Pneumonia

What is pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs, the lower part of the respiratory tract.

Different germs, like viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites, may cause pneumonia.

These germs commonly infect the nose and throat, causing colds and other upper respiratory tract infections. Pneumonia sometimes follows an upper respiratory infection (URI), if the germs get through the body's defenses and travel down the respiratory system into the lungs.

Viruses are the most common cause of upper respiratory infections in children and also, the most common cause of pneumonia.

The viruses that commonly cause pneumonia are adenovirus, rhinovirus, influenza virus (flu), and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Children under 2 years of age are especially vulnerable to pneumonia caused by the RSV virus, especially during the winter. The bacteria that most often cause pneumonia are streptococcus pneumoniae and mycoplasma.

Pneumonia can be a complication of pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is increasingly found in teenagers and adults, but is especially dangerous in very young infants.

The time from infection until symptoms appear (incubation period) for pneumonia depends on the type of germ causing the infection.

The germs that cause pneumonia are easily passed from one person to another, primarily through coughing, sneezing, or contact with body fluids.

Treatment / What you should do

If you think your child may have pneumonia, you should talk with a doctor or his staff.

Consult a doctor if your child is breathing fast, having a hard time breathing, has a pale or bluish skin color, or has worsening cough with fever.

The doctor will listen to your child's chest with a stethoscope, and may decide to do some blood tests. It is often necessary to x-ray your child's lungs to know whether or not she has pneumonia.

If your child has pneumonia, the x-ray will show congestion, or fluid, in one or both lungs.

The doctor may be able to determine whether the pneumonia is caused by a virus or bacteria based on the physical exam and tests that he orders.

If a virus is the cause of the pneumonia, antibiotics will not be effective. Other medicines can be helpful for some cases of viral pneumonia. Bacterial pneumonia is treated with antibiotics, usually for 7-10 days. This can take place at home, or in a hospital, depending on your child's general condition.

If the child is very ill, it is more appropriate to admit the child to the hospital, so that antibiotics can be given intravenously. In this case, it will also be possible to provide fluids to your child right into a vein, especially when he is showing signs of dehydration.

If you treat your child with antibiotics at home, it is important to give your child the antibiotics exactly as the doctor has prescribed, and to complete the entire course of treatment.

Children with pneumonia often don't want to eat as much as usual, to the point where they will not eat any solid food. However, it is important to give the child lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. In addition to drinks, offer soups, gelatin, and popsicles. If you suspect that your child may have become dehydrated, and you are unable to get them to drink enough fluids, you should also check in with a doctor. If the child has a fever, you can give the child a medicine to bring the fever down, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Do not give a child any medicine that may suppress the cough without first consulting a doctor. Remember that coughing is the body's way of clearing the respiratory tract of mucous and secretions caused by the infection. These cough medicines often are not that helpful anyway.

Children with a history of asthma who get pneumonia often need to increase how much of their asthma medicines they take or to take different ones. Ask your doctor about this.

Consult a doctor whenever your child's condition worsens, the fever increases, or if your child does not significantly improve after 2 days of antibiotic treatment.