Among adolescents, pneumonia occurs community-acquired and nosocomial type. In all cases, the main pathogens are: viruses, bacteria, Candida fungi.
Doctors say that usually pneumonia in adolescents is associated with previous illnesses. It can be measles, simple flu, salmonellosis, scarlet fever and so on. In a separate group, chlamydial and ureaplasmic pneumonia are distinguished. It is these types of diseases among adolescents that are quite common. How does pneumonia start? Symptoms in adolescents are listed below.
Reasons
Risk factors that provoke the development of pneumonia in adolescents are usually referred to:
- presence of bad habits;
- contact with sick people.
Of course, school-age children don't get pneumonia as often as they mightbefore. If infection occurs, then the main pathogens will be pneumococci and chlamydia. Also sometimes meet mycoplasmas and their various atypical forms. It is this age group that suffers most from a prolonged course of pneumonia, which cannot be said about adults or newborn children.
In any case, everything is determined by the state of the immune system, so it is important to take measures to strengthen it.
Symptoms
If we talk about the main symptoms of pneumonia in adolescents, they depend on the causes that provoked the onset of the disease. It is also important to take into account the person's age and general he alth. Leakage can be acute or latent. Some patients have symptoms that are called classic. Others suffer from manifestations of atypical pneumonia. Pneumonia is too difficult for older people, since the main organ of the respiratory system is affected by well-defined complications. This group includes those who have a weakened immune system and, of course, children. The last category is under threat due to not fully developed immunity.
The incidence of pneumonia in children varies with their age. For example, very young children get sick several times more often than children from the older category.
Specialists talk about the symptoms of pneumonia in adolescents, which differ depending on age. Also, do not forget about the etiology andarea of the inflammatory response. Of course, for newborns and adolescents, the signs of pneumonia are completely different from each other.
Key Features
Signs of pneumonia in adolescents are similar to adults. Patients report:
- a sharp increase in temperature to 39 degrees and above (cannot be knocked down with antipyretics over a long period of time);
- constant feeling of weakness;
- excessive sweating;
- significantly reduces the feeling of appetite (provokes weight loss);
- lack of interest in activities that used to bring great joy;
- general malaise becomes more pronounced.
Additional symptoms
In some cases, a teenager may develop insufficient functioning of the respiratory system. This is due to the spread of the inflammatory process to large areas of the lungs, or, if there are certain features in the child. Of course, such situations develop only with advanced forms of inflammation and with untimely seeking medical help. This leads to coughing with pneumonia.
To avoid negative consequences during the course of the disease, it is recommended that if at least one of the listed symptoms of pneumonia appear in adolescents, immediately take the child to the doctor. The sooner treatment is started, the sooner he will return to his normal life.
X-ray
If a teenager has symptoms resembling pneumonia, then the attending physician will definitely send him for a chest x-ray. The diagnosis will be confirmed if significant lung damage is noted in the acute phase of the disease, or if the pleura is involved in the course of the inflammatory process. If the course is too complicated, then before the patient is discharged, the doctor will repeat the x-ray again.
Peripheral blood count
Peripheral blood is taken for analysis from all people who may have pneumonia. This means that this point of examination is the same in both adults and adolescents. With a pronounced leukocytosis, one can immediately tell about the presence of a bacterial focus. If leukopenia occurs, then this is considered as an unfavorable prognostic sign for the course of the disease.
Blood chemistry
Another standard method for diagnosing pneumonia is associated with a biochemical blood test. Typically, such a fence is done in adolescents with a severe course of the disease who require urgent hospitalization in a hospital. After receiving the results, the doctor pays attention to the liver enzymes, as well as the level of urea and creatinine. For adolescents, an assessment of the acid-base state of the blood is often done.
Medicated treatment
The main purpose of the treatment of pneumonia in children is associated with the complete destruction of all pathogens thatprovoked the development of pneumonia. It is important to remember that traditional medicine cannot give the desired result, so it is best to completely abandon this technique. In most cases, this disease is bacterial. Doctors after the examinations prescribe a course of antibiotics ("Amoxicillin", "Flemoxin", "Mezlociollin", "Eritomycin", "Clarithromycin", "Ceftriaxone", etc.). The selection of drugs is carried out exclusively by a qualified specialist, since the dosage should correspond to the age of the teenager and the severity of the course of pneumonia. It may take a few days for the patient's condition to improve. This appointment is only suitable for children in adolescence or adults. Adolescents are advised to take suitable therapy for several weeks.
Antibiotics to help
As already mentioned, thanks to antibiotics, it is possible to remove the symptoms of the disease in a short time, but there is no talk of the complete destruction of the infection yet. That is why the attending physician forbids stopping the medication, even if the patient has become much better. Completion of the course of therapy occurs only after performing a second x-ray of the lungs and obtaining the results of laboratory tests.
Conditions for a successful cure
Medical treatment can be considered successful if the patient has:
- temperature drops to normal levels (below 37 degrees);
- does not appeardysbacteriosis, organism intoxication;
- shortness of breath and excessive sweating completely gone;
- when coughing does not produce sputum;
- normalized feeling of appetite;
- leukocyte formula has improved (neutrophils should not be more than 80%).
Parents of adolescents are not recommended to self-medicate and at the first sign you should immediately seek qualified medical help. Otherwise, complications may develop, and the patient will have to be admitted to the hospital for a longer period. Sometimes deaths are noted for this reason.
Hospitalization
Hospitalization of a teenager with pneumonia may be indicated after evaluation of certain factors. This is the age of the patient and the severity of the disease itself. If pneumonia occurs in a mild form, then the child is allowed to go home for treatment. In some cases, the doctor must take into account the participation of the patient's body systems in the disease process. For example, sometimes against the background of such inflammation, the liver can be enlarged or difficulties with breathing function begin. The presence of these symptoms always requires emergency hospitalization.
There are several options for treating pneumonia in adolescents. We are talking about symptomatic and etiological directions. The latter helps to destroy directly the source of infection, which caused the development of the disease. Most patients (approximately 70%) suffer from pneumonia, which is associated with staphylococci and streptococci. Symptomatic treatment is characterized by relief of immediate symptomsmanifestations of the disease. The main task of doctors is to provide improved lung filtration, so that the body can be fully saturated with oxygen.
Even with the onset of an improvement in the general condition, the patient is recommended to observe bed rest and ensure a constant supply of cool air into the room where he is. At the same time, it is important to monitor the level of humidity so that the air masses are not too dry. As for the drinking regime, it is better to use exceptionally warm liquid, but not boiling water. Don't forget to take extra vitamins.
Folk treatment
If a teenager has a mild form of pneumonia and this is confirmed by specialists, then it is possible to carry out treatment with folk methods. There are many ways, it remains only to choose the one that suits best:
- Mix an equal amount of onion juice with honey, consume 1 teaspoon before meals.
- Decoction helps well, for its preparation it is necessary to cut an aloe leaf, mix with 100 ml of water and 200 g of flower honey. Boil in a water bath for about 10 minutes. Consume a tablespoon at night.
- From black radish to make something like a pot with a mug. Place honey inside the fruit, preferably lime, leave the radish to soak for about 2-3 hours. After that, honey is saturated with the beneficial properties of the root and becomes a medicinal syrup that helps with pneumonia. The resulting medicine is taken orally 1 teaspoon 2 times a day. Welladmission 5 days.
- Wheat bran put in a large amount of water and cook until the consistency becomes thick and homogeneous. Spread the resulting mass with a layer of about 2 centimeters on a linen cloth, sprinkle grated garlic over the gruel, then fold the cloth in half, attach to the patient's chest, hold until the compress has cooled completely.
- Take a few sheets of cabbage, place in boiling water for about 5 minutes, remove the leaves from the water, knead a little and attach them to the patient's neck, you should first warm the patient.
- After eating, eat one tablespoon of honey, preferably buckwheat or linden, but flowery is also suitable. After that, do not drink or eat for about 30 minutes, this method will contribute to the anti-inflammatory effect.
- Chop 2 onions, mix with one glass of milk and simmer for 5 minutes. Before use, let the mixture brew for 4 hours. Drink every three hours, one tablespoon.
- Eat pine cone jam with hot herbal tea.
- Brew herb St. John's wort, thyme, coltsfoot and take 2 tablespoons 3 times a day.
- Mix flour, honey, sunflower oil and apply as a compress on the back and chest.
- Take two dried figs and pour 1 glass of milk, simmer until the fruit is soft. Take one glass daily.
- Pour crushed raisins with hot boiled water and bring to a boil over low heat. Let the decoction cool, strain it anddrink a glass three times a day.
It is best to combine medical and folk methods to avoid the consequences of pneumonia, which occur with insufficient therapy.
Prevention
Every person is not immune from the development of pneumonia. It manifests itself after hypothermia of the body, even if it was quite insignificant. Everyone knows the most common symptoms of this disease. The pathological condition develops even against the background of a common cold, but only if it has not been cured. If a person carries the flu and other diseases on their feet, then in most cases this leads to the development of pneumonia.
Specialists identify a whole group of people who are most susceptible to this disease. We are talking about those who smoke a lot and are fond of alcohol. People who do not smoke but inhale tobacco smoke are also at risk.
If you want to completely protect the body from pneumonia, it is recommended to lead a he althy lifestyle and actively strengthen the immune system at any time of the year. With the onset of the cold season, it is important to be especially careful about he alth. To maintain the immune system, you should give preference to proven recipes of traditional medicine.
If the problem has not gone away, then it is important to follow all the doctor's recommendations and follow the treatment regimen. Thanks to modern methods of treatment and medicines, it is possible to quickly eliminate the symptoms of the disease, and prevent the development of complications duringinflammation of the lungs, which occurs with improper treatment. It is worth remembering that the disease can lead to complications such as pleurisy, pulmonary edema or abscess, acute cardiopulmonary failure, myocarditis, endocarditis, meningoencephalitis, meningitis, sepsis, toxic shock, etc.
