Fungal Pneumonia: Treatment, Procedure, Cost and Side Effects

Fungal pneumonia is a rare type of lung infection caused by fungi. It can be caused by either endemic or opportunistic fungi or by a combination of both. Usually people with compromised immune systems like people suffering from HIV or AIDS, diabetes or leukemia are affected by this infection. A properly functioning immune system prevents fungi from attacking living tissues. So, deep fungal infections are not common in the internal organs. However, fungi can invade the lung tissue or trigger an immune reaction by entering the air passages and can hence cause respiratory diseases. There are different types of fungi that can cause pneumonia and many of them are not commonly heard of due to their rare existence.

When fungal pneumonia affects a healthy person, it is generally self-limiting and do not require to be treated in most cases. Fungal pneumonia can be effectively treated with anti-fungal medication. Amphotericin B is the mainstay of the treatment and is particularly used for treating acutely ill patients. For aspergillosis, voriconazole and other azoles are preferred over amphotericin B. For Candida infections, echinocandins like anidulafangin, caspofungin and micafungin are used. The type of anti-fungal drug that is to be used depends on the type of pathogen that is isolated or is clinically suspected.

A person can be eligible for treatment of fungal pneumonia if a doctor diagnoses the person to be suffering from such. A person suffering from fungal pneumonia may experience some or all of the following symptoms: persistent fever; dry cough although mucus may be present later; chest pain which may initially appear as discomfort during inhalation and shortness of breath during exertion which can also lead to difficulty in breathing even when a person is at rest. Other symptoms of fungal pneumonia that will qualify a person to receive treatment are coughing up blood (blood-streaked mucus), wheezing and rapid breathing.

People who have not been diagnosed with fungal pneumonia by a registered medical practitioner are not eligible for this treatment.

Different anti-fungal drugs are generally prescribed to people depending on the strain of the fungi that have caused the pneumonia. Some of the effects of using anti-fungal drugs for a prolonged period are: it can interfere with the liver or kidney function; when such medications are taken with alcohol or certain medicines, it can cause severe liver damage or may even result in liver failure and this can also weaken the heart’s ability to contract and lead to heart failure.

Post treatment, a person who has suffered from fungal pneumonia should refrain from travelling to endemic areas. Such a person should also prevent exposure to bird, bat or rodent droppings in endemic areas. Men should be more careful than women as estrogen exerts an inhibitory effect on the growth cycle of fungi and thus reduces the chances of endemic fungal infections. People, who have undergone surgery, should regularly go to the doctor for check-ups. People who suffer from such a disease normally have a weak immune system. So they should make sure to take steps so that their body immunity gets strengthened.

For healthy people, pneumonia appears as a mild illness and it goes away in two to three weeks. How long a person will take to recover depends on the type of pneumonia a person has, how severe it is and also his/her general health. A normal person can recover within a short time span of a week. People with weak immunity will take weeks to recover and they may also have a lingering fatigue.

10 mg Amphotericin B medicine cost around Rs 1000 in our country. Another important medicine used to treat fungal pneumonia is voriconazole. It is a cheap medicine and is available for as low a price as Rs 50 for 50 mg. However, caspofungins which are also used to treat this lung infection is a bit expensive and may cost around Rs 10000 – Rs 12000.

Fungal pneumonia is a type of lung infection that is caused by endemic or opportunistic fungi. It generally affects people whose immunity systems are weak like people suffering from diabetes, HIV, AIDS or leukemia. Thus it is not always possible to find a permanent solution to this problem. A person who was suffering from this lung infection may contract it again if they visit endemic areas if they come in contact with bird, bat or rodent droppings.

There are a number of alternative natural treatments for fungal pneumonia. Incorporating a diet rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E and zinc can go a long way to boost body immunity and prevent such diseases. Fenugreek seeds, sesame seeds and cayenne pepper have essential properties that help to fight this lung infection. Other important methods used to fight fungal pneumonia at home are steam inhalation and consumption of vegetable juice and garlic.