What To Know About Double (Bilateral) Pneumonia

Pneumonia is colloquially known as "double pneumonia" if the infection affects both lungs. Healthcare providers are more likely to call it "bilateral pneumonia." Many people recover from pneumonia within one to two weeks, but it may cause severe complications if it's untreated.

Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes inflammation. Double pneumonia causes range from bacteria to fungi to viruses.

Double Pneumonia Symptoms

There's no real difference in the type of symptoms of double pneumonia versus pneumonia that affects a single lung. Some people with bilateral pneumonia may have symptoms like headache, muscle pain, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The most common symptoms of pneumonia include:

• Chest pain when you breathe or cough
• Cough with or without mucus
• Fever or chills
• Low oxygen levels in your blood, measured with a pulse oximeter
• Shortness of breath
  

How Do You Get Double Pneumonia?

Bilateral pneumonia is an infection of both lungs. It happens if a germ causes inflammation, resulting in fluid or pus build-up in the lungs.

Different germs can all be responsible for pneumonia, including:

• Bacteria such as Legionella pneumophila and Mycoplasma pneumoniae
• Fungi from the zygomycete fungi family
• Viruses like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19
  

Risk Factors

Double pneumonia can affect anyone, but some people have a higher risk than others. Risk factors include:

• Adults aged 65 and older
• Certain health conditions, such as diabetes, heart failure, or liver disease
• Children aged 2 and younger 
• Exposure to chemicals, pollutants, or toxins
• Heavy alcohol use, malnourishment, or smoking
• Lung disease
• Recent infection 
• Recent stay in the hospital or intensive care unit (ICU) 
• Trouble coughing or swallowing 
• Weak immune system

Diagnosis

Diagnosing pneumonia—whether bilateral or not—involves a healthcare provider gathering information based on your health history. They can also perform a physical exam and administer tests.

You may have some of the following tests completed to diagnose double pneumonia:

• Blood test: This test, which involves getting a blood sample, helps determine if an active infection has activated your body's immune system.
• Chest X-ray: A chest X-ray shows a picture of your lungs to see if there's any inflammation.
• Pulse oximetry: A healthcare provider may perform this test to find out how much oxygen is in your blood. Pneumonia can decrease blood oxygen levels.
  

Double Pneumonia Treatments

Pneumonia treatment usually depends on the cause. The primary goals are to ensure you avoid complications and become cured of the illness.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for cases of bacterial pneumonia. Although you may start feeling better within the first few days of starting antibiotics, it's important to finish the full course as prescribed.

Antiviral Drugs

People with viral pneumonia may be prescribed antiviral drugs. This treatment does not work for all types of viral pneumonia.

Breathing Support

Severe cases of pneumonia often require different breathing support options. Oxygen therapy provides oxygen through a machine. Some people may need assistance with breathing with a ventilator. This is another type of breathing machine.

Home Remedies

A healthcare provider may recommend home remedies like:

• Controlling your fever with fever-reducing medications
• Drinking plenty of fluids
• Limiting exposure to smoke
• Opening up your airways by drinking warm drinks, taking a steamy bath or shower, or using a humidifier
• Resting

Recovery and Prognosis

The recovery process can be lengthy but varies from person to person. One person can recover within a week, while another may fully recover after a month.

It's important to note that pneumonia is among the top 10 causes of death in the United States. The prognosis is good for healthy adults. People younger than 4 years or older than 60 years tend to have a worse prognosis.

Complications

There are potential complications with any pneumonia that goes untreated or lacks enough treatment, such as:

• Empyema, or when pus fills up the area between your lungs and chest wall space
• Lung abscesses, or pockets of pus that develop in or around your lungs
• Metastatic infections, which happen if the germ that causes pneumonia enters the blood and causes an infection outside the lungs
• Multi-organ dysfunction
• Respiratory failure
• Sepsis, or an inflammatory condition that results in body-wide organ failure

Prevention

There are many ways to help prevent pneumonia. One important way is to stay up-to-date on vaccines that help protect against pneumonia, including pneumococcal vaccine, Hib vaccine, influenza vaccine, RSV vaccine, and COVID vaccine.

Another preventative method is washing your hands properly. Use soap and water or opt for alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are unavailable.

You can also focus on taking care of your physical health. This means you'll want to:

• Choose a healthy, balanced diet
• Exercise regularly
• Quit or avoid smoking
  

A Quick Review

Double pneumonia, or bilateral pneumonia, occurs when a pneumonia infection occurs in both lungs. This type of pneumonia may result from bacterial, viral, or fungal infections. Healthcare providers can diagnose double pneumonia with a blood test, chest X-ray, or pulse oximetry.

Seek medical care to receive the appropriate treatments for better recovery outcomes if you have symptoms like shortness of breath and chills. Treatments depend on the cause but may include antibiotics, antiviral drugs, breathing support, and home remedies.