Pneumonia kills more children than any other infectious disease. Many people associate pneumonia with the elderly, but it is actually the biggest infectious killer of children worldwide.
What are possible complications of pneumonia in a child? Pneumonia can be a life-threating illness. It may have these complications: Severe breathing problems.
Like many infections, pneumonia usually produces a fever, which in turn may cause sweating, chills, flushed skin, and general discomfort. The child also may lose her appetite and seem less energetic than normal. Babies and toddlers may seem pale and limp, and cry more than usual.
Rest, over-the-counter pain medicine, healthy food, and plenty of fluids will help your child recover at home. Mild pneumonia often goes away in 2 to 3 weeks. Your child may need 6 to 8 weeks or longer to recover from a bad case of pneumonia. Follow-up care is a key part of your child's treatment and safety.
Children may be hospitalized for treatment if they have pneumonia if: They need supplemental oxygen. They have lung infections that may have spread to the bloodstream. They have chronic illnesses that affect the immune system.
These four stages of pneumonia are congestion, red hepatization, gray hepatization, and resolution, respectively.
Fever, sweating and shaking chills. Shortness of breath. Rapid, shallow breathing. Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough.
Pneumonia can be spread in several ways. The viruses and bacteria that are commonly found in a child's nose or throat can infect the lungs if they are inhaled. They may also spread via air-borne droplets from a cough or sneeze. In addition, pneumonia may spread through blood, especially during and shortly after birth.
What are Symptoms of Pneumonia in Babies? Typically, signs and symptoms of pneumonia include fever and cough. Some kids will also have chest pain, shortness of breath, wheezing, retractions (using extra muscles below and between the ribs to breathe) or faster breathing.
Other conditions in the mother, particularly infections, can also lead to brain damage in an infant. Urinary tract infections and bladder infections, influenza, pneumonia, rubella, syphilis, and herpes are examples of infections that can impact the infant.
Pneumonia can cause acute respiratory failure and is a relatively frequent cause of death in infants and pre-school age children, many of which are apparently “unexpected”, in that the child may not have seemed severely unwell prior to the collapse/death.
Treatment for pneumonia
If your child's pneumonia is caused by bacteria, they will be prescribed antibiotics. In mild cases of bacterial pneumonia, this medicine can be taken orally at home. Children with bacterial pneumonia usually improve within 48 hours of starting antibiotics.
It is hypothesised that severe pneumonia, including that resulting occasionally from adenovirus outbreaks, can damage ciliated airway epithelium in the growing lung, impairing airway clearance defences and setting up a cycle of repeated or persistent infection and inflammation involving airway infiltration by activated ...
Symptoms of pediatric pneumonia depend on the cause of the infection and several other factors, including the age and general health of the child. Rapid breathing, a high temperature and coughing are three of the most common signs of the condition.
A congested child will sleep best with their head and upper body raised up. You can raise the head of the bed frame on a 6-inch block.
Bacterial Infections in the Neonate
Neonatal sepsis and pneumonia account globally for approximately 500,000 deaths annually and almost 50% of deaths of infants 7 through 27 days of age. The mortality rate in developed countries also is substantial, estimated at 5% to 10%.
As pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, the most common symptoms are coughing, trouble breathing and fever. Children with pneumonia usually experience fast breathing, or their lower chest may draw in or retract when they inhale (in a healthy person, the chest expands during inhalation).
Also, everyone should visit the emergency room if they have: Difficulty breathing. Rapid breathing. Productive cough with pus or blood.
When to see a doctor. See your doctor if you have difficulty breathing, chest pain, persistent fever of 102 F (39 C) or higher, or persistent cough, especially if you're coughing up pus.
Mild pneumonia can be treated at home. It often gets better within 2 to 3 weeks. Severe pneumonia may need to be treated in the hospital until your child recovers. Usually, their hospital stay is just a few days.
Is Pneumonia Contagious? Yes, some types of pneumonia are contagious, meaning it spreads from person to person. Pneumonia is mostly spread when people infected cough, sneeze or talk, sending respiratory droplets into the air. These droplets can then be inhaled by close contacts.
Sepsis. Sepsis is a particularly dangerous pneumonia complication. A life-threatening condition, it can lead to tissue damage, organ failure, and death if left untreated. Those with chronic health problems or compromised immune systems are at higher risk of developing sepsis from an infection like pneumonia.
What Causes Pneumonia? Viruses, like the flu or RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), cause most cases of pneumonia. Kids with pneumonia caused by a virus usually have symptoms that happen over time and tend to be mild. Less often, bacteria can cause pneumonia.
The mortality rate for severe pneumonia is as high as 20% [4]. The principal cause of the death is respiratory insufficiency [5].
Pneumonia is contagious just like a cold or flu when it is caused by infectious microbes. However, pneumonia is not contagious when the cause is related to a type of poisoning like inhalation of chemical fumes.