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Your doctor will diagnose pneumonia based on your medical history, a physical exam, and results from certain diagnostic tests such as a chest x ray, blood tests, or blood culture. Your doctor may recommend other tests—sputum test, chest computed tomography (CT) scan, pleural fluid culture, pulse oximetry, or bronchoscopy—if you're in the hospital, have serious symptoms, are older, or have other health problems.

The signs and symptoms of pneumonia can be mild or severe and may include a cough with phlegm (a slimy substance), fever, chills, and trouble breathing. Possible complications may include bacteremia, septic shock, lung abscesses, pleural effusions, empyema, pleurisy, renal failure, or respiratory failure.

Many factors such as age (being younger than two years old or 65 of older), smoking, and other medical conditions such as heart failure, diabetes, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), or people who have weak immune systems due to HIV/AIDS, chemotherapy (a treatment for cancer), or organ or blood and marrow stem cell transplant procedures can increase your chances of getting pneumonia and having more severe pneumonia.

Pneumonia occurs when certain bacterial, viral, and fungal infections cause inflammation in the air sacs, or alveoli, of the lungs. Some of the more common causes in the United States include Streptococcus pneumoniae or pneumococcus bacteria, the influenza or flu virus, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Program evaluation is essential to public health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sets standards for evaluation, develops evaluation tools and resources, and provides support for evaluation capacity-building.

Building an inclusive workforce where people with disabilities can actively participate and contribute is everybody’s job.

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention.

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention.

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention.

Preventing Chronic Disease (PCD) is a peer-reviewed electronic journal established by the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. PCD provides an open exchange of information and knowledge among researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and others who strive to improve the health of the public through chronic disease prevention.