This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Clinical features

Authoring team

Some characteristic features of Klebsiella pneumonia are presented below:

  • most common in men over 40 years of age and is most frequently found in alcoholics
  • other predisposing factors are heart or lung disease, diabetes and malignancy
  • onset is often sudden with severe systemic upset (high fever, rigors) and pleuritic pain
  • sputum is purulent, gelatinous or blood-stained (haemoptysis occurs more often than in most bacterial pneumonias)
  • consolidation is usually seen in the upper lobes and may be extensive - swelling of the infected lobe may result in bulging of the fissures on the lateral chest X-ray
  • there may be marked necrosis and cavitation
  • lung abscess and empyema are more common than in pneumococcal pneumonia
  • mortality is 20-50%

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.