Symptoms of pneumonia in infants and children

Babies often get pneumonia. This is a disease that is very common in babies. Although it is a common disease in children, if it is not treated at the right time, it can prove to be dangerous. According to the World Health Organization, the death rate from pneumonia among children under the age of five was 16 percent in 2015.

In this article, we will discuss in detail pneumonia in children. First, we will know what is pneumonia and after that, we will talk about the symptoms of pneumonia, causes of pneumonia, and treatment of pneumonia as well as other topics related to it.

Let us first know what is pneumonia.

What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia is also called pleurisy. This is a chest or lung infection. It can sometimes affect one or both lungs. In this disease, there is swelling in the lungs, and fluid is also filled, which affects the alveoli. Due to this, the child complains of cough, and phlegm and has difficulty in breathing.

Let us now know how many types of pneumonia are there.

different types of pneumonia

There are two types of pneumonia, such as:

Lobar pneumonia: Lobar pneumonia affects one or more parts of the lungs.

Bronchial pneumonia: This causes rashes in both the lungs.

What is Walking Pneumonia?

Walking pneumonia is mild pneumonia, which is usually caused by mycoplasma bacteria or sometimes some other bacteria. Hence, it is named walking pneumonia. Symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of walking pneumonia are similar to those of normal pneumonia. If it is ignored, it can take the form of common pneumonia. It is mostly found in children under five years of age.

causes of pneumonia in children

There can be three causes of pneumonia such as - bacteria, viruses, and fungal (4). Below are the most likely causes of pneumonia from each category:

1. Pneumonia Causing Bacteria

Streptococcus pneumonia

mycoplasma pneumonia

Group A and Group B Streptococcus

staphylococcus aureus

pneumococcal pneumonia

2. Cause of Viral Pneumonia

respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)

Influenza

rhinovirus

parainfluenza

adenovirus

3. Cause of Fungal Pneumonia

pneumocystis jirovecii

coccidioidomycosis

histoplasmosis

cryptococcus

Let us tell you that viral pneumonia is common pneumonia in children. On the other hand, fungal pneumonia affects children with weak immunity more.

Which children are at higher risk of getting pneumonia?

Many factors increase the risk of pneumonia in a child. Below we are going to talk about these in detail:

Children under the age of two are at a higher risk of developing pneumonia, as their immunity is not fully developed by that time.

Children who are exposed to excessive smoke and pollution may have trouble with their lungs, which increases the risk of pneumonia. This problem is more common in children under the age of one year.

Some babies develop pneumonia during birth. Exposure to group B streptococcus during delivery can cause pneumonia in the baby.

Children who have a weakened immune system due to HIV-AIDS or cancer treatment have a higher risk of infection.

Problems like cystic fibrosis and asthma affect the lungs, increasing the risk of infection.

Those who already have infections in their lungs are at increased risk of pneumonia.

Sometimes young children may aspirate milk or certain foods (due to underdeveloped airways and incorrect breastfeeding position). In this, milk gets into the airways or lungs, which can result in lung infection or pneumonia.

Symptoms of Pneumonia in Children |

Symptoms of pneumonia can be different in each child. It depends on what caused pneumonia. At the beginning of pneumonia, the following symptoms can be seen:

Cough with mucus.

rapid respiratory rate

Chest pain while coughing.

Vomiting or diarrhea

Loss of appetite

To be tired

Having a fever

Apart from this, these symptoms can also be seen in pneumonia. The child should be taken to the doctor if these symptoms are observed:

If the child feels cold even in the summer season.

burning in the chest

blue discoloration of hands, feet, lips, or nose

If the child's breathing is rapid.

If there is a loud and whistling sound while breathing.

If the child has a fever, is sweating and shivering.

He has a severe cough and is coughing up brown, thick yellow, or green mucus. In case of any traces of blood along with the mucus, contact the doctor immediately.

The child has lost appetite or is not eating anything.

If such symptoms are seen, take the child to the doctor immediately and get the right treatment. Otherwise, this problem may increase.

How is pneumonia in infants and children diagnosed?

If the above-mentioned symptoms are seen in the child, then the doctor checks for pneumonia in this way:

Assessing the symptoms: The doctor will ask about the baby's symptoms and chronic medical problems. Also, know if the baby has been exposed to smoke and dusty areas.

Physical examination: During this, the doctor will examine the baby's breathing with a stethoscope. In this, the doctor can also do a pulse oximeter test. In this, a clip-like device is placed on the child's finger. This measures the level of oxygen in the blood. If the level of oxygen in the blood is low, it can be a sign of lung and respiratory problems.

Chest X-ray: The doctor can also check for pneumonia by doing a chest X-ray. This also makes it easier to understand whether it is lobular pneumonia or bronchopneumonia.

Sputum test: In this test, a sample of the baby's sputum is taken and sent to the lab for examination.

Blood tests: A blood test counts white blood cells, which build up in large numbers during an infection.

Invasive tests: Sometimes the doctor may also do a CT scan, bronchoscopy, and a pleural fluid culture for an accurate diagnosis.

How is pneumonia in children treated? , Nimoniya Ka Ilaj For Baby

For the treatment of pneumonia in children, the doctor may prescribe the following medicines keeping in mind its cause:

If the child has bacterial pneumonia, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics. The amount of this medicine and for how many days depends on how advanced the pneumonia is. At the same time, in severe cases, the child can also be admitted to the hospital.

Antifungal and antiparasitic medication: If the cause of pneumonia is fungal and parasitic, then antifungal and antiparasitic medicines can be given to the child.

Supportive treatment: The doctor may also give a dose of paracetamol to the child during pain and fever. The doctor may also give cough syrup to get relief from the cough.

Apart from this, give maximum rest to the child. The more rest the child takes when he is sick, the sooner he will be able to recover from the disease.

At the same time, if the child has to be admitted to the hospital, then there he can be treated like this:

If the child is dehydrated, fluids are given.

Antibiotics are given to the child through a drip.

Physiotherapy and nebulizer therapy can be given to removing phlegm from the baby's lungs.

Oxygen therapy is used to deliver oxygen.

home remedies for pneumonia in children

Many home remedies can be used in case of pneumonia in a child. Below we are telling about these home remedies:

Turmeric: Turmeric is considered very beneficial for the child to get relief from pneumonia. Turmeric has antibacterial properties, which help to keep away from many diseases. In case of pneumonia, mix some turmeric in lukewarm water and apply it to the chest of the child. This will give relief to the child (1).

Garlic paste: Garlic is also considered effective for pneumonia (2). For this, make a paste by grinding some cloves of garlic and apply it to the chest of the child before sleeping at night. This will give warmth to the child's body and the phlegm will come out.

Cloves: If your child takes solid food, cloves can benefit him in pneumonia. For this, boil 5-6 cloves, of black pepper and one gram of soda in a glass of water. Give this mixture to your child twice a day. Apart from this, applying clove oil to the chest can also give relief to the child (2).

Basil: Basil has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties (3). If the child takes solid food, during this time grind some basil leaves and extract its juice. Giving a small quantity of basil juice to the child twice a day provides relief from pneumonia.

Note: Since pneumonia and the physical condition of every child is different, in such a situation, before adopting these measures, consult a doctor once.

What can I do to prevent my child from getting pneumonia?

There are several ways by which you can help prevent your child from getting pneumonia. By taking some precautions, the child can be saved from this disease, such as:

Complete vaccination: To protect a child from pneumonia, it is most important that he gets all the necessary vaccinations in childhood. Applying the pneumococcal vaccine (PCV) provides protection against pneumonia, septicemia (a type of infection), meningitis (a brain-contagious disease that occurs mostly in children), and in some cases of blood poisoning. In addition, injections of diphtheria, whooping cough, and HIV help prevent pneumonia.

Pay attention to cleanliness: You also have to pay attention to personal cleanliness in order not to spread bacteria. Always cover your mouth and nose while sneezing and coughing. Apart from this, keep washing the hands of the child from time to time.

Keep away from pollution: To stay away from respiratory problems, you must keep your child away from dusty, soiled, and polluted places. Do not allow the child to be in an environment where people smoke around. Due to this, they can catch respiratory problems quickly.

Provide adequate nutrition: To avoid any kind of disease, the child must be given adequate nutrition so that his immunity becomes strong and he can fight against diseases. If the baby is under six months, breastfeed him regularly, as breastmilk contains antibodies, which help to strengthen the immune system. Whereas, if the child eats solid food If yes, then feed him the necessary nutrients in plenty.

Keep away from a crowded place: Keep the child away from the crowded place. The risk of spreading infection is high in such places.

As soon as the symptoms of pneumonia are seen in the child, he should be treated immediately. Hope you have got all the information related to pneumonia in babies in this article. Therefore, exercise caution and get the child treated by keeping the above-mentioned things in mind when symptoms appear. Hope the information given in this article will be helpful for you. To get such other information related to children, you can also read other articles published on our website.