Walking pneumonia can be deadly.

Like many other "conquered" diseases that have been reappearing lately, pneumonia once again has become a health concern - re-establishing its notoriety as a potential killer. The majority of patients literally are walking around with the disease, unaware of its lethal potential, indicates Mary Lawler, a family medicine expert at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

"Pneumonia patients are seldom ill enough to require hospitalization. In almost every instance, their care is an outpatient process, so the term |walking pneumonia' is accurate by default. But if left untreated, pneumonia can quickly become serious or even deadly."

Pneumonia is at its most lethal when it strikes the very old or very young. The key symptoms in all ages include a cough that produces a yellowish-green sputum, mild to moderate fever, and fatigue. Contrary to popular thinking, pneumonia does not cause chest pain. "People with pneumonia usually go to their doctor complaining that they just don't feel well. The disease is then diagnosed by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope and is confirmed by an X-ray."

Treatment depends on whether the pneumonia is bacterial or viral in origin. Bacterial pneumonia requires a 10- to 14-day regimen of antibiotics, good nutrition, and increased fluid...