Causes and symptoms of pneumonia in children

Inflammation of the lungs is a serious illness that affects both adults and children, even newborns. That is why every parent should know what are the symptoms of pneumonia in a child. After all, this disease is extremely dangerous, especially at such a tender age. And the sooner the treatment is started, the less likely the occurrence of certain complications.

Pneumonia in children and its causes

Before you learn about what are the symptoms of pneumonia in a child, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the main risk factors. The cause of pneumonia are different groups of bacteria and viruses. And the infection can get into the respiratory tract both directly from the external environment, and from other foci of inflammation in the body. For example, often pneumonia is a complication of colds, as well as measles, chicken pox, rubella, etc. In some cases, infection occurs during childbirth - in such cases, signs of inflammation are noticed already in the early days of the baby's life.

On the other hand, the general state of health is of great importance. Children with a weakened immune system, anemia, rickets, diseases of the central nervous system, heart defects, chronic diseases of the respiratory system are more prone to pneumonia.

Classification of pneumonia

To date, there are several classification systems for such a disease. Of course, in the first place, doctors pay attention to the nature of the pathogen - pneumonia can have bacterial, viral and even fungal origin. In addition, depending on the intensity of the symptoms distinguish between a severe and mild form of inflammation. Pneumonia can affect one lung (then talk about left- or right-sided inflammation) or be bilateral. In addition, the inflammatory process can affect one part of the lung (this is a shared pneumonia), several alveoli (alveolar), segments (segmental), etc.

Symptoms of pneumonia in children

In fact, the main signs, as well as their intensity, depend on both the form of inflammation and the general state of the child's body. Nevertheless, at the onset of the disease, body temperature rises (to 38-39 degrees). Shortness of breath and cough are also symptoms of a child's pneumonia. And the cough can be as dry, suffocating, and accompanied by a sputum discharge. Along with this, there are also the main signs of intoxication of the body: weakness, dizziness, headache, loss of appetite. In some cases, children complain of chest pain. In addition, if you undress and put the child on a horizontal surface, you can see the skin's entrainment in the spaces between the ribs during breathing - this is a dangerous sign.

As mentioned earlier, pulmonary pneumonia is an extremely serious disease. The clinical picture in this case is similar to bronchitis and some other diseases of the respiratory system. Therefore, with a fever, the appearance of dyspnoea and a child's cough, it is urgent to show the pediatrician - only after the examination the specialist will be able to make an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment of pneumonia

Certainly, in this case it is impossible to engage in self-medication - only the doctor can determine the peculiarities of therapy. And it is the doctor who will decide whether it is worthwhile to conduct treatment in a hospital. As a rule, to begin with, the baby is prescribed antibiotics - this is the only way to get rid of the infection. In addition, doctors use and drugs that eliminate the main symptoms - it is antipyretic drugs, as well as drugs that facilitate the departure of sputum.