Pneumonia occurs for certain reasons, accompanied by severe deterioration in health, pain and weakness.

If treatment is not started in time, there may be serious complications. We will talk about the symptoms and treatment of pneumonia in children in the article.

Description and characteristics

According to experts, pneumonia is inflammatory process lung tissue. It has infectious nature, caused by viruses, fungi, pathogenic bacteria. Official name diseases - pneumonia.

The pathology is very dangerous as it develops quickly. In the early stages it resembles a common cold. Patients begin serious treatment, usually in the later stages.

With this disease lung tissue is significantly affected, which negatively affects the functioning of the entire pulmonary system.

When and why might it occur?

A person can get sick at any age. However Pneumonia most often affects children 2-5 years old. The disease occurs for the following reasons:

The disease occurs most often in the cold season. In autumn and winter, children become hypothermic and suffer from the flu and ARVI. Pneumonia may develop against the background of these diseases.

The risk group includes children who often catch colds. A child with low immunity has a huge chance of contracting pneumonia.

Premature babies, whose lungs are not fully developed, have defects, are also likely to get sick.

What is it caused by?

The causative agents of the disease are pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

To the most common harmful microorganisms relate:

• pneumococci;
• streptococci;
• staphylococci;
• legionella;
• mycoplasma.

As soon as these microorganisms penetrate the child’s body, they begin to actively influence it. First symptoms may appear the next day, but they can easily be confused with a cold.

However, there are cases when pneumonia occurs due to severe hypothermia. Inhaled frosty air can damage lung tissue and lead to inflammation.

The severity of the disease depends on the following factors:

1. Extensiveness of the process. It can be focal, focal-confluent, segmental, lobar, interstitial.
2. Age child. The younger the baby, the thinner his airways. Thin airways lead to poor gas exchange in the body. This contributes to severe pneumonia.
3. Localization, the cause of the disease. If the disease has affected a small part of the lungs, it is not difficult to cure it, but with severe damage respiratory system It is very difficult to treat a child. We must not forget that when the lungs are damaged by bacteria and viruses, it is difficult to get rid of the disease. Antibiotics may be needed.
4. Immunity child. The higher the baby’s immunity and the body’s protective functions, the faster he will recover.

How to treat obstructive bronchitis in children? Find out about this from ours.

Types and classification

Experts distinguish pathology by the area affected:

• focal. Occupies a small part of the lungs;
• segmental. Affects one or several segments of the lung at once;
• shared. Spreads to the lobe of the lung;
• drain. Small lesions merge into large ones and gradually grow;
• total. The lung is affected as a whole. The most severe form of the disease.

There are two types of the disease:

• one-sided. One lung is affected;
• bilateral. Both lungs are affected.

Symptoms and clinical picture

How to determine pneumonia in a child? The clinical picture appears quite clearly. TO general symptoms diseases include:

1. Coughing. May occur when deep breath. He becomes stronger, more intrusive. At the early stage of the disease, it is dry, then sputum appears.
2. Dyspnea. Breathing becomes heavy, shortness of breath torments the baby even without physical activity.
3. Fever. It is difficult to lower it, it stays around 39 degrees.
4. Runny nose. Happening copious discharge mucus from the nose.
5. Dizziness, nausea. The child refuses to eat and vomits. The baby turns pale and weakens.
6. Sleep disturbance. Frequent coughing prevents the child from falling asleep. He wakes up many times during the night.

Signs of the disease are also pallor skin, decreased performance, fatigue.

The baby refuses to play and lies down a lot. The disease leads to lethargy and severe weakness.

Babies under one year old the disease is very difficult to bear. Almost immediately the temperature rises to 39 degrees, there is intense fever and weakness.

How to recognize pneumonia in a baby? Infant cries, cannot sleep, refuses to eat. The baby's pulse increases, and it becomes difficult for the child to breathe. He puffs out his cheeks and stretches out his lips. Foamy discharge from the mouth is possible.

In older children there is a strong cough. The baby is capricious and feels sick. The child refuses food and turns pale. It is accompanied by fatigue and lethargy. He looks sleepy and is capricious. Nasal discharge is thin at first, but becomes thicker as the disease progresses.

Diagnostics

Diagnostics carried out in hospital. For this, the patient is examined, then the following is applied:

1. Blood analysis.
2. Sputum examination.
3. Serological tests. Helps identify the causative agent of the disease.
4. Determination of gas concentrations in arterial blood in patients with signs respiratory failure.
5. X-ray. Identifies lesions.

These diagnostic methods help to quickly establish a diagnosis and prescribe appropriate medications.

Helps make a diagnosis faster differential diagnosis. Pneumonia is distinguished from diseases that have similar symptoms:

• tuberculosis;
• allergic pneumonitis;
• psittacosis;
• sarcoidosis

The diseases are so similar that they can only be distinguished after laboratory tests.

Thorough examination of blood and sputum the patient helps specialists determine the pathology. At the first examination of the patient, it will not be possible to distinguish the above diseases from pneumonia.

Complications and consequences

If the disease is not treated, negative consequences may occur, which manifest themselves in the form of:

Indications for hospitalization

The condition during illness in children can be very serious. In some cases hospitalization is required. Indications for it are:

1. Severe fever.
2. Purulent process in the lungs.
3. High degree of intoxication of the body.
4. Serious difficulty breathing.
5. Dehydration of the body.
6. Presence of concomitant diseases. Exacerbation of chronic pathologies.

A child may also be hospitalized if they have a high fever that cannot be brought down with medication, or severe cough with signs of suffocation.

Treatment

How to treat pneumonia in children? You can cure your baby in various ways. There are many medications for this, but they are prescribed by doctors only after examining patients.

Drugs and antibiotics

Effective drugs against this pathology are:

• Amoxiclav;
• Azitrox;
• Klacid;
• Roxybid.

These funds fight fungi, bacteria and viruses in the child's body.

They destroy the cause of the disease and normalize the child’s condition. The dosage of drugs and duration of use are prescribed by a doctor.

If these drugs do not help, specialists prescribe antibiotics:

• Levoflox;
• Moximac;
• Unidox Solutab;
• Suprax;
• Tsedex.

They effectively fight the disease, eliminate unpleasant symptoms illness, the child’s condition returns to normal.

To treat cough and eliminate phlegm It is recommended to take ACC. The drug helps the child recover. Take the medicine one tablet 2-3 times a day.

Folk remedies

Helps eliminate the disease onion based products.

To do this, juice is extracted from a small onion. It is mixed with the same amount of honey.

The resulting product is consumed in a small spoon 2-3 times a day before meals.

Prepared to combat the disease garlic oil. To do this, grind two cloves of garlic to a paste and mix with 100 g of butter. The finished product should be consumed 2-3 times a day, spread on bread.

An effective remedy is decoction of honey and aloe. To do this, mix 300 g of honey, half a glass of water and crushed aloe leaf. The mixture is simmered over low heat for two hours. Next, cool the product and take a large spoon three times a day.

Physiotherapeutic

Includes the following methods:

• electrophoresis;
• inhalation;
• decimeter wave therapy;
• magnetic therapy;
• thermal procedures;
• inductothermy.

These procedures are performed in a hospital experienced doctors. For this, special devices are used. The doctor prescribes a certain number of procedures. The methods are usually used while the patient is in the hospital.

With their help, you can achieve incredible results: significantly improve the child’s condition and eliminate the symptoms of the disease. The baby will recover quickly. The body will be able to recover.

Prevention measures

1. Avoidance public places in the cold season. Usually, infection occurs in public places.
2. The child needs to be taken before the walk dress warmly. In frosty weather, it is better to avoid walking.
3. Healthy eating, taking vitamins. Will help strengthen the baby's body, boost immunity. Unhealthy food excluded from the child's diet.
4. Baby no contact allowed with a sick person. The child's body may soon become ill.
5. Moderate physical activity. Helps strengthen the immune system. Exercises in the morning and gymnastic exercises help.

The disease causes great harm children's body, leads to complications if treatment is not started on time. It is recommended that at the first symptoms of the disease you consult a doctor who will prescribe the necessary medications.

Doctor Komarovsky about pneumonia in children:

We kindly ask you not to self-medicate. Make an appointment with a doctor!

Pneumonia is a disease that can often be found in children of all ages. Pneumonia is a complex disease of the respiratory tract, both when establishing a diagnosis and when prescribing treatment. Everything will depend on how extensively the lungs are affected. Given the age, signs of pneumonia in a 3-year-old child may have their own characteristics. Based on the clinical severity of the disease, a diagnosis can be made immediately or it will require additional research. Symptoms and treatment for a child with pneumonia will be individual.

Pneumonia is an infection of the lung tissue. When the disease occurs, the infection penetrates into the lowest parts of the respiratory system, as a result of which the affected area of ​​the organ is not able to fulfill its function. respiratory function(assimilate oxygen, release carbon dioxide). Therefore, this disease is much more severe than other respiratory infections.

During illness, damage to the alveoli and lung tissue often occurs. Inflammation happens of various origins, it can be called:

Based on the area of ​​the disease, pneumonia can be:

• focal;
• segmental;
• share;
• drain;
• total.

When one of the lungs is affected, the inflammation is called unilateral. If there is inflammation of 2 lungs, then this is bilateral inflammation.

The disease can also develop independently or be a complication of a previous infection.

Factors of infection include:

• hospital (nosocomial) pneumonia;
• community-acquired;
• illness resulting from medical intervention;
• aspiration;
• atypical.

Treatment of pneumonia in children aged 3 years is aimed at eliminating the pathogen, reducing the manifestation of symptoms, and supporting the protective function of the body. The main thing is to correctly determine the factor in the development of the disease, then the treatment will be effective.

It is important to know that the contagiousness of the disease depends on the pathogen. Pneumonia is often contagious. This is a typical pneumonia that is caused by pneumococcus. In addition to pneumonia, this microbe affects the middle ear, manifesting itself as otitis media, and meningitis also develops. Even a patient who has had an infection can be an asymptomatic carrier of pneumonia. Therefore, you may not notice who became the carrier of the infection from which the child became infected.

However, the manifestation of pneumonia also depends on viral illnesses that last a long time. In this case, the bacterial disease is transformed into a viral infection, since the child’s immunity is reduced.

Causes of the disease

The disease in children may differ in manifestations and speed of development. It is often severe and requires inpatient treatment.

Pneumonia in young children is rarely contagious and more often manifests itself as a complication of sore throat or bronchitis.

Factors that contribute to the development of pneumonia in children aged 3 years.

1. Oxygen starvation of the baby during pregnancy or during childbirth.
2. Injuries, complications during childbirth.
3. Problems opening the lungs after birth.
4. Prematurity of the child.
5. Anemia, rickets.
6. Developmental delay.
7. Infection of the child's mother with chdamidia, herpes.
8. Weak immunity.
9. Heart disease.
10. Hereditary diseases.
11. Digestive disorder.
12. Lack of vitamins.

Pneumonia also develops when inhaling chemical fumes, allergic processes in the body, hypothermia, or overheating of the respiratory tract. In a three year old child various kinds processes that weaken organ tissue can provoke an inflammatory process.

Most often, the disease manifests itself against the background of acute respiratory disease or the flu. Due to the action of the virus, the body's protective function weakens, for this reason, painful microorganisms cause inflammation. Bacteria are present in the air, on surrounding objects, toys. Children can also become infected from a patient who has a purulent-inflammatory formation.

Children aged three years have difficulty coughing up mucus, which is why it accumulates in the organs, which leads to the development of pathogens.

Pneumonia in a child can be caused by incorrect treatment respiratory diseases. In this case, you shouldn't do it self-treatment child. This is especially true for preventive courses and antibiotic therapy.

Why does the disease recur?

Quite often the disease affects children as young as three years old. Recurrence of the disease is no exception. This occurs due to the fact that the causative agent of the disease has not been completely eliminated from the body. Therefore, during a decrease in the immune system, bacteria again cause an inflammatory process in the lungs.

Recurrences of pneumonia pose a danger to the child due to severe intoxication of the body.

The reasons that lead to relapse of inflammation include:

• chronic illnesses (heart defects);
• cystic fibrosis;
• the wrong drug is prescribed, which is aimed at combating bacteria during the treatment of primary manifestation pneumonia;
• weakened immunity.

If pneumonia often occurs in children, a full examination is necessary to identify the factor that contributes to the weakening protective function body.

Signs of the disease

With high activity of the infectious agent or with a weakened protective function of the body against this pathogen, when the use of effective medications does not bring a positive result, any parent can guess from individual symptoms that his child needs serious treatment and an urgent examination by a pediatrician.

Most often, the occurrence of pneumonia depends on the level and extent of infection of the organ. If the area of ​​inflammation is large and actively developing, then the disease can manifest itself clearly and be difficult to develop. In most cases, pneumonia does not develop severely and is treatable.

The main symptoms of pneumonia in a child aged 3 years are as follows::

• stuffy nose or runny nose;
• sneezing;
• weak and lethargic condition;
• constantly want to sleep;
• decreased appetite;
• pale skin;
• temperature increased;
• cough.

Focal (bronchopneumonia) is characterized by its occurrence as a complication or development of acute respiratory viral infection. The disease initially manifests itself as a common cold. The child has a runny nose, is snotty, and coughs. Relative to the rate of development of pulmonary disease, the infection drops lower. Rarely, viral infections initially affect the bronchi and then spread to the lungs. Then the microbial flora joins in, and the child’s health worsens after 5 days of illness.

The child suffers from shortness of breath, which occurs during physical exertion and while crying. Also, shortness of breath can occur, even in a quiet position and during sleep.

While the child is breathing, noises in the lungs can be heard from a distance. The wings of the nose are inflated, and breathing is also carried out by the muscles of the chest.

Basically, the disease is accompanied by an increase in temperature, it reaches 39 degrees, in some cases higher, it is not easy to lower it. Although in young children of this age, pneumonia can occur without temperature or with a decrease in temperature due to insufficient protective power of the body and temperature mechanisms.

In children of two years of age, convulsions occur during fever when the temperature is high and does not subside for a long time. Fever-reducing drugs in this situation have no effect.

Fever may be present for several days, even if treatment is prompt, since it is a typical symptom for this disease.

In some cases, a two-year-old child is active, so one may not immediately suspect the presence of pneumonia. Further, when the body is exhausted by compensatory mechanisms, the baby’s behavior changes, he becomes capricious and very excited. There are skin rashes. The child's skin is moist and hot when touched, bowel movements occur, he refuses to eat, which leads to vomiting. The cough is severe and can cause nosebleeds.

While examining the child, you can observe pale skin, blue discoloration is noticeable around the mouth and nose. He is restless, does not want to eat, sleeps a lot. When the doctor listens to the chest, symptoms of heavy breathing are allowed, which indicates an inflammatory process in the area of ​​the bronchi and upper paths breathing. In addition, small wheezing sounds are heard above the surface of the lungs. The wheezing is moist and does not go away when the child coughs. This is accumulated fluid in the alveoli, which slams against its walls.

It is possible to note the presence of tachycardia (increased heart rate), and possibly muffled heart sounds due to toxicosis. There may also be such symptoms:

• nausea;
• vomit;
• stomachache;
• diarrhea, which causes an intestinal infection;
• the liver enlarges;
• bloating of the intestinal loop.

With these signs, the child’s well-being is assessed as severe.

Symptoms can also be determined during additional examinations of the child.

1. Auscultation, listening to the lungs.
2. X-ray of the chest organs.
3. Blood test indicators.

In an X-ray of the lungs, the symptoms of the disease in children are determined by focal tissues with the contours of nerves, in addition, the pattern of the lung is enhanced, and an expansion of the pulmonary roots is noticed.

A blood test revealed an increase in ESR, elevated leukocytes, and a shift in the leukocyte formula.

How to treat the disease

Most often, pulmonary disease in children is treated in a hospital. The only treatment for inflammation is taking antibiotics, often in the form of injections.

Exists a large number of funds. The attending physician will decide which medications are appropriate for your child, based on the results of a thorough examination. When one of the prescribed antibiotics does not produce the desired result, the doctor will prescribe another.

It is important to follow the doctor's instructions and not shy away from using medications, because pneumonia is often the cause of death for the patient. The use of folk remedies as the main treatment does not have a positive effect, they are only an auxiliary component.

Antibiotics should be taken strictly on time. When prescribed to take the drug twice a day, you must wait 12 hours between doses. The following antibiotics are prescribed:

• penicillin - take 7 days;
• cephalosporin - take 7 days;
• macrolides (josamycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin) - take 5 days.

The effectiveness of the drugs occurs 72 hours after administration. The child's appetite improves, the temperature decreases, and shortness of breath goes away.

Temperature-reducing agents are used when the temperature exceeds 39 degrees. At the initial stage of disease development, antipyretics are not used, as they make it difficult to assess the effectiveness of treatment.

It is important to remember that at high temperatures the body produces the maximum amount of antibodies against the causative agent of the disease. Therefore, when a child is able to tolerate a temperature of 38 degrees, it should not be lowered. In this case, the body will quickly cope with the harmful microorganism that caused the illness in the child.

If episodes of febrile convulsions have been noticed, the temperature can be reduced at 37.5 degrees.

When children have no appetite during illness, this phenomenon is considered normal and refusal to eat food indicates a serious impact on the liver. Therefore, it is not worth forcing a child to eat. If possible, it is necessary to prepare light food. These can be porridges, soups, steamed cutlets, boiled potatoes, which are easily digestible, as well as vegetables and fruits. Fried, fatty foods should not be given.

Give your child fresh juices (from carrots, apples). It can also be raspberry tea, rosehip infusion, water, adding water-electrolyte solutions (rehydron) to the drink.

It is necessary to ventilate and wet clean the room every day. Use a humidifier, it will help alleviate the patient's condition.

You cannot use products that have restorative effect also antihistamines and immunomodulatory medications, as this can lead to side effects and will not improve the development and outcome of the disease.

During treatment antibacterial drugs the child experiences a disturbance in the intestinal microflora. In this case, the pediatrician will prescribe probiotics.

1. Rioflora Immuno.
2. Acipol.
3. Bifiform.
4. Normobakt.
5. Lactobacterin.

To remove toxins after treatment, the doctor may prescribe sorbents.

1. Polysorb.
2. Enterosgel.
3. Filtrum.

If the disease is caused viral infection, there is no need to take antibiotics. Requires treatment in the ward intensive care and oxygen respiration.

By following all the doctor’s instructions and observing bed rest, in the absence of complications, the child will recover, but a residual cough and slight weakness in the body will appear throughout the month. If an atypical form of pneumonia is present, therapy may be delayed.

During effective treatment The child can be switched to a normal routine and walks on the 6-10th day of illness. It is allowed to resume hardening after 3 weeks. If the course of the disease is not severe, physical and sports activities are allowed after 6 weeks. For complicated pneumonia after 12 weeks.

It is important not to prohibit children from walking and moving more, while trying to prevent overheating and hypothermia by dressing the child according to the weather.

Not really

Sholokhova Olga Nikolaevna

Reading time: 8 minutes

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Symptoms different types pneumonia in children

The question of how to recognize pneumonia in children in time worries many parents. After all, this disease is very serious, even for adults it can be difficult to treat. And for children, its late detection can lead to serious complications or death.

Unfortunately, before the antibacterial properties of some substances were determined, pneumonia claimed the lives of many children. Even now, doctors often cannot do anything when children are brought to them with an advanced inflammatory process in this respiratory organ. in the early stages of pathology development, we will consider below.

What is childhood pneumonia?

This is an infectious disease that is less tolerated by children due to the structural features of the respiratory system. The difficulty in treating the disease is that the immune system does not adequately fight off the infection, so young patients will have to undergo long and persistent treatment for a full recovery.

Pneumonia in children occurs for various reasons. Physiologically, this process consists of inflammation of the alveoli. The lungs provide babies with oxygen, which enters through the alveoli - these are small formations that look like bubbles in appearance. The oxygen contained in the air is converted in the alveoli, enters the blood, and carbon dioxide enters the alveoli back. It is expelled through exhalation. During inflammation of the alveoli, exudative fluid accumulates in them, which interferes with gas exchange in these structures. As a result of pathology, the amount of oxygen decreases significantly, the body does not have enough of it, and changes in functioning begin circulatory system. This condition poses a threat to the child's life if you do not consult a medical specialist in time.

Children under 5 years of age are susceptible to unfavorable outcomes of the disease. Pneumonia occurs in 80% of pathologies of the respiratory system, taking the lives of small, fragile children. At the age of 8 years and above, cases of pneumonia are diagnosed much less frequently. By this age, the body becomes stronger, resisting various viruses and bacteria.

Symptoms and treatment of lung pathology in children under one year and after four are significantly different. This can be seen even on x-rays. Yes and external manifestations not the same.

Types of pneumonia

Depending on the damage to a specific area of ​​the lungs, the following types of disease are distinguished:

• Segmental pathology of the lungs - the inflammatory process affects a small area, a segment of the organ. This type is insidious in that when it occurs there is practically no cough, the child simply becomes noticeably weak and has a low-grade fever.
• Focal lesion of the lung is secondary disease, which appears after suffering from acute respiratory viral infections, other viral diseases and bronchitis. Especially often this pathology occurs between 1 and 3 years. You can recognize it by dry and deep cough, hyperthermia.
• Lobar pneumonia - pathology affects several lobes of the respiratory organ or one.
• Drain is dangerous pathological process, appears when inflammation of several segments then merge into one inflammatory focus.
• Lobar - right- or left-sided damage to the lung, in which the body temperature rises significantly, pain in the sternum, and a wet cough with sputum appear. Other manifestations such as rashes on the torso and red areas on one side of the face are also possible.
• Total - the inflammatory process covers the entire organ.
• Staphylococcal pneumonia - often occurs in children under one year of age infancy. Infants are also susceptible to attack by this group of bacteria. Children have a hard time with this disease, as they cannot clear their throat, they wheeze, they have a low-grade fever for a long time and experience shortness of breath, possibly vomiting. This condition lasts up to 2 months.

In children, any type of pathology causes intense symptoms of pneumonia. All of them are dangerous if therapeutic measures are not taken immediately. Newborns and infants are especially at risk. They do not have their own immunity to resist dangerous bacteria.

Causes of the disease

Pneumonia occurs more often in children than in adults due to the immaturity of their immune system. Even the slightest complications after an acute respiratory viral infection can lead to an inflammatory process in the lower respiratory tract. Children suffer from pneumonia for the following reasons:

Main signs of pneumonia in children

How does pneumonia manifest? This pathology in children has several distinctive symptoms, depending on the age of the child. We will look at the symptoms at a young age in more detail, and the clinical picture of the disease after 6-7 years does not differ significantly from the clinical picture of adults. Only the number of diseases per year can change. Schoolchildren get sick more often due to constant communication in children's team and transmission of infection to each other by airborne droplets.

Signs of the disease in children under one year of age

Signs of pneumonia in children are very pronounced. Their entire small body suffers from the inflammatory process occurring in the respiratory organ. When carbon dioxide accumulates in the blood due to inflammation of the alveoli, the process of suppression of brain function begins. Main symptoms in children under one year of age:

Difficulties in the course of pneumonia in a newborn child are associated with the frequent diagnosis of pulmonary surfactant defects. This pulmonary lubrication is sometimes not enough for the lungs to function properly. They “slam shut” without fully inflating when you inhale. This state also complements inflammatory disease. Respiratory failure develops, which is an indication for urgent hospitalization and resuscitation.

How to recognize pneumonia in young children?

In children 3 years or less of pneumonism. The surfactant has already been formed, which greatly facilitates the treatment of pneumonia in children. Vmonia proceeds a little more calmly, since the immune system gradually gains strength to protect the organ, and there is a high probability of activation or attachment of pathological microorganisms - bacteria. And there is still a risk of complications of the disease. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the disease in children under 3 years of age, you should consult a doctor.

What should you pay attention to at one year of age?

Signs of illness at two years

At 2 years old, a child’s body can already withstand the attack of many viruses. Immunity is in its final stage of formation. But at this age, children are not immune from viral and bacterial etiology, and pneumonia can also occur in many two-year-olds.

The main characteristics of pneumonia at this age are:

• Hard breathing and the presence of moist rales on auscultation.
• Shortness of breath appears if the baby has about 40 breaths per minute, he develops a compensatory function, which comes into play in emergency conditions. In case of pneumonia in two-year-olds, these conditions are emergency – the body tissues are sorely lacking oxygen.
• There may be a cough, runny nose, and a fever in children.

The inflammatory process can affect a segment or an entire lobe of the lung. The main thing is not to miss the main symptoms and seek help in time.

Onset of the disease at 3 years of age

Symptoms of pneumonia in three-year-old children are not very different from those described above. Changes occur in the physiological process of the disease. Only by the age of three or four years does the child become able to spit out mucus when it is released. Without outside help, the baby cannot cough up viscous sputum on his own. This provides fertile soil for the proliferation of pathological bacteria. With developed immunity and surfactant, there remains a risk of harm to the body from highly pathogenic flora. Bacteria to which the body reacts can destroy the epithelial layer of the bronchi.

In a child of this age, the disease may manifest itself as follows:

Definition accurate diagnosis allows you to start treatment immediately. This will increase the likelihood of its favorable course.

Development of an atypical form of the disease

This form is one of the most dangerous diseases respiratory organs. This bad “reputation” arose based on the fact that in both adults and children, the manifestations of the disease are not immediately visible. There are no pronounced main symptoms: cough and fever. This leads to late diagnosis of the disease, while conventional treatment is no longer always effective.

What symptoms indicate that your child has atypical pneumonia?

• A small patient complains of constant headaches and dizziness.
• Signs of intoxication in the body appear quite clearly.
• During sleep, the baby constantly sweats.
• He may develop body aches and fever.
• It is very difficult to feed a child - he has no appetite.
• Characteristic of the inflammatory process is enlargement of the lymph nodes, with atypical pneumonia they also increase.
• A rash may appear on skin children under three years of age. During summer walks it can easily be confused with an allergic rash. This symptom indicates the penetration of mycoplasma into the body, which, spreading, causes an enlargement of the liver and spleen.

Listening to and diagnosing the child’s condition helps determine medications for treatment.

What does auscultation provide?

Auscultation (listening) is informative in the diagnosis of respiratory diseases. During auscultation, the doctor pays attention to the child’s breathing process, whether there are signs of rapid or difficult breathing. The more often a child breathes, the younger he is and the larger the area of ​​lung damage during the inflammatory process.

During the examination, the specialist sees whether there is retraction of certain areas of the chest during breathing. If there is, this indicates that this place is affected.

When listening, the doctor differentiates wheezing characteristic of pneumonia. Often with this disease they are crepitant and finely bubbly. Sometimes such wheezing indicates another disease - bronchitis, therefore, in addition to auscultation, other symptoms are also taken into account.

During pneumonia in children, it is not always possible to hear wheezing. Sometimes, when idle, there is a weakening of breathing. This sign requires additional examination to make a correct diagnosis.

It is important to pay attention to whether there is a gastrointestinal disorder; this can also be a sign of illness. Diarrhea is especially common in children.

Manifestations of the disease depending on the pathogen

When different types of infection penetrate the child’s body, the manifestations of the disease will differ slightly in the complex of symptoms.

Bacteria

bacteria in the lungs is manifested by the suddenness of the onset of the disease, the children’s well-being deteriorates quickly and sharply. When he coughs, he produces “rusty” sputum, he breathes quickly, he has a high fever and a flushed face. Painful sensations appear when coughing and in the stomach. Bacteria affect the condition in different ways:

Viruses

Symptoms of the disease viral etiology are not treatable with antibacterial drugs. It manifests itself mainly as a cold. But distinctive feature is the impossibility of simply bringing down a high body temperature. Medicines also have no effect on her. In this case, it is recommended to continue therapy in a medical facility.

Aspiration pneumonia

Occurs when hit foreign bodies(pieces of food, particles of objects). The child appears hysterical, painful cough. Bacteria multiply at the site where the particles enter and should be treated with antibiotics.

Chemical damage

With chemical damage to the lungs, a child experiences such phenomena as the production of foamy sputum Pink colour, dyspnea, constant dry cough.

Children should be treated in a hospital if they are under 3 years of age. After diagnosis, antibiotic therapy is used.

Development pneumonia in children and adults it is infectious in nature and occurs due to the influence of a number of factors, both physical and chemical. During the development of this disease, an inflammatory process is observed in the lung tissue.

Pneumonia mainly affects alveoli , and interstitial tissue of the lung .

Name " pneumonia“unites a wide group of diseases, each of which is characterized by a specific clinical picture, etiology, signs, laboratory parameters and features of the treatment regimen.

The question of how pneumonia differs from pneumonia is not relevant, since both of these names define a similar disease.

Defining the concept " pneumonia", the term " pneumonitis" What it is? This name defines diseases associated with non-infectious inflammatory processes in lung tissue. Against the background of such processes, pneumonia of bacterial, viral-bacterial or fungal origin usually develops.

In the article we will look at the initial symptoms of pneumonia in children and adult patients, as well as the main causes of the development of this disease, methods of treatment, and prevention of complications.

Causes of pneumonia

The causes of the disease are associated with the influence of a number of factors. Experts identify the following causes of pneumonia:

• complications after viral diseases (consequences of previous, colds of the lungs or );
• exposure to atypical bacteria (causative agents - mycoplasma , chlamydia , legionella );
• the influence of various chemical compounds on the human respiratory system (gases and toxic vapors);
• the effect of radiation radiation with associated infection;
• manifestation of allergic processes in the lungs (, COPD , allergic cough );
• thermal effect ( burns or hypothermia of the respiratory tract);
• inhalation of food, liquid or foreign bodies (develops aspiration pneumonia ).

Wikipedia indicates that the development of pneumonia is associated with the presence favorable conditions for the active reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms in the lower respiratory tract of humans. People knew what pneumonia was in ancient times. The original causative agent of pneumonia is aspergillus mushroom , as a result of which the specialists who studied the Egyptian pyramids suddenly died.

Pneumonia has been divided into two subtypes:

• community-acquired pneumonia – develops as a consequence of exposure to a number of agents of infectious and non-infectious origin outside of a hospital setting;
• hospital-acquired pneumonia – develops due to exposure to nosocomial microbes, which are often resistant to those present in the traditional treatment regimen.

At community-acquired pneumonia In patients, the following frequency of detection of various pathogens of infectious origin is noted (information is presented in the table).

Pathogen name	Pathogen detection percentage (average, %)
Streptococcus(most often, death from pneumonia occurs with an illness caused by this pathogen)	30,4
Mycoplasma(most often causes the disease in children and young people)	12,6
Chlamydia(most often causes pneumonia in young and middle-aged people)	12,6
Legionella(mainly affects weakened people; after streptococcus, most often the disease caused by this pathogen ends in death)	4,7
Haemophilus influenzae(provokes the development of pneumonia in people with chronic diseases of the lungs and bronchi, and in heavy smokers)	4,4
Enterobacteriaceae(rarely affects people with serious illnesses - diabetes, kidney, liver failure)	3,1
Staphylococcus(affects older people and those who have complications from the flu)	0,5
Other pathogens	2,0
Unidentified pathogen	39,5

If a patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, how to treat it is determined depending on the causative agent, concomitant diseases, the patient’s age, etc. In severe cases, depending on how the disease develops, appropriate treatment is prescribed and carried out in a hospital setting. Mild course the disease does not require hospitalization.

Symptoms of pneumonia

Symptoms of pneumonia

Signs of pneumonia are often similar to those of the flu or cold. How a patient's symptoms manifest depends on the origin of the pneumonia.

At bacterial pneumonia Both acute and gradual development of symptoms are possible. The aspen signs in this case are: shiver , , increased sweating , rapid pulse and breathing, sharp pain in chest area, and cough , in which thick, red or greenish sputum is produced.

In the case of a viral type of disease, the patient experiences headache and muscle pain, severe fatigue , weakness , .

For pneumonia developing as a result of the action mycoplasma , symptoms are similar to those of both viral and bacterial types of the disease, but are usually less severe.

The first signs of pneumonia

In order to consult a doctor in a timely manner and diagnose the disease, you should know what the first signs of pneumonia may appear in children, adolescents and adults. As a rule, the first symptoms of pneumonia are as follows:

• temperature increase;
• manifestation shortness of breath And cough ;
• chills , fever ;
• weakness , fatigue ;
• chest pain when trying to take a deep breath;

However, very often the first symptoms of pneumonia in adults, as well as signs of the disease in a child, may not appear so pronounced - often viral diseases are asymptomatic.

Signs of pneumonia in an adult

How pneumonia manifests itself in adults depends on the type of pathogen, the severity of the disease, etc. Characteristic signs pneumonia in adults, acute development process, its extent and the likelihood of complications due to improper therapy - more important than the reasons immediate referral of patients to specialists. The doctor determines in each specific case what the symptoms of pneumonia in adults are: without fever or with fever, the process occurs, etc. The prescribed treatment depends on the results of the study.

Symptoms of pneumonia in an adult appear already in the first days of illness. The first signs of this disease depend on its causative agent.

Cough - This main symptom pneumonia. As a rule, at first the cough due to inflammatory processes in the lungs is obsessive, dry, and appears constantly. However, sometimes more in rare cases, in the first days of illness, the cough is mild and rare. Further, as the disease develops, the cough becomes wetter, and secretion occurs. purulent mucous sputum , having a greenish-yellow color. A cough and runny nose may appear already in the first days of illness and last for several days.

Another sign of the disease that appears at first is increase in body temperature . Already at the very beginning of pneumonia it can be very high and reach 39-40 degrees. This is how it develops hilar pneumonia and other types of pneumonia. However, the temperature (in the case of atypical pneumonia) can be kept at subfebrile levels - 37.1-37.5 degrees. But even at this temperature, if the patient experiences weakness, malaise, or cough, the patient must consult a specialist. Another serious symptom is a repeated rise in temperature during the course of the disease. Another sign of pneumonia is the lack of effectiveness of antipyretic medications.

It should also be taken into account what symptoms adults without fever may experience in the first days of the development of pneumonia.

If large volumes of the lungs are affected, the patient may experience persistent dyspnea , as well as the feeling that he does not have enough air. When taking a deep breath, a person feels pain; a similar condition is also observed during coughing. The lung cannot hurt because it has no pain receptors. However, the pathological process involves pleura , which leads to the manifestation of pain.

Already in the first days of the disease, a person has expressed pale skin . A number of other symptoms are also noted - sharp deterioration loss of appetite, weakness, severe fatigue, active sweating, chills.

It should be noted that any disease of viral origin should not bother you for longer than 7 days. If, one week after the onset of the flu or cold, the patient’s condition worsens, this is evidence of the development of inflammation of the lower respiratory tract.

It is important for parents to know what symptoms of pneumonia in a child should alert them, since in children the signs of pneumonia may have certain characteristics. How pneumonia manifests itself in children depends on the characteristics of the disease and the age of the child. Childhood pneumonia can develop if the child has certain symptoms:

Increased body temperature

An inflammatory process can be suspected if an increase in temperature (more than 38 degrees) lasts longer than three days, and it is not possible to bring it down with conventional medications. Temperatures that do not rise above 37.5 degrees in young children should also be of concern. Especially if a number of signs of intoxication are also noted - high level sweating, weakness, poor appetite. In a newborn, as well as in infants, there may not be sharp jumps body temperature during the manifestation of inflammation, since their thermoregulation is not yet completely perfect, and the immune system still remains immature.

Breathing Features

In sick children, breathing is very rapid and shallow. Infants up to 2 months take 60 breaths per minute; children under 1 year old take 50; those over 1 year old take 40. As a rule, when there is inflammation, the baby voluntarily tries to lie on one side. Another sign may also be noted: after undressing the baby, parents may notice that during the process of breathing, on the side where the diseased lung is, the skin is drawn in between the ribs and lags behind during breathing. Sometimes the baby’s breathing rhythm is disrupted, periodic stops occur, and the frequency and depth changes. The youngest children may begin to nod in time with their breathing, puff out their cheeks, and stretch out their lips. Sometimes foamy discharge appears from the nose and mouth.

Baby's behavior

The smallest children with pneumonia cry and are capricious, becoming lethargic. They sleep poorly and do not want to eat. Often noted and, babies spit up and refuse to take the breast.

A child can develop not only streptococcal , but also atypical pneumonia . What symptoms may appear depends on the pathogen and the characteristics of its course. As a rule, with an illness provoked by chlamydia and mycoplasma, the disease initially develops like a cold. The baby is worried about a dry cough, sore throat, and runny nose. Initially, a cough may appear due to tickling, but later the cough develops into a painful one when the child cries or eats.

It is important to consider that in the presence of a number of factors (air pollution, exposure to allergens or chemicals), the baby may develop chronic pneumonia, the symptoms of which appear periodically.

The first symptoms of tuberculosis in adults

Clinic very similar to clinical picture pneumonia. However, the first signs of tuberculosis in adults are sometimes mild, and they increase gradually. The following first signs of tuberculosis in children and adults are noted:

• cough , in which sputum is produced, lasting more than three weeks;
• hemoptysis ;
• small but long lasting temperature increase ;
• decreased appetite , weight loss ;
• severe fatigue, irritability.

If even a few of these symptoms appear, you should immediately undergo research and determine a diagnosis.

Pneumonia in adults, diagnosis

If the disease is not detected promptly, the consequences for adults with pneumonia can be very serious. In particular, it may develop persistent pneumonia , causing serious complications. Also likely destructive form of the disease With purulent processes lung tissue. Therefore, timely diagnosis is very important.

The clinical picture of the disease includes the main syndromes and symptoms characteristic of inflammatory processes. Therefore, a careful assessment of the patient’s symptoms will help diagnose the disease. The doctor takes into account all the signs of how pneumonia manifests itself, trying to note the features of such manifestations.

Temperature with pneumonia

The doctor interviews and determines what the temperature is in adult patients, as well as what the temperature is in children. With pneumonia in both an adult and a child, the temperature is usually high and lasts for several days. However, the doctor also takes into account the possibility of an atypical course of the disease, that is, whether an inflammatory disease can occur without fever. Whether there is a temperature depends on the patient’s age and the characteristics of the inflammatory process. For example, sometimes infants may experience low-grade fever .

What kind of cough manifests itself?

The doctor interviews the patient to determine how many days this symptom has been present, what type of cough is present in the child or adult patient, and whether chest pain is felt. It is taken into account that pneumonia without a cough is also possible. If the disease proceeds without a cough, the doctor focuses on other symptoms, taking into account everything about the course of the disease in the survey.

Laboratory research

To confirm the disease, a general and General laboratory test during inflammation shows a number of changes: leukocytosis, increased ESR, neutrophilia. In the viral form, the doctor takes into account that such inflammation of the lungs causes an increase in the number of leukocytes at the expense of lymphocytes.

Radiography

A chest x-ray is taken, and sometimes lung diseases in children and adults are determined using computed tomography.

Also, in a hospital setting, microscopic examination, urine analysis and sputum culture are practiced (with pneumonia, yellow-green sputum is produced).

In the first days of illness, the doctor can listen fine wheezing . When the lungs are inflamed, they can be listened to with a stethoscope. However, if a child or an adult is suspected of having pneumonia, it is important to conduct a full range of studies to ensure timely treatment and clearly know what to do with this disease.

Treatment of pneumonia

A specialist must prescribe treatment for pneumonia. If the patient consults a doctor in a timely manner, treatment of pneumonia in adults and children is successful. How to treat and how to treat this disease depends on the pathogen that provoked the disease. It is for successful treatment that you need to clearly know how pneumonia begins and how to recognize it.

The doctor prescribes any medications after conducting research, including laboratory tests ( leukocytes , ESR and etc.).

The treatment regimen, duration of treatment, and the need to place the patient in a hospital are determined exclusively after diagnosis by a specialist. As a rule, treatment of the disease lasts 7-10 days. Duration of treatment double pneumonia The lungs of an adult can only be determined by a doctor.

Treatment of pneumonia can be carried out both in a hospital setting and at home. However home treatment, as well as treatment of pneumonia with the help of folk remedies requires regular monitoring of the patient’s condition: he must be constantly visited by a local doctor and a nurse. Direct indications for placing a patient in a hospital are certain points. This is a disease of pneumonia in a child of the first year of life, a severe course of the disease with a number of complications, an illness aggravated by somatic manifestations, and the inability to fully treat a person at home.

For those wondering whether people die from pneumonia, you should know that greatest number fatal cases occur when treating this type of disease at home, without consulting a doctor. Children under 1 year of age and elderly patients must be hospitalized, since what to do for pneumonia in such cases can only be determined by a specialist. In such cases, intensive care may sometimes be necessary, artificial ventilation lungs.

Basic care for treating pneumonia

In order for the treatment of pneumonia to be as effective as possible, the patient should be provided with high-quality individual care. This approach is especially important for sick children. It is important to strictly observe bed rest and limit physical activity. However, this does not mean that a person should constantly lie still - it is important to change position and move. After a patient with severe pneumonia has recovered, he should not work hard for about two to three months.

In the process of treating pneumonia at home, you should be especially careful to comply with all requirements, both personal and general hygiene. The patient's diet must provide all the needs of the body that is fighting the disease. Food should contain enough calories, foods high in various vitamins, and natural foods. A very important point in the patient’s diet is to ensure sufficient drinking. The liquid consumed should be warm and varied: suitable raspberry tea, cranberry juice, mineral water. From time to time you can drink warm milk with honey and soda.

For acute fever, patients who do not have symptoms of heart failure should drink approximately 2.5-3 liters of fluid per day.

Treatment of pneumonia in children requires a special approach to feeding. The child should be encouraged to eat little and often, preferably offering him his favorite food. The child's appetite is restored after the acute condition is relieved. When eating, you need to select foods low in carbohydrates , which provoke fermentation processes in the intestines. Compliance drinking regime for children - one of essential principles caring for a sick child. You need to drink enough to replenish fluid loss due to high fever and shortness of breath.

Patients with pneumonia should constantly monitor bowel function to prevent And . The room in which the patient is staying should be regularly ventilated to keep the air clean. Another important point on the road to recovery is active coughing up sputum. To make coughing more effective, you can perform some breathing exercises.

Drug treatment of pneumonia

Treatment of pneumonia is one of the main directions in the treatment of the disease. It is important that antibiotics are prescribed to the patient on time, that is, there is no need to wait until the pathogen is identified. However, prescribing antibiotics to a patient must be carried out only by the attending physician; in no case should you take the drugs yourself.

If pneumonia is treated outside the hospital, patients are often prescribed , macrolides And 1st generation cephalosporins . The choice of method of antibiotic administration depends directly on the severity of the disease.

If pneumonia is treated in a hospital setting, then the patient is prescribed 3rd generation cephalosporins , penicillins with clavulanic acid , fluoroquinolones , aminoglycosides , carbapenems . If the etiology of pneumonia is unknown, then it may be prescribed combination treatment, in which two or three different antibiotics are used. The effectiveness of treating this disease with antibiotics can be assessed after 36-48 hours. If there is an improvement in well-being, the appearance of appetite, and the absence of negative dynamics of pneumonia, then the result of therapy can be considered positive.

But treating pneumonia with antibiotics also involves taking additional medications. Thus, those drugs are often used whose effects involve restoring the drainage function of the bronchi. These are drugs. It is also advisable to take medications that thin the mucus and help improve the expectoration process. Those drugs that stimulate the body's defenses are also used - , etc. Patients with pneumonia are also shown some methods that increase the nonspecific resistance of the body. In this case, adaptogens are effective - ginseng tincture , Eleutherococcus extract , Aralia preparations , Rhodiola rosea , saparala . They are used in individual dosages twice or thrice a day. All these drugs have a noticeable effect on the human body. They strengthen immune system, stimulate metabolic processes in the body, help strengthen a person’s resistance to many negative impacts, as well as the influence of infections. To restore the body's defenses, in some cases patients are given , are appointed vitamin complexes (in this case, a sufficient amount of vitamin C, as well as B vitamins, is especially important).

In the treatment of pneumonia in children and adults, they are used antihistamines, agents with anti-inflammatory properties. In severe cases of the disease, sometimes the attending physician considers expedient reception corticosteroid hormones . If there are specific indications, painkillers, respiratory analeptics, oxygen therapy sessions, etc. are also prescribed.

After the patient’s body temperature returns to normal and the symptoms of general intoxication of the body disappear, a number of physiotherapeutic procedures can be applied. Often the doctor prescribes Microwave , inductothermy , UHF , sessions wellness massage , electrophoresis and etc.

Other treatments for pneumonia

Another important step complex treatment pneumonia - conducting regular physical therapy sessions. Such physical exercises help to activate the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid in the body and normalize pulmonary ventilation, which is impaired during the course of the disease. Physiotherapy is prescribed to the patient after the body temperature has normalized or decreased to low-grade fever. Initially, gymnastics includes several breathing exercises V supine position. In addition, it is advisable for the patient to lie several times a day on the healthy side in order to improve aeration . To decrease adhesive process in the phrenic-costal angle, you should place a cushion under the chest and lie on your healthy side. Lying on your back reduces the formation of adhesions in the area between the diaphragmatic pleura and the posterior wall of the chest.

Then, after a few days, the patient at the recovery stage is prescribed exercises in a sitting and standing position, which are aimed at increasing the mobility of the chest, and also involve training in diaphragmatic breathing.

After complete cure people who have had pneumonia are recommended to engage in skiing, rowing, game types sports

To improve drainage function bronchi and ventilation function of the lungs, often prescribed . However, it should be noted that inhalations are carried out after the most acute condition has been removed. Used for inhalation special drugs, For example , as well as herbal decoctions.

With the help of massage you can significantly improve the process of mucus discharge. In addition, massage has a bronchial relaxing effect. Depending on the doctor's prescription, it is used as classic segmental , so acupressure .

By using cupping massage You can significantly speed up the process of sputum discharge with a strong cough. To do this, apply to the skin, previously lubricated Vaseline , a jar is applied, the capacity of which should be 200 ml. After suctioning the can, massage movements are carried out from the lower back to cervical spine spine. This massage should last about ten minutes. After this, the patient is wrapped in a blanket and given a glass of warm tea. This massage can be performed once every two days.

After the acute condition is relieved, the patient is also recommended to do paraffin , mud , ozokerite appliqués . Some experts also recommend sessions . However this method It should not be practiced by people in a state of intoxication, with fever, or with cardiac and respiratory failure.

It is important that treatment of pneumonia is carried out until the patient recovers completely: he should not only feel normal, but also the indicators of laboratory and x-ray studies.

After completing the main course of treatment, patients are often recommended to continue recovery from illness in a sanatorium. As a rule, with a competent approach to treatment, the patient’s recovery occurs in about three to four weeks.

Treatment of pneumonia with folk remedies can also be used provided that the disease is treated at home and there is no serious condition sick. There are a number of recipes for decoctions and tinctures medicinal herbs, which effectively affect the general condition of the patient. Some recipes, proven by many years of experience, can be used in parallel with drug treatment. We offer several possible recipes for treating pneumonia with folk remedies.

Take two tablespoons of aloe leaves, chop and mix with one teaspoon of salt. 1 tsp. salt. The mixture is taken three times a day before meals, one teaspoon. Calendula tincture, which is taken twenty drops three times a day, is prepared as follows: two tablespoons of calendula flowers are poured into one glass medical alcohol. Prepare the infusion for 15 days in a dark place. Similarly, you can prepare a tincture of wormwood herb (for one tablespoon of herb, one glass of vodka), which is taken four times a day, one teaspoon.

Another traditional medicine effectively helps get rid of cough. To do this, one glass of oats with husks is mixed with one liter of milk. The mixture should be boiled for half an hour, then strain and add two tablespoons of butter, five tablespoons of honey. Before going to bed, the patient should take a glass of the product.

In addition, to treat pneumonia in children and adults, traditional medicine recommends taking decoctions of medicinal herbs as a drink. There are many options for herbal teas that effectively affect the condition of a patient with pneumonia.

You should mix one part each of knotweed grass, anise fruit, pine buds, dill fruits, thyme herb, licorice root. The collection is poured with cold water, infused for about an hour, after which it must be brought to a boil and cooked for about five minutes. Drink half a glass three times a day.

Another collection of herbs includes one teaspoon each of chamomile, calendula, and St. John's wort flowers. The mixture is poured into two glasses of boiling water and left for two hours. You need to take the collection one third of a glass three times a day.

Besides, medical fees may include other herbs: sage, coltsfoot, common thyme, horsetail, plantain leaves, peppermint, stinging nettle, elecampane, black elderberry and other medicinal plants.

Honey and lemon should be added to the tea that the patient drinks throughout the day; periodically it is recommended to drink warm milk with the addition of one teaspoon of butter and honey.

Juice therapy is also used in the treatment of pneumonia - daily intake of fresh vegetable and fruit juices. The juices of beets, carrots, and spinach are most beneficial for patients.

Eucalyptus tincture is also effective in combating the symptoms of pneumonia, which is used both externally - for inhalation and gargling, and internally, 30 drops three times a day.

In order to activate the process of expectoration, it is recommended to consume freshly squeezed cabbage juice mixed with honey. Traditional medicine also recommends regular consumption of raisins, figs, and almonds.

An effective way to treat pneumonia at home is cupping, which is placed on the patient’s back and chest. In addition, warming compresses and bandages are used.

Antibiotics for pneumonia

For pneumonia in adults, it is advisable to use antibiotics after the disease has been confirmed by at least one diagnostic method.

It must be taken into account that individual symptoms- for example, rapid breathing in a child with a fever, coughing during a deep breath in an adult, etc. - are not a reason to immediately take antibacterial medications, since the patient could also have another illness. It is impossible to independently determine whether a patient has four signs or 5 signs of inflammation. To prescribe adequate antibiotic therapy, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Before prescribing antibiotics, it is important to determine the causative agent of the disease - under this condition, therapy will be most adequate. But in some cases this is not possible, so experts prescribe antibacterial drugs wide range actions. They are also used before identifying the pathogen in order to create therapeutic concentrations of active components in the blood.

Pneumonia caused by streptococcus (it can be caused by streptococcus in a child’s throat, etc.), it can be treated with broad-spectrum penicillins , sometimes prescribed in combination with aminoglycosides .

Mycoplasma in children, as well as chlamydia , legionella infections require the prescription of specialized antibiotics – , . Broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs are also advisable.

Bronchopneumonia treated with antibiotics - semisynthetic penicillins , treatment of bronchopneumonia in adults can be carried out at home.

At pulmonary inflammation sometimes a complex of 2-3 antibiotic drugs is used, especially if the inflammation site occupies more than one segment.

Complications of pneumonia

If patients turn to specialists immediately after they become ill and then adhere to the prescribed treatment regimen, complications, as a rule, do not develop. The manifestation of complications can be associated directly with the disease, as well as with taking medications. The likelihood of exacerbation of chronic diseases also increases - heart failure , emphysema and etc.

It can develop as a complication pleuropneumonia , which is characterized by the involvement of one or several lobes of the lungs in the inflammatory process, and an acute and severe course of the disease is noted.

Probably manifestation pleurisy (inflammation of the pleura), which can develop into exudative pleurisy , when in pleural cavity liquid accumulates.

Another dangerous complication is lungs when cavities filled with pus develop in them. This complication develops in people with chronic diseases.

In addition, pneumonia may be complicated blood sepsis , bacteremia .

There is a risk of developing infectious , breathing problems.

Sometimes, after suffering from pneumonia, the first signs develop asthma in adolescents and children.

Prevention of complications of pneumonia

It is very important to undergo timely diagnosis and adhere to the treatment regimen prescribed by a specialist for influenza, colds, and prolonged cough.

You should adhere to the generally known rules of hygiene and a healthy lifestyle.

Prevention of pneumonia

As measures to prevent pneumonia, it is important to follow general sanitary and hygienic rules, regularly devote time to hardening, and exercise. Sanitation of lesions is also important chronic infection. All diseases that damage the lungs must be treated immediately and correctly. Healthy image life of adults, a competent approach to child care, as well as hardening the baby in the first year of life will help avoid illness. There are also some drugs ( bronchomunal , IRS-19 ,) which stimulate the body’s protective properties during the period of highest probability of infection with infectious diseases. They also produce a certain vaccine effect directed against pathogens of respiratory diseases.

All parents know that pneumonia is dangerous disease. It often occurs as a complication of a cold or illnesses that have nothing to do with the lungs. It is necessary to know by what signs one can suspect that a child has pneumonia, in what cases he should be hospitalized, and when he can be treated at home, how contagious the disease is. Antibiotics are effective remedy for pneumonia, but they help only when used correctly, when the diagnosis is precisely known and the type of infection is established.

Content:

How does pneumonia occur in children?

Pneumonia (pneumonia) is an infection of the lower section respiratory system. Depending on the pathogen, it can be viral or bacterial in nature. Viruses and bacteria cause inflammation and swelling of the lung tissue, which makes it difficult for oxygen to be absorbed and eliminated carbon dioxide, leads to oxygen starvation all organs.

Pneumonia can occur as an independent disease (primary), as well as as a complication of diseases of the upper respiratory tract (secondary). In children under 7 years of age, it most often occurs after an acute respiratory infection. However, it can be accompanied by diseases that have nothing to do with the lungs. For example, it flows against the background infectious lesion intestines, food poisoning, burns or after surgical operations. The reason is that the decrease physical activity child leads to deterioration of ventilation of the lungs, accumulation of microbes in them, and weakened immunity increases the body's susceptibility to infection.

Pneumonia can be unilateral or bilateral.

Is pneumonia contagious?

Pneumonia can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. There are several types of pneumonia:

1. Typical (symptoms of pneumonia in a child appeared as a result of hypothermia, ARVI).
2. Aspiration (microbes enter the lungs along with mucus and vomit).
3. Atypical. The causative agents are unusual forms of bacteria that live in the air of closed rooms with artificial ventilation. Depending on the type of pathogen, mycoplasma, chlamydial and other types of pneumonia are distinguished. They are difficult to diagnose using x-rays. The type of disease is established only using instrumental methods of analysis.
4. Hospital infection, which occurs 2-3 days after the child is admitted to the hospital, and he initially does not have a pulmonary infection. It often appears after operations on the abdominal cavity, in the chest area, in patients with artificial ventilation. The causative agents of such pneumonia are not sensitive to the action of antibiotics.

Transmission of infection during pneumonia occurs mainly through airborne droplets. Viruses and bacteria from a sick child, when coughing and sneezing, enter the respiratory organs of surrounding people, causing the appearance of influenza or ARVI. But whether they later turn into pneumonia depends on the state of the immune system, the timeliness and correctness of treatment for these diseases. The risk of infection is especially high when pneumonia is asymptomatic or incubation period when there are no manifestations. The most contagious and dangerous are atypical and hospital-acquired pneumonia, especially caseous (tuberculosis).

Note: After the baby shows signs of illness, there is no point in separating him from the rest of the family members who had contact with him before, since the infection has already entered their body. It is necessary to take measures (take vitamins, treat your throat, eat garlic, lemons). From contact with strangers It is better for the baby to abstain until the runny nose and cough go away.

The incubation period is 3-10 days. Acute stage The disease lasts up to 6 weeks.

Video: Dr. E. Komarovsky about the causes, symptoms and treatment of pneumonia

Causes of the disease

The main cause of pneumonia is infection. Contributing factors include colds, chronic diseases lungs, weak immunity, structural features of the respiratory organs in children.

Due to the fact that the respiratory system in children is not sufficiently developed, air exchange in the lungs is not as good as in adults, due to the less porosity of the tissue. The lung volume is smaller, the respiratory passages are narrower. The mucous membranes are thinner, swelling occurs faster. Sputum is excreted worse. All this creates conditions for the accumulation and development of pathogenic microorganisms.

The risk of infection multiplying in the lungs is especially high in children who are in a smoky room ( passive smoking). The infection can enter the lungs not only through the bronchi, but also through the blood and lymph. This usually occurs with secondary pneumonia, when there are chronic inflammatory processes in other organs.

Pneumonia may be caused by improper treatment of influenza or acute respiratory infections. Inflammation of the lungs also occurs as a result of vapors of chemicals and allergens entering the organ.

Causes of pneumonia in newborns

In newborns, even a minor cold quickly turns into pneumonia, especially if the child was born premature or weakened. Pneumonia is caused by any type of infection from which an adult is protected.

The baby can become infected while still in the womb (congenital pneumonia). The infection enters the lungs during childbirth if the child swallows amniotic fluid, if the mother has an infectious disease (for example, the herpes virus or chlamydia enters the newborn’s lungs through the respiratory tract).

Signs of pneumonia in a child

If a child's pneumonia occurs after a cold or flu, parents should notice changes in his condition and promptly consult a doctor. There are first signs that you should pay attention to Special attention. Manifestations of pneumonia are indicated by increased cough and deterioration of the child’s condition after the illness has lasted for more than 7 days, and recently he felt better.

If a child has shortness of breath, when taking a deep breath he begins to cough, the temperature does not drop even after taking an antipyretic drug, this also indicates the development of pneumonia. Lack of oxygen during pneumonia affects the functioning of the heart, and blood supply to organs deteriorates. The child becomes pale, blue circles appear under the eyes.

Types of pneumonia, characteristic symptoms

When a child has pneumonia, there are signs of respiratory failure, as well as poisoning with substances that produce pathogenic microorganisms in the course of their life. Therefore, the most typical symptoms are high fever (40°-41°), cough, dizziness, vomiting, headache, shortness of breath, chest pain.

Depending on the route of infection into the lungs and the volume of areas of inflammation, the following types pneumonia:

• segmental (inflammation of one or more segments of the lung occurs) occurs when an infection enters the lungs through the blood;
• lobar (inflammation of the pulmonary lobe, pleura and bronchi);
• total (inflammation of the entire lung) can be either unilateral or bilateral;
• interstitial (inflammation of the connective tissue of the lung).

Segmental pneumonia

With this form, the child’s temperature rises sharply, chills, shortness of breath, chest pain, vomiting, and bloating occur. In the first 3 days, the cough is dry and infrequent. Then it intensifies.

Lobar pneumonia

Characterized by an increase in temperature to 39.5°-40°, signs of intoxication and damage to the lung tissue. There are two forms of lobar pneumonia: pleuropneumonia (lobar pneumonia) and bronchopneumonia (or focal).

The disease develops in 4 stages (from the “flux” stage to the “resolution” stage). At the first stage, a cough with copious sputum, wheezing and wheezing appears in the lungs and bronchi. If pleurisy occurs (the pleura becomes inflamed and fluid accumulates in it), children develop sharp pains when turning the body, sneezing and coughing. The pain radiates to the shoulder, under the ribs. The child cannot take a full breath and is breathing heavily. His pulse quickens.

Then the face swells and turns red, the cough becomes more frequent, the temperature drops sharply, and wheezing intensifies. The disease becomes protracted.

Total pneumonia

This is an extremely dangerous form in which one or both lungs are completely affected. There is acute respiratory failure, frequent cough, high fever and all other signs of severe pneumonia. The child's fingernails, toenails, lips, and facial area above the upper lip and around the nose turn blue. May result in death.

Interstitial pneumonia

This type of pneumonia is most often observed in newborns, premature babies, and also in dystrophy. Occurs when viruses, mycoplasmas, pneumococci, staphylococci, fungi, and allergens enter the lungs. Inflamed connective tissue in the area of ​​alveoli and blood vessels. In this case, the supply of oxygen to the lung tissues is disrupted, which leads to the gluing of its individual elements.

The most characteristic manifestations of this disease are shortness of breath, dry cough with the release of a small amount of mucus. There may be some pus in it.

How to distinguish pneumonia from ARVI and bronchitis

The signs of these diseases (cough, fever) are similar. Often it is possible to determine the exact nature of the disease only with the help of x-rays.

Signs of viral diseases (ARVI)

They are characterized by an increase in temperature to 38°, which lasts for 2-3 days in children. If the temperature rises higher, then antipyretics help bring it down. Weakness, headache, snot, coughing, sneezing, and sore throat also appear. When listening, the doctor may detect wheezing in the upper respiratory tract. The disease lasts for 5-7 days. Antibiotics have no effect on recovery. Only remedies for cough, runny nose and fever are used.

Signs of acute bronchitis

With this disease, the temperature does not rise above 38°. First, a dry cough occurs, which after 2 days turns into a wet cough. Unlike pneumonia, there is no shortness of breath. But the cough becomes harsh and annoying. Hissing and wheezing appear in the bronchi. X-ray shows that the lungs are clean and there are no changes in their structure.

Symptoms of pneumonia in children of different ages

The severity and nature of the manifestations depend both on the type of pneumonia pathogen and on the age of the child. The younger the child, the less resistance he has to infections and the worse he tolerates the consequences of inflammation of the respiratory organs.

Under 2 years of age

Most often they suffer from pneumonia in segmental, lobar or interstitial form. Inflammation occurs in the form of several small lesions in one or both lungs. At the same time, the bronchi are affected. Duration acute illness 3-6 weeks. A longer, more protracted course is also possible. When listening, characteristic wheezing is detected, especially noticeable when the child cries.

The onset of the disease can be detected by changes in behavior. The baby becomes lethargic, cries a lot, refuses the breast (or other food), wants to sleep, but quickly wakes up. Him loose stool possibly vomiting or frequent regurgitation.

At this age, the temperature usually does not rise above 37.5°, but it is not brought down by antipyretics. A runny nose and cough appear, attacks of which intensify during crying or feeding. With a wet cough, the sputum has a yellow-green color due to impurities of pus.

The child breathes faster than normal (the norm is: for a child 1-2 months old - 50 breaths per minute, 2-12 months - 40, for children from 1 to 3 years old - 30, at the age of 4-6 years - 25) . The baby's shortness of breath is indicated by nodding the head in time with breathing while simultaneously puffing out the cheeks and stretching out the lips.

You may notice a retraction of the skin between the ribs during inhalation, and it occurs unequally on the right and left. Periodically, breathing stops, its rhythm and depth are disrupted. With unilateral inflammation, the child tends to lie on the healthy side.

The child has a blue discoloration of the nasolabial triangle.

Children 2-3 years old and older

The child is pale, lethargic, capricious, has no appetite, has trouble falling asleep and often wakes up. Antipyretics do not help bring down the temperature. This condition lasts for more than a week. There is a cough, shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest pain, radiating to the shoulder and back.

Symptoms of atypical pneumonia in children

Most often, children experience such types of atypical pneumonia as chlamydial and mycoplasma. You can become infected with them while staying at an airport, store or other premises with large crowds of people.

This disease begins with a sharp increase in temperature to 39.5°, soon it drops to 37.2°-37.5° and remains within these limits. A runny nose, sneezing, and sore throat appear. Then a debilitating dry cough is added. Shortness of breath appears and disappears, which is not typical for pneumonia, but is more typical for bronchitis. This may confuse the doctor.

There are faint wheezes without typical signs. On x-ray, changes in the lungs are faintly visible. As a rule, the disease becomes protracted. Only a certain type of antibiotics helps (macrolides - azithromycin, clarithromycin).

Video: Features of atypical pneumonia in children, complications

In what cases is hospitalization performed?

Children are hospitalized if they have signs of respiratory failure, loss of consciousness, a drop in blood pressure, or heart failure. Hospitalization is carried out if the baby has extensive lobar pneumonia with pleurisy. A child is also treated in a hospital if he lives in poor living conditions or if it is impossible to carry out doctor’s orders.

Treatment of children infancy are carried out in the hospital, since they may very quickly experience respiratory arrest and require urgent artificial ventilation. Regardless of age, the child is sent to the hospital for treatment if, in addition to pneumonia, he has any chronic diseases.

Complications of pneumonia

They occur both during the course of the disease and subsequently. Typical complications are:

• pleurisy (accumulation of fluid and pus in the lungs);
• blood poisoning (the penetration of bacteria into the blood, with which they enter other organs, causing meningitis, peritonitis, inflammation of the heart muscle, joints);
• heart failure;
• stopping breathing (apnea).

Chronic diseases of the respiratory system arise or worsen ( bronchial asthma and others), formation of calcifications occurs in the lungs. In addition, the consequences of long-term treatment with antibiotics (allergies, dysbacteriosis, fungal diseases) appear.

Diagnostic methods

The doctor makes a diagnosis and prescribes treatment based on the manifestations of the disease, the nature of coughing, breathing and wheezing in the baby’s lungs. The main diagnostic method is x-ray, which determines the presence and extent of areas of inflammation.

General and biochemical tests blood tests can detect deviations in its composition characteristic of pneumonia.

Done bacteriological culture mucus from the nose and throat, as well as sputum, to identify the type of bacteria and the effect of antibiotics on them.

ELISA and PCR methods allow you to accurately determine the type of infection.

In more difficult cases For examination, CT scan of the lungs, as well as fiber-optic bronchoscopy, are used.

Treatment

When viral pneumonia Treatment with antibiotics is not carried out, since they do not act on viruses. Only relief is provided with the help of antipyretic drugs (paracetamol, Panadol), mucolytics that dilute sputum (bromhexine, ACC 100), bronchodilators that relieve spasms (ephedrine, aminophylline), antihistamines (Zyrtec, Suprastin).

The main treatment for bacterial pneumonia in children is antibiotic therapy. It must be carried out for at least 10 days. If this type of antibiotic is ineffective within 2 days, then it is changed to another.

In severe cases, treatment in the intensive care unit and assistance to the child with the help of a ventilator are required.

If there are no complications, then recovery occurs in 2-4 weeks.

Vaccination for pneumonia

The most common cause of pneumonia in children is the bacterium pneumococcus. There are vaccines (Pneumo-23 and others) that are recommended for prevention in weakened children. Vaccination allows you to several times reduce the risk of developing colds, pneumonia, otitis media and bronchitis.

Video: Why pneumonia occurs in children. Prevention

When treating pneumonia at home, doctors advise following certain rules:

1. Children should not be given antipyretics when the temperature does not exceed 38°. If the baby has ever had convulsions, then such drugs must be given at a temperature of 37.5°.
2. Food should be easily digestible, without chemical additives and fats, to ease the load on the liver. You can't force a child to eat when he doesn't want to.
3. He needs to drink a lot of liquid (natural juices, raspberry tea, rose hip decoction).
4. The room must be clean and cool air, wet cleaning is required every day.
5. Children should not be given allergy medications without a doctor's prescription. synthetic vitamins, immunomodulators. They can aggravate the baby's condition with their side effects, complicate treatment.

Self-medication is completely prohibited; the consequences can be unpredictable. Treatment with folk remedies (expectorants, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory) can be carried out only after consultation with the doctor.