Pneumonia in Children
By: Paul FryattTotal Views: 74, Word Count: 616,
It is diagnosed that 4 percent of children in the US suffer from pneumonia each year. Majority cases of pneumonia in children take place in children under age of 12 months. It is studied that every child can get pneumonia more than once in a year as a result of immune system disorders. This can be treated at home, but if it gets unnoticed, then it can become a life threatening experience. In this case, the child needs to be admitted for IV fluids, IV antibiotics, oxygen therapy or to help them for breathing. Pneumonia in children can lead to pleural effusion or empyema.
Important Aspects of Pneumonia in Children
- Keep in mind that sometimes fever can be the only symptom of pneumonia in children.
- Pneumonia in children is defined as an infection of the lungs caused by different types of microorganisms or viruses, fungi, bacteria and parasites.
- Condition of pneumonia takes palace when the upper respiratory tract infection begins. This can be followed by appearance of the symptoms of pneumonia which include a cold or sore throat for 2-3 days.
Signs and Symptoms of Pneumonia in Children
Symptoms of pneumonia in children vary with the individual depending upon the age of the child. Common symptoms of pneumonia are as follows:
- Fever
- Chills
- Cough
- Rapid breathing
- Breathing with grunting or in some cases wheezing sounds
- Labored breathing
- Vomiting
- Chest pain
- Abdominal pain
- Decreased activity
- Loss of appetite
- Poor feeding (in infants)
- In extreme cases, bluish or gray color of the lips
When pneumonia is caused by bacteria, the child becomes sick experiencing high fever. When it is caused by virus, symptoms appear very slowly and are often less severe than bacterial pneumonia. Respiration with wheezing is known to be more common in viral pneumonia.
Viruses that cause pneumonia in children are adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, rhinovirus and para-influenza virus.
Incubation of Pneumonia
The incubation period for pneumonia directly depends upon the type of virus or bacteria which is present in the body. It is represented as below:
· Respiratory syncytial virus, 4 to 6 days
· Influenza, 18 to 72 hours
Duration of Pneumonia
Pneumonia can be successfully cured within 1 to 2 weeks. But viral pneumonia can last for a little longer. Along with this, Mycoplasmal pneumonia takes 4 to 6 weeks to recover completely.
Prevention of Pneumonia in Children
· There are many vaccines available in the market which can prevent pneumonia in children.
· Kids can receive normal immunizations against Haemophilus influenzae and pertussis at 2 months of age.
· There are vaccines which can act against the pneumococcus which can cause bacterial pneumonia.
· It is known that children with chronic illnesses can frequently get infected by pneumonia, so additional vaccines or protective immune medications are also available to protect them.
· Along with this, antiviral medication is recently available so as to prevent some types of viral pneumonia and its symptoms.
So keep in mind that if your child is having trouble breathing or has a bluish - gray color to the lips with 102° Fahrenheit fever, please call the doctor as soon as possible as he/she is the suspect of having virus causing pneumonia in children.
About the Author
Paul Fryatt, M.D. has been in this profession from last 24 years. He made great achievements in his profession. He made an initiative to open a Family Allergy Clinic in 1985 to help his patients who were not reacting to traditional allergy treatment programs. Moreover he has explored the treatment to overcome allergy symptoms to reclaim quality of life through his convenient, no-shots therapy.
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