Guide To The Causes And Risk Factors Of Atelectasis

Pneumonia

Pneumonia patients are at a higher risk of developing atelectasis. Pneumonia is an infection that affects an individual's lungs and causes inflammation and the collection of pus or fluid in the lung. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi. One mechanism of how pneumonia precipitated atelectasis occurs is a when pus accumulates in a lung cavity that forms a lung abscess and causes an obstruction in one of the airways. Pneumonia can also cause fluid to accumulate in the thin space between the membrane layers that line the chest cavity and lungs. The fluid builds up and places external pressure on the lungs, which compresses the airways. This condition also makes it very difficult for a patient to breathe normally and take deep breaths. When an individual cannot breathe in enough air to reach the air sacs in the bottom of the lungs, it is called shallow breathing. When air is unable to reach the bottom of the lungs in pneumonia patients, the alveoli shrink and collapse, causing a decrease in lung volume and atelectasis in the bottom lobe of the lung.