Pneumonia

My 8-year-old daughter has been coughing up blood. Otherwise, she seems fine.How worried should I be about this?Coughing up blood (called hemoptysis by doctors) should always be taken seriously.It is an unusual symptom in childhood. When it does occur, it may be a sign of a lung disease that requires treatment.Before listing some of the most common causes of hemoptysis during childhood, we want to point out that it is not always easy to tell whether the blood is coming from the lungs or the stomach, but both are important.

Lord Nickens, a long-time civil rights leader from Frederick, has died at age 99. Nickens fought for fair housing rules and served as the president of the Frederick branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for more than 20 years. "He fought for the right of African Americans to pursue the American Dream and helped ensure equality for all Americans," U.S. Senator Ben Cardin said in a statement. " … Lord Nickens was an inspiration for all who knew him; his advocacy on behalf of the African-American community helped to change our nation.

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University are urging doctors to use caution when prescribing steroid inhalers to treat a common - and sometimes fatal - lung disease after a study found they increased the risk of pneumonia in some patients by 34 percent. About half of all patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, use steroid inhalers to ease the wheezing and breathlessness caused by the condition. Although medical experts have known for years that inhalers are effective in treating symptoms, doctors have raised questions about side effects and whether they help people live longer, said Dr. M. Bradley Drummond, a pulmonologist at the Hopkins School of Medicine and the study's lead author.

This month, leaders from around the globe announced a road map for ending preventable child deaths within a generation. Essentially, the ambitious plan aims to assure that every child has the same opportunity for a fifth birthday and a future beyond childhood, thereby ending one of the most obvious social injustices in the world today. Some will question whether this period of austerity is the time for an ambitious new global health goal. If skepticism had prevailed a half-century ago, it would have derailed one of humanity's great victories: smallpox eradication.

A warm front mops the sky,Wads of clouds moving brisklyAbove the rooftops andchimneypots.Lunch hour, we must be out ofdoors,Heading for the little parkWith its stripped trees andhedges.Up and down the street, thebuildingsAre simply taken with sun --Brick and stone coloring, everyfeature unfolding(Ledge, lintel, pillar, cornice) inafternoon light.We're warmer out than in.We perspire in our coats.Halfway down the block,hatless and unzipped,We get lost in an updraft oftime --What season is this, so balmyout of turn?

After a five-day hospital stay for pneumonia, former Gov. William Donald Schaefer returned Tuesday to his home at the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville. "The governor is back at Charleston. He's doing very well," Lainy LeBow-Sachs, his long time aide, said Tuesday evening. "The pneumonia is gone. " Schaefer was released from St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore about 3 p.m., she said. The 89-year-old was admitted last week after he had some trouble breathing.

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie recently spent two nights in the hospital as he fought off a bout of pneumonia, which sidelined him for a start. Given the choice between pneumonia and Bieber Fever, a rare neurological disease spread by Canadian pop stars, Guthrie says he would take Bieber Fever any day. That's right, Guthrie is a big fan of Justin Bieber. He has Tweeted about him at least three times since joining Twitter in late March, admitting in this Tweet that he has had Bieber Fever "since November 2009, one of the earliest reported cases!"

Around the globe, the leading cause of death for children under age 5 is pneumonia, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health . About 18 percent of the deaths are from the infection. That's 1.4 million kids out of 7.6 million who died around the world in 2010. “The numbers are staggering,” said Dr. Robert Black, senior author of the study, published in the May issue of the Lancet . Black, chair in the Department of International Health, said other leading causes of death were pre-term birth complications and diarrhea.

Q: I was shocked and frightened by the sudden death of Jim Henson, the Muppets creator, from pneumonia. With all the progress that has been made in the treatment of infections, how could this happen to a healthy young man?Henson's pneumonia was produced by an exceptionally virulent strain of group A streptococcus, a bacteria best known for causing strep throat. This particular aggressive strain of streptococcus has now been recognized as the cause of a new type of severe illness called toxic shock-like syndrome (TSLS)

Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer remained hospitalized Saturday with "a little bit" of pneumonia but is responding to antibiotics, his friend and former aide Lainy LeBow-Sachs said. The 89-year-old Schaefer had some trouble breathing about 9 p.m. Thursday and was taken from the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville to St. Agnes Hospital, LeBow-Sachs said. Describing the health of the former governor, comptroller and Baltimore mayor, LeBow-Sachs said it's "on and off. " "He's certainly not the governor you know.

Around the globe, the leading cause of death for children under age 5 is pneumonia, according to a new study from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health . About 18 percent of the deaths are from the infection. That's 1.4 million kids out of 7.6 million who died around the world in 2010. “The numbers are staggering,” said Dr. Robert Black, senior author of the study, published in the May issue of the Lancet . Black, chair in the Department of International Health, said other leading causes of death were pre-term birth complications and diarrhea.

Guests at an Ocean City hotel have been voluntarily relocated after three people who stayed there were hospitalized with Legionnaire's disease, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The three people developed the form of pneumonia about a week after their stay at the Plim Plaza Hotel, although investigators are still working to determine whether they contracted it there, according to the health department. The 181-room hotel closed three days before the end of the season in order to test the water system and address any issues, said Betsy FauntLeRoy, director of marketing for the Harrison Group, which owns the Plim Plaza and nine other hotels.

Pneumonia killed one dolphin calf at the National Aquarium last month while internal bleeding took the life of another baby days later, according to results of a necropsy released Friday. The aquarium has yet to resume its popular dolphin shows because the surviving dolphins remain distressed by the deaths. According to the necropsy, the deaths of the two 2-month-old calves were unrelated, said Brent R. Whitaker, the aquarium's deputy executive director for biological programs.

Orioles pitcher Jeremy Guthrie recently spent two nights in the hospital as he fought off a bout of pneumonia, which sidelined him for a start. Given the choice between pneumonia and Bieber Fever, a rare neurological disease spread by Canadian pop stars, Guthrie says he would take Bieber Fever any day. That's right, Guthrie is a big fan of Justin Bieber. He has Tweeted about him at least three times since joining Twitter in late March, admitting in this Tweet that he has had Bieber Fever "since November 2009, one of the earliest reported cases!"

The storyline is familiar: The Orioles' hitters struggle on a Sunday afternoon against a left-hander and waste a gutsy performance by their starting pitcher as they close a homestand with a loss and head for a tough road trip. The difference this time is context. The Orioles' 3-0 loss to the Texas Rangers before an announced 21,452 on Sunday served as the team's first series loss in this young season. As they head to Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, the Orioles (6-3) at the very least will boast a share of first place in the American League East.

Jeremy Guthrie says he's mentally preparing to pitch Sunday against the Texas Rangers and will do his best to convince manager Buck Showalter and the Orioles medical staff that he's ready, but ultimately he'll leave the decision up to them. Guthrie was released from the hospital Wednesday after spending several days in bed getting treatment for pneumonia. "Even when I was sick and getting IVed up, I was thinking about Texas," Guthrie said Thursday before the Orioles' game with the Detroit Tigers.

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- Aerosolized pentamizine, widely used to prevent recurrence of a form of pneumonia that is a major killer of AIDS patients, appears to be inadequate, according to new studies at the University of Southern California.Dr. Narsing Rao, director of Ophthalmologic Pathology at the Doheny Eye Institute in Los Angeles, yesterday urged eye exams by physicians every three months for longtime users of the therapy. Aerosolized pentamizine is inhaled into the lungs. Rao said the exams are necessary for early detection of telltale signs in the eye that the pneumonia has spread from the lungs to other organs.

The Carroll County Health Department has announced its 2007 flu and pneumonia clinic schedule for those age 18 and older. Flu vaccine costs $20 for those not covered by Medicare Part B. Medicare will be billed for participants who show their cards and are not enrolled in a Medicare health maintenance organization. Pneumonia vaccine costs $40 for those younger than 65 who have a doctor's order. Medicare will be billed for eligible people 65 and older. Clinics will be held at: Health Department, 290 S. Center St., Westminster: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday; 3:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 16. Mount Airy Senior Center, 703 Ridge Ave.: 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 18. South Carroll Senior Center, 5745 Bartholow Road, Eldersburg: 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 18. North Carroll Senior Center, 2328 Hanover Pike, Greenmount: 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 22. Westminster Senior Center, 125 Stoner Ave.: 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Oct. 23. Taneytown Senior Center, 220 Roberts Mill Road: 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Oct. 29. Information: 410-876-3003.

After a five-day hospital stay for pneumonia, former Gov. William Donald Schaefer returned Tuesday to his home at the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville. "The governor is back at Charleston. He's doing very well," Lainy LeBow-Sachs, his long time aide, said Tuesday evening. "The pneumonia is gone. " Schaefer was released from St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore about 3 p.m., she said. The 89-year-old was admitted last week after he had some trouble breathing.

Former Gov. William Donald Schaefer remained hospitalized Saturday with "a little bit" of pneumonia but is responding to antibiotics, his friend and former aide Lainy LeBow-Sachs said. The 89-year-old Schaefer had some trouble breathing about 9 p.m. Thursday and was taken from the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville to St. Agnes Hospital, LeBow-Sachs said. Describing the health of the former governor, comptroller and Baltimore mayor, LeBow-Sachs said it's "on and off. " "He's certainly not the governor you know.