How is pneumonia in children?

Pneumonia in a child - symptoms, treatment, causes


Inflammation of the lungs or pneumonia is one of the most common acute infectious and inflammatory diseases of a person. Moreover, the concept of pneumonia does not include various allergic and vascular lung diseases, bronchitis, and also pulmonary function disorders, caused by chemical or physical factors (injuries, chemical burns).

Especially often there are pneumonia in children, the symptoms and signs of which are reliably determined only on the basis of X-ray data and a general blood test. Pneumonia among all pulmonary pathologies in young children is almost 80%. Even with the introduction of progressive technologies in medicine - the discovery of antibiotics, improved methods of diagnosis and treatment - until now this disease is among the top ten most frequent causes of death. According to statistics in various regions of our country, the incidence of pneumonia in children is, %.

When and why can a child develop pneumonia?

Lungs in the human body perform several important functions. The main function of the lungs is the gas exchange between the alveoli and the capillaries, which envelop them. Simply put, oxygen from the air in the alveolus is transported to the blood, and from the blood carbon dioxide enters the alveolus. They also regulate body temperature, regulate blood coagulability, are one of the filters in the body, contribute to the purification, removal of toxins, disintegration products arising from various traumas, infectious inflammatory processes.

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And when food poisoning, a burn, a fracture, surgical interventions occur, in case of any serious injury or disease, there is a general decrease in immunity, it is easy to cope with the filtration load toxins. That is why very often after a child has suffered or is suffering from injuries or poisonings, pneumonia occurs.

The most common pathogens are pathogens - pneumococci, streptococci and staphylococci, and recently cases of lung inflammation from such pathogens as pathogenic fungi, legionella (usually after staying at airports with artificial ventilation), mycoplasma, chlamydia, which are not often mixed, associated.

Pneumonia in a child, as an independent disease that occurs after a serious, strong, prolonged hypothermia, it is extremely rare, as parents try not to allow such situations. As a rule, in most children, pneumonia occurs not as a primary disease, but as a complication after an acute respiratory viral infection or influenza, less often other diseases. Why is this happening?

Many of us believe that acute viral respiratory diseases in the last decades have become more aggressive, dangerous their complications. Perhaps this is due to the fact that both viruses and infections have become more resistant to antibiotics and antiviral drugs, so they are so hard for children and cause complications.

One of the factors contributing to the increase in the incidence of pneumonia in children in recent years has been the overall poor health in the younger generation - how many children are born with congenital pathologies, malformations, lesions of the central nervous system. Especially severe pneumonia occurs in premature or newborn babies, when the disease develops against the background of intrauterine infection with insufficiently formed, not mature respiratory system.

In congenital pneumonia, the herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus, mycoplasmas are not infrequently causative agents, and with infection during labor, chlamydia, group B streptococci, opportunistic fungi, E. coli, Klebsiella, anaerobic flora, when infected with hospital infections, pneumonia begins on day 6 or 2 weeks after birth.

Naturally, pneumonia often happens in cold weather, when the organism is subjected to seasonal adjustment from heat to cold and vice versa, there are overloads for immunity, at this time there is a lack of natural vitamins in foods, temperature changes, damp, frosty, windy weather contribute to children's hypothermia and their infection.

In addition, if a child suffers from any chronic diseases - tonsillitis, adenoids in children, sinusitis, dystrophy, rickets (see. rickets in infants), cardiovascular disease, any severe chronic pathologies, such as congenital lesions central nervous system, malformations, immunodeficiency states - significantly increase the risk of developing pneumonia, weighed down its course.

The severity of the disease depends on:

  • Extensibility of the process (focal, focal, draining, segmental, lobar, interstitial pneumonia).
  • The child's age, the younger the baby, the narrower the airways, the less intense gas exchange in the child's body and the heavier the course of pneumonia.
  • Places where and for what reason there was a pneumonia:
    - community-acquired: most often have an easier flow
    - hospital: more severe, because it is possible to infect bacteria resistant to antibiotics
    - Aspiration: when inhaled foreign objects, mixture or milk.
  • The most important role in this is played by the general health of the child, that is, his immunity.

Improper treatment of influenza and ARVI can lead to pneumonia in the child

When a child falls ill with an ordinary cold, SARS, influenza - the inflammatory process is localized only in the nasopharynx, trachea and larynx. With a weak immune response, and also if the causative agent is very active and aggressive, and the treatment in the child is carried out incorrectly, the process of reproduction of bacteria descends from the upper respiratory tract to the bronchi, then bronchitis. Further, the inflammation can affect the lung tissue, causing pneumonia.

What happens in the body of a child in a viral disease? Most adults and children in the nasopharynx always have different opportunistic microorganisms - streptococci, staphylococci, without causing harm to health, because local immunity holds them back growth.

However, any acute respiratory disease leads to their active reproduction and with the correct action of the parents during the illness of the child, immunity does not allow their intensive growth.

What should not be done during ARVI in the child, so as not to cause complications:

  • You can not use antitussives. Coughing is a natural reflex that helps the body to clear the trachea, bronchi and lungs from mucus, bacteria, toxins. If for the treatment of a child, in order to reduce the intensity of dry cough, use antitussives that affect the cough center in the brain, such as Stoptosin, Broncholitin, Libexin, Paxeladin, then sputum and bacteria may accumulate in the lower respiratory tract, which ultimately leads to inflammation lungs.
  • It is not possible to conduct any preventive therapy with antibiotics for colds, with a viral infection (see. antibiotics for colds). Against the virus, antibiotics are powerless, and with opportunistic bacteria immunity should cope, and only when complications arise according to the doctor's appointment is shown their use.
  • The same applies to the use of various nasal vasoconstrictors, their use contributes to a faster penetration of the virus into the lower respiratory tract; therefore, galazoline, naphthysine, sanorin should not be used in case of a viral infection safely.
  • Abundant drink - one of the most effective methods of removing intoxication, dilution of sputum and rapid cleansing respiratory tract is an abundant drink, even if the child refuses to drink, parents should be very persistent. If you do not insist that the child drink enough fluids, in addition, the room will have dry air - this will help to dry the mucosa, which can lead to a longer course of the disease or complication - bronchitis or pneumonia.
  • Permanent ventilation, lack of carpets and carpeting, daily wet cleaning of the room in which the child is, Humidification and air purification with the help of a humidifier and an air cleaner will help to cope faster with the virus and prevent development pneumonia. As clean, cool, moist air helps to dissolve sputum, quickly remove toxins with sweat, cough, wet breath, which allows the child to recover faster.

Acute bronchitis and bronchiolitis - differences from pneumonia

With SARS usually the following symptoms:

  • High temperature in the first 2-3 days of the disease (see Fig. antipyretics for children)
  • Headache, chills, intoxication, weakness
  • Qatar upper respiratory tract, runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat (it does not always happen).

In acute bronchitis with Orvy, the following symptoms may occur:

  • Minor increase in body temperature, usually up to 38C.
  • First the cough is dry, then it becomes wet, there is no shortness of breath, unlike pneumonia.
  • Breathing becomes hard, on different sides there are variously scattered rales that change or disappear after coughing.
  • On the roentgenogram, the intensification of the pulmonary pattern is determined, the structure of the roots of the lungs decreases.
  • There are no local changes in the lungs.

Bronchiolitis occurs most often in children up to a year:

  • The difference between bronchiolitis and pneumonia can be determined only by X-ray examination, based on the absence of local changes in the lungs. According to the clinical picture, the acute symptoms of intoxication and the increase in respiratory insufficiency, the appearance of dyspnoea - very much resemble pneumonia.
  • In bronchiolitis, the breathing in a child is weakened, shortness of breath with the help of an auxiliary musculature, nasolabial the triangle becomes a bluish hue, a common cyanosis is possible, a pronounced pulmonary-cardiac failure. When listening to a boxed sound is detected, the mass of scattered small bubbling rales.

Signs of pneumonia in the child

With a high activity of the causative agent of the infection, or with a weak immune response of the body to it, when even the most effective preventive medical measures do not stop inflammatory process and the child's condition worsens, parents can for some symptoms guess that the child needs more serious treatment and urgent examination doctor. In this case, in no case should not begin treatment by any popular method. If it really is pneumonia, it will not only not help, but the condition may worsen and time for adequate examination and treatment will be missed.

Symptoms of pneumonia in a child 2 - 3 years and older

How to identify attentive parents with a cold or viral illness that it is necessary to urgently call a doctor and suspect a pneumonia in the child? Symptoms that require an X-ray diagnosis:

  • After Orvi, influenza within 3-5 days there is no improvement or after a slight improvement again there is a temperature jump and increased intoxication, coughing.
  • Lack of appetite, sluggishness of the child, sleep disturbance, capriciousness persist within a week after the onset of the illness.
  • The main symptom of the disease remains a strong cough.
  • The body temperature is not high, but the baby has shortness of breath. In this case, the number of breaths per minute in a child increases, the rate of breaths per minute in children aged 1-3 years 25-30 breaths, children 4-6 years - a rate of 25 breaths per minute, if the child is in a relaxed calm condition. With pneumonia, the number of breaths becomes larger than these figures.
  • With the other symptoms of a viral infection - cough, temperature, cold, severe pallor of the skin is observed.
  • If the temperature is high for more than 4 days and antipyretic agents such as Paracetamol, Efferalgan, Panadol, Tylenol are not effective.

Symptoms of pneumonia in infants, children under one year of age

The onset of the disease can be noticed by the mom by changing the behavior of the baby. If the child constantly wants to sleep, become sluggish, apathetic or vice versa, a lot of naughty, crying, refuses to eat, while the temperature may slightly increase - mom should urgently turn to pediatrician.

Body temperature

In the first year of life, pneumonia in a child, a symptom which is considered to be high, not knocked down temperature, is different in that at this age it is not high, does not reach 3, or even 3, -3,. The temperature is not an indication of the severity of the state.

The first symptoms of pneumonia in an infant

This causeless anxiety, lethargy, decreased appetite, the baby refuses from the breast, the sleep becomes restless, short, there is a loose stool, there may be vomiting or regurgitation, a runny nose and a paroxysmal cough that worsens during crying or feeding child.

Child's breathing

Pain in the chest with breathing and coughing.
Sputum - with a damp cough, purulent or mucopurulent sputum (yellow or green) is secreted.
Shortness of breath or an increase in the number of respiratory movements in young children is a clear sign of pneumonia in a child. Dyspnoea in babies can be accompanied by nodding to the breath, as well as the baby blows his cheeks and extends his lips, sometimes there are foamy discharge from the mouth and nose. The symptom of pneumonia is considered to be the excess of the number of breaths per minute:

  • In children up to 2 months - the norm is up to 50 breaths per minute, more than 60 is considered a high frequency.
  • In children, after 2 months to a year, the norm is 25-40 breaths, if 50 or more, this is an excess of the norm.
  • In children older than one year, the number of breaths more than 40 is considered a shortness of breath.

The skin relief during breathing changes. Attentive parents can also notice the retraction of the skin during breathing, more often on one side of the patient's lung. To notice this, it is necessary to undress the baby and observe the skin between the ribs, it retracts when breathing.

With extensive lesions, there may be a lag of one side of the lung with deep breathing. Sometimes you can notice periodic stopping of breathing, disturbance of rhythm, depth, breathing frequency and the child's desire to lie on one side.

Cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle

This is the most important symptom of pneumonia, when the blue skin appears between the lips and the spout of the baby. Especially this sign is pronounced when the child sucks the breast. With severe respiratory failure, a slight blueing can be not only on the face, but also on the body.

Chlamydia, mycoplasmal pneumonia in children

Among the pneumonias, the causative agents of which are not banal bacteria, but various atypical representatives secrete mycoplasmal and chlamydial pneumonia. In children, the symptoms of such pneumonia are slightly different from the course of the usual pneumonia. Sometimes they are characterized by a hidden sluggish current. Symptoms of SARS in a child can be as follows:

  • The onset of the disease is characterized by a sharp rise in body temperature to 3, C, then a stable subfebrile temperature of -3, -3 is formed, or even a temperature normalization occurs.
  • It is also possible the onset of the disease with the usual signs of ARVI - sneezing, choking in the throat, a bad cold.
  • Persistent dry debilitating cough, shortness of breath may not be permanent. Such a cough usually occurs with acute bronchitis, and not pneumonia, which complicates the diagnosis.
  • When listening to a doctor, scanty data are usually presented: rare variegated rattles, pulmonary percussion sound. Therefore, according to the nature of wheezing, it is difficult for a doctor to determine atypical pneumonia, since there are no traditional signs, which greatly complicates the diagnosis.
  • In the analysis of blood in atypical pneumonia there may be no significant changes. But usually there is increased ESR, neutrophilic leukocytosis, a combination with anemia, leukopenia, eosinophilia.
  • On the x-ray of the chest reveals a pronounced enhancement of the pulmonary pattern, non-uniform focal infiltration of the pulmonary fields.
  • Both chlamydia and mycoplasma have a feature that exists for a long time in the epithelial cells of the bronchi and lungs, therefore, pneumonia usually has a prolonged recurrent character.
  • Treatment of atypical pneumonia in the child is carried out by macrolides (azithromycin, josamycin, clarithromycin), because the pathogens to them are most sensitive (to tetracyclines and fluoroquinolones, too, but they are children contraindicated).

Indications for hospitalization

The decision on where to treat a child with pneumonia - in a hospital or at home, the doctor takes, while he takes into account several factors:

  • The severity of the condition and the presence of complications - respiratory failure, pleurisy, acute disorders of consciousness, heart failure, falls AD, lung abscess, pleural empyema, infectious-toxic shock, sepsis.
  • The defeat of several lobes of the lung. Treatment of focal pneumonia in the child at home is entirely possible, but with croupous pneumonia treatment is best done in a hospital.
  • Social indications are poor living conditions, inability to perform care and doctor's prescriptions.
  • Age of the child - if the infant is sick, this is the reason for hospitalization, because the pneumonia of the baby is a serious threat to life. If pneumonia develops in a child under 3 years of age, treatment depends on the severity of the condition and most often doctors insist on hospitalization. Older children can be treated at home provided that the pneumonia is not severe.
  • General health - in the presence of chronic diseases, weakened overall health of the child, regardless of age, the doctor may insist on hospitalization.

Treatment of pneumonia in children

How to treat pneumonia in children? The basis of therapy for pneumonia is antibiotics. At a time when there were no antibiotics in the arsenal of doctors with bronchitis and pneumonia, a very frequent cause of death of adults and children there was pneumonia, therefore, in no case should one refuse to use them, no folk remedies for pneumonia are effective. From the parents it is required to strictly follow all the doctor's recommendations, the proper care of the child, the observance of the drinking regime, nutrition:

  • Reception of antibiotics must be carried out strictly in time, if the appointment of the drug 2 times per day, this means that there should be a break of 12 hours between meals, if 3 times a day, then a break of 8 hours (cm. 11 rules how to take antibiotics correctly). Antibiotics are prescribed - penicillins, cephalosporins for 7 days, macrolides (azithromycin, josamycin, clarithromycin) - 5 days. The effectiveness of the drug is estimated within 72 hours - an improvement in appetite, a decrease in temperature, dyspnea.
  • Antipyretics are used if the temperature is above 39C, in infants above 38C. Initially, antibiotic treatment of antipyretics is not prescribed, as the evaluation of the effectiveness of therapy is difficult. It should be remembered that during a high temperature in the body, the maximum amount antibodies against the causative agent of the disease, so if the child can tolerate the temperature of 38C, it is better not to knock down. So the body quickly cope with the microbe that caused pneumonia in the baby. If the child had at least one episode of febrile seizures, the temperature should be knocked down already at 3, C.
  • Nutrition of the child with pneumonia - lack of appetite in children during illness is considered natural and the child's refusal from food intake due to increased strain on the liver when fighting infection, so you can not force a child to feed. If possible, prepare light food for the patient, exclude any ready-made chemicals, fried and fatty, try to feed child simple, easily assimilated food - cereals, soups on a weak broth, steam cutlets from low-fat meat, boiled potatoes, various vegetables, fruit.
  • Oral hydration - in water, natural freshly diluted juices - carrot, apple, weakly boiled tea with raspberries, rose hips infusion, water-electrolyte solutions (Regidron and etc).
  • Airing, daily wet cleaning, use of air humidifiers - ease the condition of the baby, and the love and care of parents works wonders.
  • No restorative (synthetic vitamins), antihistamines, immunomodulating agents are not used, as often lead to side effects and do not improve the course and outcome of pneumonia.

Reception of antibiotics for pneumonia in a child (uncomplicated) usually does not exceed 7 days (macrolides 5 days), and if bed rest is observed, perform all the doctor's recommendations, in the absence of complications, the child quickly recovers, but for a month there will still be residual effects in the form of a cough, slight weakness. With atypical pneumonia, treatment can be delayed.

In the treatment of antibiotics in the body, the intestinal microflora is broken, so the doctor prescribes probiotics - RioFlora Immuno, Acipol, Bifiform, Bifidumbacterin, Normobakt, Lactobacterin. Analogues of Linex - a list of all probiotics). To remove toxins after the end of therapy, the doctor can prescribe sorbents, such as Polysorb, Enterosgel, Filtrum.

With the effectiveness of treatment for general regimen and walks, it is possible to transfer the child from the 6th to the 10th day of the disease, the hardening to resume after 2-3 weeks. With a mild pneumonia, large physical exertion (sport) is allowed after 6 weeks, with complicated after 12 weeks.

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The first signs of pneumonia in children and adults

Pneumonia is a disease that has an infectious origin and is characterized by inflammation of the lung tissue in the event of provoking physical or chemical factors such as:

  • Complications after viral diseases (influenza, ARVI), atypical bacteria (chlamydia, mycoplasma, legionella)
  • Effects on the respiratory system of various chemical agents - poisonous fumes and gases (see. chlorine in household chemicals is hazardous to health)
  • Radioactive radiation, to which infection is attached
  • Allergic processes in the lungs - allergic cough, COPD, bronchial asthma
  • Thermal factors - hypothermia or burns of the respiratory tract
  • Inhalation of liquids, food or foreign bodies can cause aspiration pneumonia.

The cause of the development of pneumonia is the emergence of favorable conditions for the multiplication of various pathogenic bacteria in the lower respiratory tract. The original causative agent of pneumonia is the aspergillus mushroom, which was the culprit of the sudden and mysterious deaths of researchers of the Egyptian pyramids. Owners of domestic birds or lovers of urban pigeons can get chlamydial pneumonia.

For today, all pneumonia is divided into:

  • out-of-hospital, arising under the influence of various infectious and non-infectious agents outside the walls of hospitals
  • hospital, which cause hospital-acquired microbes, often very resistant to traditional antibiotic treatment.

The frequency of detection of various infectious agents in community-acquired pneumonia is presented in the table.

Causative agent Average% detection
Streptococcus is the most frequent pathogen. Pneumonia caused by this pathogen is the leader in the frequency of death from pneumonia. 3, %
Mycoplasma - affects most children, young people. 1, %
Chlamydia - chlamydial pneumonia is typical for people of young and middle age. 1, %
Legionellae - a rare pathogen, affects weakened people and is the leader after streptococcus by frequency of deaths (infection in rooms with artificial ventilation - shopping centers, airports) , %
Hemophilus rod - causes pneumonia in patients with chronic bronchial and lung diseases, as well as in smokers. , %
Enterobacteria are rare pathogens, affecting mainly patients with renal / hepatic, cardiac insufficiency, diabetes mellitus. , %
Staphylococcus is a frequent pathogen of pneumonia in the elderly population, and complications in patients after the flu. , %
Other pathogens , %
The causative agent is not installed 3, %

When the diagnosis is confirmed, depending on the type of pathogen, the patient's age, the presence of concomitant diseases, a corresponding therapy, in severe cases, treatment should be performed in a hospital setting, with mild forms of inflammation, hospitalization of the patient is not is required.

Characteristic first signs of pneumonia, the vastness of the inflammatory process, acute development and danger of serious complications in untimely treatment - are the main reasons for the urgent circulation of the population for medical help. At present, a sufficiently high level of medical development, improved diagnostic methods, and a huge the list of antibacterials of a wide spectrum of action has considerably lowered a death rate from an inflammation of lungs (cm. antibiotics for bronchitis).

Typical first signs of pneumonia in adults

The main symptom of the development of pneumonia is a cough, usually it is first dry, obtrusive and persistent. protivokashlevye, expectorants with a dry cough), but in rare cases cough at the beginning of the disease can be rare and not strong. Then, as the inflammation develops, the cough becomes pneumatic with pneumonia, with a discharge of mucopurulent sputum (yellow-green color).

Any catarrhal virus disease should not last more than 7 days, and a sharp deterioration of the condition later 4-7 days after the onset of an acute respiratory viral infection or influenza indicates the onset of an inflammatory process in the lower respiratory ways.

Body temperature can be very high up to 39-40C, and can remain subfebrile 3, -3, C (with atypical pneumonia). Therefore, even with a low body temperature, coughing, weakness and other signs of malaise, you should definitely consult a doctor. Caution should be a repeated temperature jump after a light gap during the course of a viral infection.

If the patient has a very high temperature, one of the signs of inflammation in the lungs is the inefficiency of antipyretic drugs.

Pain with deep breath and cough. The lung itself does not hurt, as it is devoid of pain receptors, but involvement in the pleura process gives a pronounced pain syndrome.

In addition to cold symptoms, the patient has dyspnea and pale skin.
General weakness, increased sweating, chills, decreased appetite are also characteristic for intoxication and the onset of the inflammatory process in the lungs.


If such symptoms appear either in the midst of a cold, or a few days after the improvement, these may be the first signs of pneumonia. The patient should immediately consult a doctor to undergo a complete examination:

  • To pass blood tests - general and biochemical
  • To make a roentgenography of a thorax, if necessary and a computer tomography
  • Sputum for culture and sensitivity of the pathogen to antibiotics
  • Sputum for culture and microscopic determination of mycobacterium tuberculosis

The main first signs of pneumonia in children

Symptoms of pneumonia in children have several characteristics. Attentive parents may suspect the development of pneumonia with the following discomforts in the child:

  • Temperature

Body temperature above 38C, lasting for more than three days, not knocked down by antipyretics, there may also be a high temperature of up to 3, especially in young children. At the same time, all signs of intoxication are manifested - weakness, increased sweating, lack of appetite. Small children (as well as elderly people), can not give high temperature fluctuations with pneumonia. This is due to imperfect thermoregulation and immaturity of the immune system.

  • Breath

There is frequent shortness of breath: in children up to 2 months of age, 60 breaths per minute, up to 1 year, 50 breaths, after a year, 40 breaths per minute. Often the child spontaneously tries to lie down on one side. Parents may notice another sign of pneumonia in the child, if you undress the baby, then when breathing from the patient lung can be noticed the retraction of the skin in between the ribs and the lag in the process of breathing one side of the chest. There may be irregular breathing rhythm, with periodic stops of breathing, changes in the depth and frequency of breathing. In infants, shortness of breath is characterized by the fact that the child begins to nod his head in time with the breath, the baby can stretch his lips and inflate his cheeks, foamy discharge from the nose and mouth can appear.

  • Atypical pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs caused by mycoplasma and chlamydia differ in that first the disease passes like a cold, there is a dry cough, runny nose, swelling in the throat, but the presence of dyspnea and a stably high temperature should alert parents to the development pneumonia.

  • Character of cough

Because of the perspiration in the throat, only coughing can appear first, then the cough becomes dry and painful, which is amplified by crying, feeding the baby. Later, the cough becomes wet.

  • Behavior of the child

Children with pneumonia become capricious, whiny, sluggish, they are disturbed by sleep, sometimes can completely refuse to eat, and also to appear diarrhea and vomiting, in babies - regurgitation and rejection of breasts.

  • Blood test

In the general analysis of blood, changes are detected that indicate an acute inflammatory process - increased ESR, leukocytosis, neutrophilia. Shift of the leukoformula to the left with increasing stab and segmented leukocytes. In viral pneumonia, along with high ESR, there is an increase in leukocytes due to lymphocytes.

With timely access to a doctor, adequate therapy and proper care for a sick child or adult, pneumonia does not lead to serious complications. Therefore, at the slightest suspicion of pneumonia, the patient should be given medical care as soon as possible.

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Inflammation of the lungs in children: symptoms and treatment of newborns and infants

  • Symptoms in children 1-3
  • Symptoms in infants
  • Treatment

Inflammation of the lungs is an acute infectious disease of the respiratory system.Inflammation of the lungs in children can be primary and develop independently or secondary, that is develop as a consequence of another infectious disease, transferred earlier, for example, sinusitis or influenza.

A child of any age, even just born, can get sick of this infection.Today, there are many medicines to treat this disease, so the disease can be called not so dangerous than a few dozen years ago.

However, it is not necessary to relax, since pneumonia is a serious illness that must be treated on time and correctly, so as not to lead to a fatal outcome.

  • The cause of the disease can be bacteria, viruses, fungiand all kinds of parasites. In the lungs of a child, these organisms are through breathing.
  • The main factors of the disease are viral infections, as a result of which the immunity of the child becomes weak.
  • Respiratory infectionsincrease the amount of mucus and reduce their bactericidal activity, and air enters the lungs not so clean and moist. All this kills epithelial cells and reduces the immunity of the baby, so that all microbes and viruses calmly penetrate the respiratory tract, leading to an inflammatory process in the lungs.

At infection, in the lungs there is an edema of the small bronchus, because of which the air enters the body badly. And it is here that the process of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. The gas exchange process is hampered and oxygen is supplied to internal organs in insufficient quantity for normal functioning.

Important

A doctor who determines a child's lung inflammation should always determine the form and severity of the disease. Only in this way can an adequate treatment be prescribed that will give results and facilitate the treatment process.

Inflammation can be of several types:

  • Croupous- One lung is affected. Can be left-handed or right-handed. The baby immediately jumps to a temperature of 39-40 degrees. In the lungs and abdomen, pain is felt, a moist cough with phlegm appears, red rashes appear on the body;
  • Focal. It is diagnosed in children aged 1-3 years. It affects the entire area of ​​the lung. This form is considered secondary and appears as a result of the transferred bronchitis. The first symptoms are high fever, dry and deep cough. This type of disease can be cured only by prolonged intake of the necessary drugs. Treatment lasts 2-3 weeks;
  • Segmented. Partially affects the child's lung. When this child does not want to eat and play, sleeps badly, the temperature appears 37-38 degrees. Coughing can be practically non-existent, because of what often this type of illness is difficult to detect from the first days of appearance;
  • Staphylococcal. This type of infection infects newborns and babies up to one year. The main symptoms are shortness of breath, vomiting, coughing and wheezing with heavy breathing. ESR and leukocytosis in the blood test will be above the norm. With timely and correct treatment, the disease will begin to recede after - 2 months. After that, the baby undergoes a 10-day rehabilitation.

Inflammation: symptoms in children from one year to three

According to statistics, babies are more likely to suffer from inflammation.All this is explained by the underdeveloped respiratory system in children under three years old. The weight of the baby's organs is only being formed and developing, so they can not fully resist the infections. In children up to the age of three, lung tissue is not yet mature, the respiratory tract is small and narrow, and the mucous membranes are saturated with blood vessels, because of what instantly swell as a result of infection, which leads to a deterioration in ventilation lungs.

In addition, the ciliated epithelium still can not quickly remove phlegm, which becomes more numerous in the disease. As a result, the infection safely penetrates into the body, settles in the organs and multiplies, leading to severe inflammation.

About the inflammation of the lungs, parents can guess by certain signs and symptoms.If the disease does not recede, but on the contrary gaining strength. If the child's immunity weakens day by day and all the treatment procedures performed do not lead to the desired result, it is necessary to urgently show the child to the doctor and think about serious medication.

Important

It is not necessary in such cases to engage in self-medication and risk the health and life of the baby. This can only worsen a child's condition, and time for quick and painless treatment will be missed.

  • Symptoms of pneumonia in children aged two and three years are the same.
  • Parents should identify them in the shortest possible time and urgently call the doctor at home.
  • Within 3-5 days from the onset of the development of a cold or flu, the child's condition does not improve, the temperature constantly rises and cough intensifies.
  • The child refuses to eat, does not sleep well, is capricious and does not want to do anything about a week after the onset of the illness.
  • The main symptom is a strong strangling cough.
  • There may also be shortness of breath and a small temperature, indicating an inflammatory process in a small body.
  • The child begins to breathe frequently and intensively, but can not breathe normally.

Important

Children 1-3 years should do 25-30 breaths, at an older age the norm is reduced to 25 breaths per minute.

With pneumonia the baby breathes more often than usual.There is a cough, runny nose, fever and temperature. If more than three consecutive days the fever keeps, you need to take antipyretic drugs.

Inflammation of the lungs: symptoms of pneumonia in infants

Mom must constantly monitor the condition of her baby, as the inflammation of the lungs in newborns manifests itself immediately and it will be seen from the behavior of the child.

If the baby whimpers all the time, behaves sluggishly and indifferent to the world around him or cries all the time, does not want to eat and at the same time the temperature rises to the baby, it is necessary to show the child to the doctor.

Most often pneumonia is diagnosed in infants who are on artificial feeding. As well as this disease, children with diathesis, rickets and other diseases are susceptible.The main symptoms that talk about the inflammation of the lungs in infants:

  • Temperature. In the first year with pneumonia, the temperature may not be high, in contrast to older children. It can stay within 37 degrees, sometimes rising to 3 degrees. In addition, the temperature at this age will not indicate the severity of the disease;
  • Unnatural behavior. The kid behaves uneasily, reacts badly to others, refuses food and breast, while in his sleep he constantly turns and cries. Vomiting, diarrhea, runny nose and a strong cough may also occur;
  • Breath. The baby becomes painful to breathe. When coughing, purulent and mucous formations are prominent. There is shortness of breath and rapid breathing. Sometimes foam and discharge can go from the nose and mouth.

    Important

    The norm in newborns is 50 breaths per minute. From two months to one year, children make 25-40 breaths. If the number of breaths becomes larger, the baby may have pneumonia.

    You can also observe how the skin is drawn into the child during breathing. Usually this happens from the patient's lung. To do this, you need to undress the baby and see how the skin behaves between the ribs;

  • Cyanosisnasolabial triangle. This symptom is manifested by blue skin over the upper lip and under the nose. Especially the skin turns blue during breastfeeding.

Treatment of pneumonia in children

Children under three years of age who have been diagnosed with pneumonia can be treated both in the hospital and at home. It all depends on the severity of the disease and the condition of the small patient.

The doctor should identify the type of pneumonia, on the basis of which the risks of complications will be determined.

  • Inflammation of the lungs in children can be treated at home, if the baby is not intoxicated, not breathing and the work of internal organs.
  • In addition, the doctor should be sure that the child's living conditions will be favorable for his treatment and will not provoke complications.
  • In this case, the doctor must come to the patient every day until the condition of the baby can not be called satisfactory, but stable. If the child's improved condition lasts several days, the doctor can come to the patient once or twice a day.

Treatment of newborns and children up to3-хyears should be spent in a hospital.Also, under the constant supervision of doctors should be children with respiratory failure, rickets, immunodeficiency. Immediate hospitalization is carried out by children who do not experience any improvement within 1-2 days of treatment.

Children with pneumonia are assigned bed rest in a ventilated room with an air humidity of 50-60%.

  • The trunk and head of the child in a horizontal position should rise.
  • It is necessary to drink a lot, so that the blood liquefies and sputum forms, which removes the entire infection from the body.
  • A complex treatment is prescribed, the basis of which is antibacterial therapy.
Before prescribing antibiotics, it is necessary to determine the presence of allergic reactions to any kind of medications from the baby and its close relatives. Initially, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is selected, which the child will take up to pores until all test results are obtained and the pathogen and species are determined disease.

Usually, the course of taking antibiotics is7-10 days.In severe forms, the course can be prolonged. In addition, antifungal agents and probiotics with vitamins are prescribed to support the body and enhance immunity.

If antibiotics do not improve the patient's condition for two days, the drug is urgently changed to another. After the temperature subsides and ceases to rise, dyspnea and wheezing during breathing will also decrease, the treatment continues for a couple of more days. Reception of antibiotics is terminated only after the complete cure of the child.

In order for the sputum to leave the baby's body well, stimulating and coughing means are used, thanks to which the bronchial secretion is diluted and eliminated from the body.

To do this, use plant, synthetic and semi-synthetic medicines, the basis of which are medicinal plants.

Also, antipyretic agents may be prescribed:

  • Babies up to 3 months at a temperature of 38 degrees and febrile convulsions;
  • At a temperature of 39-40 degrees;
  • With toxicosis and poor condition of the child.

After recovery from a serious illness, the rehabilitation process begins, during which the child is prescribed curative breathing exercises, warm inhalations and chest massage.

The doctor must always monitor the condition of the baby and his internal organs.After recovery, you need to pass the necessary tests to determine the need to take medication to restore the normal functioning of all the organs of the child. During the year the baby should visit the pediatrician every month.

Interesting Facts

Every year, according to statistics, 150 million children aged 1-5 years and younger suffer from such an ailment as pneumonia. Of these, 70% of all cases are associated with viruses that can be treated without antibiotics, 20% are infected with bacteria, and only 10% of all diagnosed diseases require treatment in the hospital.

A doctor can determine the presence of pneumonia in a child according to the main signs, the results of a blood test and a lung X-ray. And first of all it is necessary to determine the causative agent of the disease. Dr. Komarovsky argues that pneumonia in children is not necessarily treated in a hospital.

Medical assistance is necessary only in the event of a child's poor state and if it begins to suffocate. There are specific symptoms in which you urgently need to see a doctor.

Dr. Komarovsky singles out a few:

  1. Cough became the main symptom of the disease;
  2. Impairment after improvement;
  3. Any catarrhal disease that lasts more than a week;
  4. Coughing attacks with deep breathing;
  5. Pronounced pallor of the skin;
  6. Shortness of breath and lack of antipyretic effect.

As it turns out, it is not always necessary to prick injections. There are many analogues in syrups and tablets, which also act effectively. Therefore, if a child can swallow tablets, it is not necessary to give him injections.

To prevent the disease the child must live and develop under normal conditions, eat balanced and walk more often outdoors.

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gajmorit.com

The main symptoms of pneumonia in infants

Pneumonia in the infant, the symptoms of which are diverse, has mechanisms of development that are very different from a similar ailment in an adult patient. If there are signs of pneumonia in the child, it is necessary to urgently lead him to the hospital, otherwise complications may occur, it will be possible to cope with it with great difficulty.If the disease is neglected in infants, the disease can lead to death.

The causes of pneumonia in young children

The main lesion occurs with various infections, which can be divided into the following types:

  1. Disease of bacterial character.
  2. Viral infection of the lung.
  3. Penetration of fungi into the body.
  4. Various physical and chemical causes.
  5. Drug poisoning.

In young children, the main damaging factor is pneumococci. The incubation period of this pathogen is 2-3 days. The infection clinic is manifested in a sharp increase in the child's body temperature to 37-41 ° C. At the same time, drowsiness or general malaise may occur. If you seek medical help on time, the disease will be cured within 2 weeks.

For babies and babies, the most dangerous are the so-called Legionella pneumonia. Their incubation period reaches 4 days. If the disease is not treated in time, then in the lungs focal lesions occur, and respiratory failure develops. Often in such cases, the child dies.

The individual characteristics of each child also play a big role in the course of the disease. If the baby from birth has a narrow cage of the thoracic region, then this can complicate the treatment, since it contributes to the rapid development of the disease. There is a lack of breathing, which leads to a deterioration in the child's condition.

How is the disease in premature babies?

At such kids most often all depends on the assimilation of mother's milk. If there are no complications, together with this product, the right amount of immunoglobulins gets into the body of the child, which forms the first line of protection against viral infections. With the development of pneumonia in this case, all the processes go in the same way as they manifest in children of the normal period of wear. With the timely detection of disease, the course of therapy, such children recover within 2 weeks.

If doctors deal with atypical forms of the disease, then everything is considerably complicated. Most often, the child develops a respiratory failure.

Preterm infants suffer with a general intoxication of all body systems, which leads to various pathological changes and often the death of a small patient.

Symptoms that characterize pneumonia in infants and newborns

The main signs of the disease during this period of the child's development:
  1. The body temperature of a small patient rises.
  2. There is a cyanosis on the skin.
  3. There is a sharp increase in the rate of sputum accumulation.
  4. The child is tormented by a persistent cough.
  5. The kid is often irritated and almost always crying.

It is necessary to mark the first signs of the disease in time and begin timely therapy. If this is not done in time, serious complications can arise that will lead to the need to use strong antimicrobials. And this, in turn, can lead to the appearance of a dysbiosis in a child.

The development of pneumonia in a newborn and infants begins with an incubation period that lasts no more than 4 days. During this period, in young children, the disease flows secretly, without any external manifestations. Therefore, at the first suspicion of pneumonia in the infant, the symptoms of which have not yet manifested itself, parents should show the child to the doctor.

This should be done because children of the first period of life do not have a formed system of immunity, and local protection works only at the expense of immunoglobulin, obtained through the mother's milk. If the baby is on artificial feeding, then this measure of protection is absent and, therefore, any infection can cause serious harm to the child.

How to recognize the signs of viral pneumonia in a child?

If the baby has congenital pneumonia, then her symptoms usually appear after a few days. The disease begins with a cough and a sudden increase in body temperature, which indicates the respiratory nature of the disease and can lead to medical error. If the treatment is not given in time with antimicrobial agents, the following symptoms will start to appear:
  1. The child refuses to eat.
  2. Constantly capricious.
  3. His rapid and strong breathing is heard.
  4. The baby always cries.

All of the above signs appear due to the high temperature. With the chest X-ray, such a child clearly sees foci of inflammation in the form of segments. If the child is premature, the size of the lesion is much greater.

Such a patient should be hospitalized, and he needs to undergo intensive antimicrobial therapy. But we must be cautious, since the baby can show dysbiosis and other complications.

Parents can determine the illness of the child by themselves. The symptoms that should alert them are the following:

  1. It takes breath because of asphyxiation (lack of air), the blueing of the skin begins.
  2. It is necessary to pay attention to the increased tearfulness of the baby.
  3. The child's temperature can rise to 40 ° C. Therefore, we must take him to a doctor.
  4. The baby has a decrease in the threshold of reflexes, for example, respiratory or sucking.
  5. The patient can suddenly drop weight, and the baby stops eating. There may be attacks of vomiting due to changes in the intestines of the child that occurred under the influence of pneumonia.
  6. The cardiovascular system responds to the disease by worsening blood flow in the so-called small circle. This is due to infiltrates in the tissues of the lungs. Pathology in the baby can be determined by the swelling of the feet and blue skin. The normal operation of the heart muscle may be disrupted.
  7. Pneumonia on the central nervous system of the child works in such a way that some children begin to become overly excited, while others, on the contrary, become sluggish and slow.
  8. The main sign that adults can detect in a child with viral infection of the lungs is a sharp decrease in appetite. In young children, this can manifest as diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting, as microbes affect not only the lungs, but also the intestines of the child.

How to recognize the inflammation of the lungs in a small child in time?

This can be done on the basis of the following features:

  1. In infants and babies, the elevated body temperature (about 40 ° C) lasts more than 3 consecutive days.
  2. The child coughs, and moisture is released in large quantities.
  3. The breathing of a small patient is gaining momentum. There may be a so-called groaning.
  4. The skin begins to turn blue on the face and in the area between the nose and lips.
  5. The kid refuses to eat.
  6. There are signs of a cold.

In all of the above cases, you need to call a doctor at home or take the child to the hospital. There experts will check the baby's lungs and, if necessary, hospitalize him. The most accurate way to determine pneumonia is chest x-ray, and it can only be done in a clinic.

In newborns, recognizing pneumonia is a difficult task, but you need to start treatment as early as possible. Often this disease is caused by chlamydia. These are organisms that penetrate cells that are difficult to destroy by antiviral therapy.

Diagnosis of the disease in clinical settings

First, doctors listen to the child's lungs, tap his chest. Then a series of analyzes are carried out:

  1. The blood is being examined.
  2. Biochemical data are taken.
  3. X-ray the chest of the child.
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When examining the blood, attention is drawn to the increased number of leukocytes that arise when a child's virus is damaged.

Biochemical parameters of blood are used to determine the effect of pathology on other organs and systems of the organism of a small patient. An increase in the level of uric acid may indicate a variety of disorders in the functioning of the kidneys. Radiography shows areas of damage in the patient's lungs and enables physicians to assess the extent of the disease.

respiratoria.ru

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