In the middle of summer, many citizens began to use air conditioners at home, but if the air conditioners that have not been used for a long time are used directly without cleaning, there are health risks. A few days ago, the reporter learned from Changsha Central Hospital that the hospital recently admitted two patients with Legionella pneumonia one after another, and the cause of the illness was related to air conditioning. What is Legionella pneumonia? What does it have to do with blowing air conditioners? In this episode, we will talk about this topic.
Online big doctor: Liu Kaixiong
The First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Doctor of Medicine, Deputy Chief Physician, Master Supervisor
Topic: Recently, there has been a high incidence in the near future! Beware of air conditioners blowing out of "fatal" diseases
The relationship between air conditioning and Legionella pneumonia
Mode of transmission: Air conditioning systems are one of the main routes of Legionella transmission. Legionella bacteria can grow inside an air conditioner that has not been cleaned for a long time, and when the air conditioner is running, these bacteria will spread into the air in the form of aerosols.
High incidence season and use of air conditioning: The high incidence season of Legionella pneumonia is summer, especially from June to October, which is closely related to the heavy use of air conditioning. For example, a study in Sichuan found that the peak of Legionella infections was from June to October, especially August, and up to 36% of pneumonia patients may have Legionella pneumonia, which is related to the use of air conditioners that have not been cleaned for a long time.
Legionella pneumonia
Etiology: Legionella pneumonia is mainly caused by Legionella pneumophila, which is widely found in natural environments and artificial water systems, such as cooling towers, faucets, shower heads, etc. People usually become infected by inhaling aerosols contaminated with Legionella.
Symptoms: Initial symptoms of Legionella pneumonia may include fatigue, muscle pain, dry cough, and fever. As the disease progresses, symptoms may worsen, with high fever, chills, chest pain, etc. In severe cases, patients may have dyspnea, shock, and altered mental status.
Diagnosis: The diagnosis of Legionella pneumonia may include a chest X-ray or CT scan to look for signs of lung infection. In addition, blood tests can be used to confirm infection, including testing for Legionella antibodies or testing for Legionella DNA by PCR.
Treatment: Treatment of Legionella pneumonia usually requires antibiotics, with erythromycin of choice but other effective antibiotics such as azithromycin and levofloxacin. The cycle of treatment is usually several weeks to ensure complete clearance of the infection.
Complications: If left untreated, Legionella pneumonia can lead to serious complications such as respiratory failure, multi-organ failure, and even death.
Precautionary measures
Regular cleaning of the air conditioner is an important measure to prevent Legionella infection. Professionals recommend that air conditioners should be cleaned at least once a year, especially after each air conditioner running season. This can effectively reduce the growth of bacteria inside the air conditioner and reduce the risk of infection.
At the same time, during the high season of Legionella pneumonia, the public should be vigilant and pay attention to personal hygiene and indoor air quality to reduce the risk of infection. If symptoms occur, seek medical attention and inform your doctor of the possible source of infection so that you can make an accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Disclaimer
This article aims to popularize health science, to help you understand diseases and medications, the content of popular science can not replace the doctor's diagnosis and treatment opinions, for reference only, if you have related health problems, please consult a doctor in time.
Introduced by the doctor
Liu Kaixiong
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Deputy Chief Physician, MD. Good at rare, fungal, drug-resistant infections; Diagnosis and treatment of bronchiectasis. He received his master's degree from Fudan University in 2012 and his Ph.D. degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 2020. He has published 13 SCI papers, participated in the compilation of 5 monographs and translated 3 books. As the first author, he participated in the compilation of the grassroots guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia and acute bronchitis of the Chinese Medical Association.