Initial Symptoms

• In the early stages of pneumonia, symptoms resemble those of the common cold, and often occur after the individual has had the flu, a cold, or an upper respiratory infection. These symptoms include fever, fatigue, headaches, body aches, and coughing.
  
  

Later Symptoms

• As the lung infection progresses, the affected individual will normally develop a high fever, chills, experience shortness of breath or chest pain, and cough up darkly colored and/or bloody mucus. He may also start to breathe more quickly and experience diarrhea and vomiting.
  
  

Symptoms in the Elderly

• For elderly people, pneumonia can be fatal, particularly because their symptoms do not conform to the normal pneumonia symptoms experienced by younger adults. Many older individuals with pneumonia do not develop a fever and, if they develop a cough, it is often not accompanied by mucus, shortness of breath, or chest pain. The main symptom of pneumonia in the elderly is the sudden onset of mental confusion or an increase in unsteadiness when walking, particularly if it occurs shortly after they have begun recovering from a cold or lung disease.
  
  

Symptoms in Infants

• As with the elderly, pneumonia symptoms in infants differ from those experienced by children, teenagers, and adults. Most infants with pneumonia do not cough, produce mucus, or have difficulty breathing; however, they can develop a high fever, show little interest in feeding, or be abnormally sleepy and lethargic.
  
  

Warning

• Any individuals displaying symptoms of pneumonia should be evaluated by a physician as soon as possible, particularly if they are babies, elderly, or have a chronic health condition, particularly a respiratory condition, such as asthma. While most cases of pneumonia can be successfully treated by antibiotics or rest, pneumonia is still a leading cause of death among the elderly and can be extremely serious in a young child or in an individual with a compromised immune system.