Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Walking pneumonia appears to be on the rise as we enter the winter season. Doctors say the increase is among younger patients.
Walking pneumonia is also known as an atypical pneumonia, says Dr. Joseph Chow of WNY Immediate Care, and comes around each year. "It does look like we're seeing a bit more of a bump this year than years previous. It does typically affect the younger population, kids, teenagers," says Chow. He says with pneumonia, you typically think of the patient who's bedridden and can't breathe. "They call it walking pneumonia, because people who have this infection are still out and about walking. So they're not quite sick enough that they're not able to still do things, but they just have this cough that just doesn't seem to stop," says Chow. He says they may have the typical illness for the first few days, but the cough just keeps nagging on for weeks, and so they can still have this infection until they see a healthcare provider and get treated for it.
While it's contagious, Chow says you can take steps from catching walking pneumonia. "Washing your hands frequently, masking where appropriate. If people are sick or have a prolonged cough. Have your health care provider take a look at you, evaluate you, listen to your lungs to make sure that you don't have walking pneumonia or something else, because these can be transferred from a respiratory standpoint, from patient to patient," reminds Chow.
Chow anticipates increases in flu and COVID this upcoming season.