Infantile pneumonia

(Colloquially called pneumonia) and can be caused by viruses or bacteria. It is a common infection in children.

Causes of pneumonia

• Virus: The main cause of pneumonia in children under two years of age are viruses: respiratory syncytial virus, influenzae virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus).
• BacteriaBacterial pneumonias are common in older children: pneumococcus, Haemophilus, influenzae and mycoplasma.
• Another less common cause pneumonia in our environment is caused by.

Symptoms of pneumonia

Symptoms of pneumonia, during the first few days, can

• Cough
• Discomfort
• Mucus.
• Progressively, a high fever appears, pain in the side or abdomen, and the cough becomes much worse. In some cases, it can cause shortness of breath.

Diagnosis

Pneumonia is diagnosed by pediatrician auscultation and an X-ray of the lungs. In some cases they may be necessary blood tests to find out the type of germ that has produced pneumonia.

If tuberculosis is suspected, a (skin test also called tuberculin that consists in injecting into the skin a substance of the bacteria that causes tuberculosis; if the child suffers from tuberculosis, the skin where the test has been done will become inflamed)

Treatment

Most cases of pneumonia are treated at home with antibiotics for 7 or 10 days. Offer plenty of fluids and give fever-reducing medicine. The cough medicine.

As it is very difficult to know if a pneumonia is viral or bacterial antibiotics are always given to prevent complications.

Normally pneumonia heals without problems, The complication of pneumonia is mainly the pleural effusion: it is the accumulation of fluid or pus in the space that exists in the pleura (membrane that covers the lung). In this situation the child has a worse general condition, intense pain in the chest and the fever does not go down with the usual treatment.

Warning signs

• Difficulty breathing
• Bad color: pale or bluish color of the child's skin and mucous membranes
• Inability to take antibiotic treatment: absolute rejection, vomiting
• Difficulty feeding
• Persistence of high fever 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment