Which description lists the common symptoms of typical community-acquired pneumonia?

• A. Headache and dizziness only
• B. Rash and joint pain
• C. Fever, cough, sputum production, pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, and tachycardia
• D. No fever or cough

Answer: (C)

Typical community-acquired pneumonia usually shows an abrupt fever with a productive cough that brings up sputum, along with chest symptoms like pleuritic pain and shortness of breath. The body’s response to the lung infection often includes a rapid heart rate and increased breathing effort. That combination—fever, productive cough with sputum, pleuritic chest pain, dyspnea, and tachycardia—best fits the common presentation of typical CAP. The other descriptions don’t reflect this acute respiratory-infectious pattern (headache and dizziness without fever or productive cough; rash and joint pain; or no fever and no cough).