Pneumonia can be described as an inflammation of alveoli found in the lungs and the tissue that surrounds it. The infection in most cases causes a sudden onset of a high fever, feeling unwell, cough and shortness of breath (Adamec, 2011)). Pneumonia is mostly caused by bacteria and therefore it can be treated with antibiotics. However, pneumonia can be present complications that can threaten life mostly in cases where an individual has a weakened immune system caused by other illnesses (Adamec, 2011). In addition, it can be life threatening in children and the elderly. The pathogens that cause pneumonia can be categorized into two: typical agents which include Staphylococcus pneumoniae, anaerobes and atypical agents which include Mycoplasma, and C. psittaci (Torres & Liapikou, 2016).
Treating pneumonia involves interventions that cure the infection and prevent further complications from the infection. Individuals suffering from community acquired pneumonia are in most treated at home with pneumonia medication (Torres & Liapikou, 2016) . Treatments that are specific depend on a number of factors which include the type of pneumonia, severity of the infection, patient’s age and general health status.
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Treatment options for pneumonia include:
Antibiotics. Antibiotics are used in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia. However, it may take some time to identify the bacteria type that has caused the infection and to identify the correct antibiotic for treatment (Torres & Liapikou, 2016) . In cases where the symptoms do not improve, a different antibiotic therapy is administered.
Cough medicine. This treatment is used in calming coughs. These include cough suppressants which are used at the lowest dose to allow rest (Torres & Liapikou, 2016) .
Fever/ pain relievers. They are used in case of fever or pain. Such drugs include aspirin and acetaminophen (Torres & Liapikou, 2016) .
There are a number of factors that can impact the effects of the drugs used in the treatment of pneumonia. Ethnicity is one of these factors. Ethnic variations can impact the effect of the drugs used depending on the route of administration. This is because of the differences that exist in different ethnic groups that are related to differences in the uptake of drugs, transport, and elimination of the drugs from the body (Arcangelo, 2017). Research shows that ethnic differences can happen in consideration to the route of medication delivery. This is evidenced by the pre-systemic aspects that are involved in administering drugs orally as opposed to delivering them through intravenous means.
Ethnicity can also impact the effects of the drugs used in the treatment of pneumonia when it comes to the dose administered. In cases where combined therapies are used, the different dosages used in treating pneumonia can cause different changes in both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics aspects of the drugs. Even in cases where regimens that are similar are used, the different dosages used in the treatment for pneumonia can cause a number of alterations in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacokinetic responses in individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. This is caused by the fact that given different ethnic backgrounds, the varying dosages can cause different rates of release (Arcangelo, 2017). The different drugs used in the treatment and management of pneumonia can be released at different sites or may have varying retention times at various areas of the body.
Therefore, the changes in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamics activities caused by ethnicity can impact the effects of the drugs used in the treatment of pneumonia. The changes in pharmacokinetics influence how the medication given travels throughout the body of an individual (Arcangelo, 2017). The different medications used in pneumonia have varying mechanisms of circulation in the body and considering the fact that ethnicity plays a role in both pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, the effects of the drugs are impacted by this factor (Arcangelo, 2017).
Reference
Arcangelo, V. P. (2017). Pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice: A practical approach . Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health.
Adamec, C. A. (2011). Pneumonia . New York, NY: Chelsea House.
Torres, A., & Liapikou, A. (2016). Diagnosis and management of community-acquired pneumonia. Oxford Medicine Online . doi:10.1093/med/9780199600830.003.0116
