Dr.George Schiffman, MD, FCCP, received his BS degree with high honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his MD degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his internal medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.
William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There Dr. Shiel was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.
Pneumococcal vaccination is a method of preventing a specific type of
lung infection (pneumonia) that is caused by Pneumococcus bacterium. There are more than 80 different types of pneumococcus bacteria-23 of these are covered in the current vaccination.
The vaccine is injected into the body to stimulate the normal immune
system to produce antibodies that are directed against pneumococcus
bacteria.
This method of stimulating the normal immune system to be directed
against a specific microbe is called immunization. Pneumococcal
vaccination is also referred to as Pneumococcal immunization.
Pneumococcal vaccination does not protect against
pneumonia caused by microbes other than pneumococcus bacteria, nor does it protect against pneumococcal bacteria strains not included in the vaccine. It is reassuring do note that of the 80 different serotypes, the vast majority of infections are caused by the 23 serotypes contained in the vaccine.
Who should consider pneumococcal vaccination?
Pneumococcal vaccination should be considered by people in the
following groups:
Alaskan natives and certain American Indian populations.
If elective surgical removal of the spleen (splenectomy) or
immunosuppressive therapy is planned, the vaccine is given two weeks
prior to the procedure, if possible.
Pneumonia is inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) is a disorder that persistently obstructs bronchial airflow. COPD mainly involves three related conditions, chronic bronchitis, chronic asthma, and emphysema. Symptoms of COPD include chronic cough, shortness of breath, frequent respiratory infections, wheezing, morning headaches, and pulmonary hypertension. Treatment of COPD is focused on the related condition(s).
Chronic bronchitis is a cough that occurs daily with production of sputum that lasts for at least three months, two years in a row. Causes of chronic bronchitis include cigarette smoking, inhaled irritants, and underlying disease processes (such as asthma, or congestive heart failure). Symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Treatments include bronchodilators and steroids. Complications of chronic bronchitis include COPD and emphysema.
Encephalitis is a brain inflammation that causes sudden fever, vomiting, headache, light sensitivity, stiff neck and back, drowsiness, and irritability. Meningitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms of meningitis include high fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is comprised primarily of three related conditions - chronic bronchitis,
chronic asthma, and
emphysema. In each condition there is chronic obstruction of the flow of air through the airways and out of the lungs, and the obstruction generally is permanent and may be progressive over time.
While asthma features obstruction to the flow of air out of the lungs, usually, the obstruction is reversible. Between "attacks" of asthma the flow of air through the airways typically is normal. These patients do not have COPD. However, if asthma is left untreated, the chronic inflammation associated with this disease can cause the airway obstruction to become fixed. That is, between attacks, the asthmatic patient may then have abnormal air flow. This process is referred to as lung remodeling. These asthma patients with a fixed component of airway obstruction are also considered to have COPD.