Once the pneumonia was a fatal disease, but today, in the era of antibiotics, we can not say that it is definitively defeated. Especially hard pneumonia occurs in young children who have not yet fully developed immune system. For these children, some types of pneumonia can be deadly.
Why can begin pneumonia
The main cause of pneumonia or pneumonia in children
Pneumonia in children - the main symptoms for different ages
It is an infection. The causative agent of pneumonia may be streptococci, staphylococci, pneumococci and other bacteria. In recent years increasingly become a cause of pneumonia chlamydia
Chlamydia: insidious and widespread disease
, Parasites, fungi and viruses. Pneumonia caused by one or another pathogen, have their own characteristics. So, distinguish pneumococcal (lobar), staph, strep, mycoplasma, Chlamydia, viral, mycoplasmal (fungal) and other types of acute pneumonia. Sometimes acute pneumonia becomes chronic.
Lobar pneumonia
Lobar pneumonia affects children of all ages, but most often preschool and school age. It observed mainly in the spring and early summer. Cause its different types of pneumococci, hitting with the entire lobe.
Disease begins acutely, usually with a slightly pronounced inflammation of the nose and throat, chills, fever, headache. Cheeks rosy child, more with the side on which there is a focus of the disease. Often a child complains of chest pain, abdominal pain, vomiting, and constipation occurs. Initially, the cough is usually a weak, dry, but gradually it becomes wet, expectoration difficult. Sputum is a thick, viscous, mixed with blood, shortness of breath, difficulty develops cyanosis (blue) nasolabial triangle. This state lasts for 2-4 days, then the temperature gradually over several days, decreases.
Lobar pneumonia usually occurs favorably and ends in recovery. Unlike adult children to lobar pneumonia rarely joins pleurisy.
Acute staphylococcal pneumonia
Pathogens are various types of staphylococcus, often - Staphylococcus aureus. This is one of the most common forms of pneumonia in infancy, especially during the first six months of life. Get sick more often children with reduced immunity: prematurity, low birth weight, have suffered various infections, suffering from various chronic diseases. The disease is characterized by severe, particularly in children during the first three months of life.
For staphylococcal pneumonia characterized by acute onset, but it may be gradual. Often the first symptoms are inflammation of the upper respiratory tract: runny nose, cough, fever. Then join the signs of respiratory failure: dyspnea, cyanosis (blue), temporary cessation of breathing
Stop breathing (apnea) during sleep - upper airway obstruction
. Children marked a breakdown, pained expression on his face, vomiting, diarrhea, bloating, a complete lack of appetite.
With the increasing development of the disease appear dry or wet cough, sputum, sometimes with blood. High temperature. For staphylococcal pneumonia is characterized by a tendency to fester with the formation of abscesses (abscesses, bounded capsule) are generally small but scattered and the development of lesions of the pleura (the film covering the lungs) with its festering. Infants may arise and extrapulmonary suppurative complications in various organs. Sometimes this disease is lightning fast, and the baby dies within a few days.
The duration of the disease varies, but often it is delayed. In most cases, the disease ends happily, however, staphylococcal pneumonia is still one of the causes of infant mortality.
Acute viral pneumonia
Activators of pneumonia are different viruses. The child has a fever, dry cough or irritant with the meager amounts of sputum, and sometimes bloody. Respiratory disorders can be expressed in varying degrees. Proceeds such pneumonia usually benign and seldom gives complications.
Chronic pneumonia
Chronic pneumonia usually occurs after undertreated acute pneumonia, is not uncommon, especially at school age. It is characterized by a long progressive course, which is usually difficult to reflect on the physical and psychological development of children, limiting their ability to conduct appropriate to their age lifestyle.
Often with chronic pneumonia in children develop bronchiectasis - expansion at the ends of the bronchi, which worsens the course of the disease. In the early stages of chronic pneumonia is difficult to distinguish from chronic bronchitis
Bronchitis - protection if the body has malfunctioned
or prolonged acute pneumonia. The disease is characterized in waves, acute phase and attenuation of alternate, but sometimes there is a continuous progressive flow.
Treatment of pneumonia
In the treatment of acute pneumonia leading role for antibiotics, which are assigned in accordance with the sensitivity of the pathogens to them (determined on the basis of laboratory tests). Appointed as drugs that strengthen the immune system, expand the bronchi, reduces the viscosity of phlegm, expectorant. Once the temperature drops, join physiotherapy.
Treatment of chronic pneumonia in acute is the same as the treatment of acute pneumonia. In remission appointed physiotherapy treatments, massage, medical gymnastics, strengthens the immune system, and the maximum exposure to fresh air.
Galina Romanenko
