Let's figure out how to treat pneumonia in children. Inflammation of the lungs is a severe infectious disease that affects all people at any age. Children are no exception either. Currently, an increase in the number of respiratory diseases is observed, and pneumonia itself is the most dangerous of them. Therefore, parents need to know what pneumonia is, they need to be able to recognize this dangerous disease and be aware of what needs to be done if pneumonia occurs in children. Let us consider this disease in detail, find out the reasons as a result of which it is formed, and also find out how it should be treated.
Lungs as an important organ of the human body
The lungs perform the function of supplying oxygen to the tissues, so the defeat of such an important organ can lead to serious consequences. Oxygen enters the lungs during inhalation. In special bubbles (alveoli) the process of enrichment of human blood with oxygen is carried out. In parallel, carbon dioxide enters the alveoli from the blood, which is released outward during exhalation. The inner surface of the organ has a mucous membrane that protects the lungs from negative external influences. All parents should know the symptoms of pneumonia in children.
Each lung includes ten segments, they, in turn, are grouped into lobes. There are three such lobes in the right lung, and two in the left. Against the background of pneumonia, the infection affects the internal structures of the organ, which greatly complicates breathing and gas exchange. This, in turn, can adversely affect other organs, especially the heart.
Signs of pneumonia in a child will be discussed below.
Lung Functions
Gas exchange is far from the only function of the lungs. This important body is also involved in the following processes:
- The process of body temperature regulation.
- Remove toxins from the body.
- The process of filtering harmful substances.
- Adjusting the amount of liquid and s alt.
- The process of blood purification.
- Synthesize along with neutralization of proteins and fats.
Against the background of infectious diseases of the digestive system, poisoning, injuries and burns, the load on the lungs increases many times over, so they may not be able to cope with the elimination of toxins. It can provoke pneumonia in children.
Inflammation of the lungs: varieties of the disease
Approximately 80 percent of cases involve different strains of bacteria affecting the lungs. In the nurseryaging pneumonia is associated with the following three types of bacteria:
- Pneumococcus.
- Mycoplasma.
- Pulmonary chlamydia.
True, other types of bacteria can also be a source of disease. These include staphylococci, streptococci, Klebsiella, hemophilic, Escherichia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and in addition, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and others. Much less often, the lungs can suffer from the influence of pathogenic fungi, and even more rarely, pneumonia is caused by helminths.
Pneumonia symptoms in children are most often caused by pneumococci. At a younger age, children are often susceptible to mycoplasmal pneumonia. As for adolescents, they are mainly exposed to the pathology caused by chlamydia. Inflammation of the lungs is usually divided into the following types: focal, segmental, confluent, croupous, left-sided and right-sided pneumonia.
Local form
In the focal form, there are only some foci of inflammation, and in the confluent form, they merge together. With a segmental type, one of the segments of the lungs is affected, and with a croupous pathological process, the pathological process covers the entire lobe. With the development of bronchopneumonia, not only lung tissue suffers, but also the bronchial mucosa. As a rule, bronchopneumonia is a consequence of bronchitis.
Pure viral pneumonia is less common. The causative agents of this form are influenza viruses and adenoviruses. Bilateral pneumonia is most often caused by pneumococci and Haemophilus influenzae. Atypical form of pneumonia in childrenmainly caused by mycoplasmas or chlamydia. This type of pneumonia can last longer and is difficult to treat with antibiotics. Hospital-acquired pneumonia is most commonly caused by staphylococci, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Klebsiella.
Features of pathology
Left-sided pneumonia in children is often more severe than right-sided pneumonia. This is due to the fact that the lungs have an asymmetric structure, and on the left side of the path is narrower. This factor makes it difficult to remove mucus, contributing to the rooting of the infection.
Children are known to be more susceptible to pneumonia than adults. This fact has several reasons. First, children have a weak immune system. In addition, the respiratory organs in children are not as developed as in adults. The narrowness of the respiratory passages in a child provokes stagnation of mucus, making it difficult to remove.
In infants, breathing is carried out using the movement of the diaphragm, which is affected by the state of the digestive system. Violation of its work, such as bloating, immediately affects the lungs, in which congestion occurs, which leads to an increase in the number of pathogens. Babies have weak respiratory muscles that prevent them from coughing up phlegm properly.
Manifestation of disease
The symptoms of pneumonia in a child depend on his age. True, it is worth noting that with all types of pneumonia, respiratory failure is noted. This is expressed in increased breathing during the development of pneumonia, which usually does not occur with infectious diseases.pathologies. The ratio of pulse and respiratory rate is normally three to one. But with pneumonia, the ratio can be, for example, two to one. Thus, if the child's pulse is one hundred, then the respiratory rate will be more than fifty breaths per minute. Despite the frequency, breathing is usually shallow and shallow. What are other symptoms of pneumonia in children?
In addition, with inflammation of the lungs, there is another sign - a high temperature. Hyperthermia in pneumonia, as a rule, is much higher compared to other respiratory diseases and can reach forty degrees. True, this symptom is not observed in all types of the disease. Signs of the development of SARS in children include the presence of subfebrile temperature. Sometimes it happens that in the first days the temperature rises to high levels, and then decreases. And in children under one year old, due to the imperfection of immunity, the temperature can remain subfebrile even against the background of severe forms of pneumonia. The symptoms in children don't stop there.
Other respiratory symptoms include coughing. As a rule, it is observed in the case when the infection affected not only the lungs, but also the bronchi. In practice, this is the most common scenario. Cough, as a rule, is not completely dry and is associated with sputum discharge. Sometimes in the first days of the disease, a dry cough may appear, which later turns into expectoration of sputum. Bilateral croupous type of pneumonia is distinguished by the variety of its manifestations. In childrenthe symptoms of the disease in this form will include not only cough, but also sputum mixed with red blood cells from damaged capillaries.
Signs of intoxication
When a child has pneumonia, the symptoms will include signs of intoxication in the form of headaches, nausea and dizziness. Some types of pneumonia may cause chest and hypochondrium pain.
Symptoms of pneumonia in newborns are not as pronounced as in those who are older. Often they include only low-grade fever with a cough. In this regard, the recognition of the disease is difficult at the age of up to a year. At the same time, more attention should be paid to the presence of indirect symptoms - the appearance of lethargy, low muscle tone along with breast rejection, anxiety and frequent regurgitation.
Now find out what causes this disease in children.
Causes of pneumonia
According to the causes of occurrence, pneumonia is divided into primary and secondary types. The primary forms include cases that arise due to human infection with pathogens. Secondary pneumonia refers to diseases that are complications of other respiratory ailments, such as bronchitis, influenza, and so on.
There is viral pneumonia in children.
Most often we are talking about secondary pathologies. Viral respiratory diseases often provoke pneumonia, setting the stage for it by significantly weakening the immune system.
Rarely, pneumonia spreads from person to person. As a rule, causative agents of the disease already live in the body even beforeits beginning and simply wait for an hour to attack the lungs. The activation of pathogenic microflora is triggered by an infectious disease of the respiratory tract or influenza, and in addition, a weakening of the immune system, for example, as a result of hypothermia, and so on.
A special group of cases of pneumonia includes nosocomial infections that occur in hospitals. Hospital forms cause special strains of bacteria that have increased resistance to antibiotics. The most common symptoms of pneumonia in children with fever.
Illness can be caused by congestion in the lungs, which is associated with long bed rest. In babies, congestion in the lungs can be caused by intestinal infectious diseases, in which bloating occurs, as a result of which the normal ventilation of the main respiratory organ is disrupted. In addition, frequent regurgitation can contribute to the onset of this disease, in which vomit with pathogenic microorganisms can partially enter the lungs.
Pneumonia without fever in a child is very dangerous.
In the event that the disease occurs in a newborn, this can be the following two reasons: he was infected in the hospital or was infected in the womb. Other factors contributing to the disease include the following reasons: stress, beriberi, malnutrition along with passive smoking due to others.
Symptoms and treatment of pneumonia in children are often linked.
Treatment
Treatment of an acute form of illness in a child can be carried out in a hospital or at home. Choiceoption is done by a doctor, which depends on the following factors:
- Child's age.
- General condition of the child.
- Supposed form of the disease.
- The ability of parents to provide the necessary care for a sick child.
- The presence of smoking relatives in the family.
If the acute form of pneumonia is not cured, it can become chronic and last up to six months. Treatment of pneumonia in children is carried out mainly through the appointment of antibiotics. Of course, during the first examination, the doctor is not able to accurately determine the type of pathogen. In this regard, antibiotics of a general effect are first prescribed. Subsequently, as diagnostic data accumulates, the previous appointment may be canceled or confirmed.
The effectiveness of antibiotics in right-sided pneumonia in a child is evaluated in the first days after the appointment. In the event that, against the background of its use, the patient's condition improves, for example, the temperature decreases and symptoms weaken, then drug therapy with this drug is continued. If there is no improvement, another drug is used. By this time, the doctor may already have accurate data about the infection, which will help to correctly determine the drug. Are antibiotics effective for pneumonia in children?
Among the drugs that are approved in pediatric practice, antibiotics from the category of macrolides and cephalosporins are especially widespread. Indeed, there is no choiceother means, such as amoxicillins, penicillins or sulfonamides. Less frequently, fluoroquinolones or tetracyclines are used. It is also worth considering the age of the child, for example, some medications may be suitable at three years old, and others from five years old.
In any case, the choice of drug is not an easy matter. This must be done by a doctor with extensive practical experience. Otherwise, the use of antibiotics can only do harm.
In the event that a child has pneumonia, as a rule, oral antibiotics are prescribed. True, in severe forms of the course of the disease or when taking antibiotics causes nausea in the baby with vomiting, parenteral administration of medicinal preparations is prescribed. Most often this occurs with symptoms of pneumonia without coughing. The child may also have other unpleasant symptoms.
You should also strictly observe the dosage of medicines indicated by the doctor. Irregular use can negate the therapeutic effect due to the fact that there will not be a sufficient concentration of the substance in the blood. In the event that the patient shows signs of improvement, you should not stop taking the pills, it is very important to complete the course of treatment.
Among the negative factors that are associated with taking antibiotics, it should be borne in mind that they negatively affect the intestinal microflora. Therefore, probiotics should always be taken along with antibiotics.
Antipyretics
As part of the treatment of pneumonia in children, it should be noted that bringing down the temperature with the help of antipyreticsfunds are not recommended for the reason that hyperthermia acts as a protective reaction and mobilizes the body's forces to fight infection. Naturally, much depends on the temperature values. In the event that it exceeds thirty-nine degrees, such overheating of the body will negatively affect the patient's condition, so in such cases it is worth giving the child an antipyretic. Paracetamol and other nonsteroidal drugs are most often used as antipyretic drugs.
In addition, it is very important to give the patient as much to drink as possible, since with pneumonia the body loses a large amount of fluid due to profuse sweating. In addition, drinking plenty of water allows you to quickly remove toxins from a sick body. But if there are signs of pulmonary edema, fluid intake should be limited.
Usually, pneumonia in children is combined with the appearance of mucus in the bronchi and coughing, due to which it is removed from the respiratory system. In this regard, an important category of drugs are drugs aimed at relieving coughs. They are divided into three main categories: mucolytic, expectorant and bronchodilator. Mucolytic drugs reduce the viscosity of mucus, and expectorants facilitate its excretion. Among expectorants and mucolytics, Bromhexine is often used along with Ambrohexal and Acetylcysteine. Among the bronchodilators, which are designed to relieve spasms, "Eufillin" is most often used. The use of antitussive drugs strictlycontraindicated, as they lead to stagnation of sputum in the lungs.
We looked at how pneumonia is treated in children and the main symptoms of the pathology.
