foul-smelling phlegm, coughing up blood, fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, night sweats, bad breath, and weight loss.
A person is at a higher risk of developing a lung abscess if they have the following risk factors:
- Have a weak immune system, for example due to side effects of chemotherapy, autoimmune diseases, and HIV/AIDS infection.
- Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Abusing drugs.
- Suffering from dental and oral infections, diabetes mellitus, congenital heart disease, stroke, orcerebral palsy.
- Have a history of organ transplant surgery
- Choking or there is a foreign body in the respiratory tract
- Being in an unconscious state or in a coma for a long time
If you experience symptoms of a lung abscess or have conditions that increase your risk of developing a lung abscess, see your doctor immediately.
To diagnose and determine the cause of a lung abscess, the doctor will trace your medical history and perform various examinations, such as a physical examination, X-rays, CT scans, MRI of the lungs, examination of blood and sputum, analysis of lung fluid, and bronchoscopy (endoscopy of the airways and lungs). lungs).
How to Overcome Lung Abscess
If the results of the examination show that you have a lung abscess, your doctor may advise you to be hospitalized. During treatment, the doctor will provide several treatments in the form of:
Administration of antibiotics
Since most lung abscesses are caused by bacterial infections, they need to be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor will usually give you antibiotics by intravenous injection during your stay. Once allowed to go home, the doctor will prescribe oral antibiotics (drugs) for several weeks until the lung abscess heals.
Several choices of antibiotic drugs that can be used by doctors to treat lung abscesses are clindamycin, penicillin, meropenem, vancomycin, azythromycin, or ciproflixacin, metronidazole, or a combination of several types of antibiotics, depending on the type of bacteria that causes the lung abscess.
Chest physiotherapy
Doctors may provide chest physiotherapy treatment for lung abscess patients who experience shortness of breath and chest pain.
Chest physiotherapy aims to help patients expel phlegm, pus, or blood that has accumulated in the lungs, so that patients can feel more comfortable when breathing. Physiotherapy can also be done to support the healing process of lung abscess.
Drainage or suction of lung fluid
This procedure is performed if pus accumulates very much in the lungs or if the patient's condition does not improve after receiving antibiotic treatment.
A drainage procedure is performed to remove excess fluid in the lungs through a catheter connected via bronchoscopy or using a syringe guided by ultrasound of the lungs.
Operation
Surgery or surgery is the treatment of choice for severe cases of lung abscess. Surgery is usually performed when treatment with antibiotics, physiotherapy, and drainage procedures are not successful in treating the lung abscess.
If not treated immediately, a lung abscess can lead to severe complications and permanent lung damage.
Therefore, it is important to prevent lung abscesses by living a healthy lifestyle that includes regular hand washing, brushing teeth at least 2 times a day, avoiding smoking or inhaling secondhand smoke, and using a mask when traveling to places where the air is dirty or visiting sick people. .
If you experience symptoms of a lung abscess, immediately consult a doctor so that this disease can be treated as soon as possible before causing dangerous complications.
