Treatment of Legionnaires' Disease

How Is Legionnaires’ Diseases Treated?

The most common way to treat Legionnaires’ Disease is by using antibiotics. The sooner the infection is identified, the sooner the treatment can commence and, in most cases, early intervention can stop the infection from developing and causing complications.

One of the difficulties when treating the sufferers from the first recorded outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in 1976 was that at that time, antibiotics were relatively new, and the types available were not ideal for treating the specific bacterial infection. Penicillin was hailed as a wonder drug when it was first put into use, but while it was hugely successful in treating a wide range of infections, it struggled (at a molecular level) to penetrate some of the infected cells. As did Erythromycin, an alternative antibiotic for those who were allergic to Penicillin.

Fortunately these days we have a far wider range of antibiotics on which to draw, including several types which have been shown to effectively deal with Legionnaires’ Disease including Macrolides, such as Azithromycin, as well as Quinolones such as Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin and Moxifloxacin.

When you visit your doctor with suspected Legionnaires’ Disease, they are likely to conduct a series of tests to identify firstly what it is, including sputum, blood and urine tests. If it is Legionnaires’ then you are likely to be admitted to hospital and placed on intravenous antibiotics (the doctor / medical team will decide which particular antibiotic is most suitable for you).

In some cases the drugs can halt the development of the disease, while in other cases they simply assist the body to fight the infection. You are likely to remain in hospital for several days in case pneumonia does set in, in which case you might need additional support such as mechanical breathing assistance or oxygen therapy.

In the past the fatality rate from Legionnaires’ Disease was around 30%, although with modern antibiotics and swifter diagnosis that figure has fallen to around 5%. Sadly for infections picked up in hospital, the rate is far higher – around 50%, often due to the vulnerability of those who contract the disease while already being treated for something else.

Even after successful treatment, around 75% of survivors suffer from fatigue, and many complain of neurological and neuromuscular symptoms in the months after an outbreak, although in most cases these symptoms subside over the course of time and a full recovery is usually made.

Contact us today for free, no obligation advice regarding your Legionnaires’ Disease claim – either by calling us free on 0800 122 3130, or by requesting a free call back, whereby one of our team will contact you at a time of your choice, to discuss your situation.

We’re here to help – contact us today.