A bacterial infection that may affect the lungs and cause cough, fever, and breathing difficulty.
During the active infection phase, medical records documenting systemic symptoms — lab or clinical confirmation of fever, documented night sweats, measured weight loss, or records of hemoptysis — directly support the 100% rating. Hospitalization records, infectious disease notes, and imaging taken during that period are particularly relevant. For residual ratings, the type of evidence that helps depends on which residual condition applies. If the residuals are rated as interstitial or restrictive lung disease, pulmonary function test results showing reduced lung volumes or diffusion capacity are central. If obstructive disease is the main residual and your condition is rated as chronic bronchitis, spirometry results showing airflow obstruction matter most. In all cases, records from pulmonologists or treating physicians that describe your current lung function, and your own statements explaining how breathing problems affect your work and daily activities, help show the degree of remaining impairment.
Conditions that are often caused or made worse by this one. If you have any of these, they may be claimable as secondary service connection.
