Pneumonia: How To Identify Signs Of Pneumonia In Children?

 What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an acute form of respiratory tract infection that affects the lungs characterized by fast breathing, chest in drawing etc.

Pneumonia is a single largest cause of death in children worldwide.

How to identify the signs of Pneumonia in children?

Pneumonia symptoms can vary from so mild you barely notice them, to so severe that hospitalization is required. How your body responds to pneumonia depends on the type germ causing the infection, your age and your overall health.

The signs and symptoms of pneumonia may include:

Cough, which may produce greenish, yellow or even bloody mucus

Fever, sweating and shaking chills

Shortness of breath

Sharp or stabbing chest pain that gets worse when you breathe deeply or cough

Fast breathing

Loss of appetite, low energy, and fatigue

Nausea and vomiting.

Bacterial pneumonia, which is the most common form, tends to be more serious than other types of pneumonia, with symptoms that require medical care. The symptoms of bacterial pneumonia can develop gradually or suddenly. Fever may rise as high as a dangerous 105 degrees F, with profuse sweating and rapidly increased breathing and pulse rate. Lips and nailbeds may have a bluish color due to lack of oxygen in the blood. A child's mental state may be confused or delirious.

The symptoms of viral pneumonia usually develop over a period of several days. Early symptoms are similar to influenza symptoms: fever, a dry cough, headache, muscle pain, and weakness. Within a day or two, the symptoms typically get worse, with increasing cough, shortness of breath and muscle pain. There may be a high fever and there may be blueness of the lips.

Symptoms may vary in certain populations. Newborns and infants may not show any signs of the infection. Or, they may vomit, have a fever and cough, or appear restless, sick, or tired and without energy. They may even have a lower than normal temperature. For individuals that already have a chronic lung disease, those symptoms may worsen.

It's especially important to get medical attention for pneumonia if you are in a high-risk group, including children age two or younger, people with an underlying health condition or weakened immune system. For some of these vulnerable individuals, pneumonia can quickly become a life-threatening condition.

Click https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-BHlYyhAKDOPF0h2TWBAn-Gv3WEhKQs4/view?usp=drivesdk to download video stating the signs of Pneumonia in children.

How Is Pneumonia Diagnosed?

Sometimes pneumonia can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms are so variable, and are often very similar to those seen in a cold or influenza. To diagnose pneumonia, and to try to identify the germ that is causing the illness, your doctor will ask questions about your medical history, do a physical exam, and run some tests.

   Medical history

To help figure out if your infection is caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, you may be asked some questions about possible exposures, such as:

Any recent travel

Contact with animals

Exposure to other sick people at home, work or school

Whether child have recently had another illness.

Physical exam

Doctor will listen to lungs sound with a stethoscope. If child has pneumonia, his/her lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds during inhalation.

  Diagnostic Tests

If your doctor suspects you may have pneumonia, they will probably recommend some tests to confirm the diagnosis and learn more about your infection. These may include:

Blood tests to confirm the infection and to try to identify the germ that is causing your illness.

Chest X-ray to look for the location and extent of inflammation in your lungs.

Pulse oximetry to measure the oxygen level in your blood. Pneumonia can prevent your lungs from moving enough oxygen into your bloodstream.

Sputum test on a sample of mucus (sputum) taken after a deep cough, to look for the source of the infection.

If you are considered a high-risk patient because of your age and overall health, or if you are hospitalized, the doctors may want to do some additional tests, including:

CT scan of the chest to get a better view of the lungs and look for abscesses or other complications.

Arterial blood gas test, to measure the amount of oxygen in a blood sample taken from an artery, usually in your wrist. This is more accurate than the simpler pulse oximetry.

Pleural fluid culture, which removes a small amount of fluid from around tissues that surround the lung, to analyze and identify bacteria causing the pneumonia.

Bronchoscopy, a procedure used to look into the lungs' airways. If you are hospitalized and your treatment is not working well, doctors may want to see whether something else is affecting your airways, such as a blockage. They may also take fluid samples or a biopsy of lung tissue.

How Pneumonia is treated?

Your doctor can tell you which treatment is right for you.

If you have bacterial pneumonia, you’ll get antibiotics. Make sure you take all of the medicine your doctor gives you, even if you start to feel better before you’re through with it.

If you have viral pneumonia, antibiotics won’t help. You’ll need to rest, drink a lot of fluids, and take medicine for your fever.

If your symptoms are severe or if you have other conditions that make you more likely to have complications, your doctor may send you to the hospital. 

With any kind of pneumonia, recovery will take time. You’re going to need lots of rest. You might need a week off your usual routines, and you could still feel tired for a month.

Prevention of Pneumonia.

*Pneumonia in children can be prevented if a child received complete three doses of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) as scheduled. That is, six weeks after birth; ten weeks after birth; then fourteen weeks after birth.

*Avoid overcrowded place

*Avoid contact with mucus membrane secretions from the infected person.

* Improve personal hygiene.

Sources

www.kidshealth.com

www.lungs.org