Pneumonia Health Article

BOOKS

Johanson, Waldemar G. "Bacterial Meningitis." In Cecil Textbook of Medicine, ed. J. Claude Bennett and Fred Plum. Philadelphia: W. B. Saunders Co., 1996.

Ray, C. George. "Lower Respiratory Tract Infections." In Sherris Medical Microbiology: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Ed. Kenneth J. Ryan. Norwalk, CT: Appleton & Lange, 1994.

Stoffman, Phyllis. The Family Guide to Preventing and Treating 100 Infectious Diseases. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1995.

PERIODICALS

Brody, Jane E. "Pneumonia Is Still a Killer." The New York Times (8 Jan. 1997): B10+.

William, Temple W. "Community-Acquired Pneumonia." Consultant (Nov. 1995): 1621+.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Lung Association. 1740 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. (800) 586-4872. <http://www.lungusa.org>.

Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

KEY TERMS

Alveoli—The little air sacs clustered at the ends of the bronchioles, in which oxygen-carbon dioxide exchange takes place.

Aspiration—A situation in which solids or liquids which should be swallowed into the stomach are instead breathed into the respiratory system.

Cilia—Hair-like projections from certain types of cells.

Cyanosis—A bluish tinge to the skin which can occur when the blood oxygen level drops too low.

Parenchyma—A term used to describe the supportive tissue surrounding a particular structure. An example is that tissue which surrounds and supports the actually functional lung tissue.

Sputum—Material produced within the alveoli in response to an infectious or inflammatory process.