The pragmatic challenge is to distinguish from aspiration pneumonia with an infectious component because the former does not require antibiotics while the latter does. While some issues, such as a recent history of exposure to substantive toxins, can foretell the diagnosis, for a patient with dyphagia the diagnosis may be less obvious, as the dyphagic patient may have caustic gastric contents damaging the lungs which may or may not have progressed to bacterial infection. The following tests help determine how severely the lungs are affected: * Blood gases (measurement of how much oxygen and carbon dioxide are in your blood) * CT scan of chest * Lung function studies (tests to measure breathing and how well the lungs are functioning) * X-ray of the chest * Swallowing studies to check if stomach acid is the cause of<unk>
Chemical pneumonitis
Viral pneumonia
Atypical pneumonia
Acute bronchitis
Bacterial pneumonia
Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
Parasitic pneumonia
Radiation-induced lung injury