- Symptoms and Diagnosis
- Babies at increased risk of pneumonia
- Types of pneumonia in children
- How to treat childhood pneumonia
Childhood pneumonia is an infection in the child's lung, which causes flu-like symptoms, but which worsen over the course of days, and can be difficult to identify.
Generally, childhood pneumonia is caused by viruses or bacteria that mainly affect babies under 1 year of age, so children should be properly dressed to avoid sudden changes in temperature and avoid smoking close to them, especially indoors because cigarette smoke is a common cause of diseases like the tire monia in children.
Childhood pneumonia is curable and rarely contagious, and should be treated at home with rest, medicines for fever, antibiotics and fluid intake, such as water and milk, for example.
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The main signs and symptoms of childhood pneumonia include:
- Fever above 38º; Cough with phlegm; Lack of appetite; Faster and shorter breathing, with opening of the nostrils; Effort to breathe with a lot of movement of the ribs; Easy tiredness, without desire to play.
Babies and children with these symptoms should be evaluated by a pediatrician as soon as possible, in order to start treatment in the first 48 hours and to avoid serious complications, such as respiratory arrest. In the case of the baby, when he has a fever above 39º, refusal to eat, vomiting or diarrhea, he must be taken to the hospital, as he may need to be hospitalized. A serious type of pneumonia is SARS, so look at your symptoms.
Find out the remedies used and when treatment should be done at the hospital by clicking here.
The pediatrician can arrive at the diagnosis of pneumonia after observing the symptoms and order a chest x-ray to assess the presence of secretions and regions that are not receiving air in the lungs. Increased respiratory rate in babies usually indicates pneumonia and is sufficient to reach this diagnosis when:
- Babies up to 2 months old: 60 or more inspirations per minute; Babies from 2 months to 1 year: 50 or more breaths per minute; Children from 1 to 5 years: 40 or more breaths per minute.
The baby's or child's respiratory rate should be checked when the baby is calm and calm, such as during sleep, for example.
Babies at increased risk of pneumonia
Babies who are most at risk of developing pneumonia are those born with less than 2 kg; in case of malnutrition; when they were not breastfed and also those most exposed to cigarette smoke, when there is smoke nearby due to wood or manure. In addition, babies and children who do not get measles, pertussis vaccines are also more likely to have pneumonia.
Types of pneumonia in children
The types of pneumonia are classified according to their cause. It takes into account the type of microorganism involved, the place where the child was infected and how this contamination happened. The types of pneumonia are:
- Bacterial pneumonia: it is an infection caused by bacteria and the treatment can be done with antibiotics; Viral pneumonia: it is caused by viruses and the treatment is longer because there are no antiviral drugs for all existing viruses; Aspiration pneumonia: appears after aspirating a liquid, like your own vomiting, which can be caused by both viruses and bacteria; Atypical pneumonia: it is caused by microorganisms other than common pneumonia, such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae; Community pneumonia: it is a serious lung infection that is caught outside the hospital or in the first 48 hours of hospitalization;? Hospital pneumonia: when pneumonia develops while the individual is hospitalized or up to 72 hours after discharge.
Pneumonia is a contagious disease but it is not common for children to pass pneumonia to others. The most common type of pneumonia in children is viral, which happens after a flu has worsened.
How to treat childhood pneumonia
Treatment for childhood pneumonia lasts about 2 weeks and can be done at home with oral antibiotics, such as Amoxicillin or Azithromycin, which depend on the child's weight.
In addition, some precautions in childhood pneumonia, which help treatment, include:
- Make nebulisations according to the doctor's instructions; Maintain a good diet with fruits; Offer enough milk and water; Maintain rest and avoid public spaces, such as a daycare center or school; Dress the child according to the season; Avoid drafts during and after the bath.
Hospitalization is reserved for the most serious cases in which it is necessary to undergo physiotherapy for childhood pneumonia, receive oxygen or have antibiotics in the vein.
The improvement of symptoms happens around the 2nd day of treatment, but the pediatrician must do an x-ray of the chest and a physical exam to confirm the cure of the pneumonia.
