Childhood Pneumonia: Symptoms, Prevention, and Complications

Introduction:

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be mild or severe. It is caused by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Some of the common symptoms of pneumonia are cough, fever, tiredness, and chest pain. It usually interferes with the delivery of oxygen from the air sac of the lungs into the blood, followed by the removal of carbon dioxide from the blood. The physician can diagnose it through physical examination findings. The chest radiograph is the best way to diagnose the presence of any infection in the chest. Some types of pneumonia can be prevented by administering a pneumonia vaccine. Pneumonia can be life-threatening as it can lead to severe breathing problems.

What Is Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection that makes the lung in one or more sacs inflamed. The air sac of the lungs can be filled with pus or fluid that causes cough with pus or phlegm, chills, difficulty in breathing, or fever. A variety of organisms, including fungi, viruses, and bacteria, can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia can occur as mild, moderate, or severe. The condition can even be life-threatening. Pneumonia is further classified into the following types:

• Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia: This is the type of bacterial pneumonia that is acquired during a hospital stay.

• Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Refers to pneumonia that is acquired outside an institutional or medical setting.

• Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: The one when the person suffering from pneumonia uses a ventilator.

• Aspiration Pneumonia: Occurs when the bacteria are inhaled into the lungs from saliva, drink, or food, causing aspiration pneumonia.

What Are the Symptoms of Pneumonia?

The symptoms of pneumonia include:

• Chest pain with cough or breathing difficulty.

• Cough, which may produce phlegm.

• Fatigue.

• Fever, sweating or shaking chills.

• Nausea.

• Vomiting.

• Diarrhea (refers to a watery loose stool that occurs more than two times a day).

• Shortness of breath.

• Sweating.

• Feeling very tired.

• Lips and fingernails turn blue (cyanosis).

What Is Childhood Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can be mild to serious. It is most common in children younger than five years of age. Pneumonia is most often caused by viruses or bacteria that spread by direct contact with the person who is already affected. The bacteria responsible for causing pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae. Most children with pneumonia have rapid breathing or cough as the most common symptom, while older children may have symptoms such as shortness of breath or chest pain.

Why Are Children at Risk for Pneumonia?

Children are more likely to suffer from pneumonia due to the following reasons:

• Pneumonia can occur due to long-term health problems such as cystic fibrosis (which refers to an inherited disease that causes damage to the digestive system, lungs, and other body parts) or asthma.

• Problems associated with airways or lungs.

• Weak immune system due to prolonged problems such as cancer (refers to a disease that causes uncontrolled, abnormal cell division that destroys the body tissue).

• An infant born prematurely.

• Children have a compromised immune system.

• The child may be at risk of developing pneumonia if he or she is malnourished and exposed to air pollution.

What Are the Symptoms of Pneumonia in Children?

The symptoms of pneumonia in children are as follows:

• Cough that produces mucus.

• Joint and muscle pain.

• Vomiting.

• Diarrhea (refers to watery loose stools that occur more than two times a day).

• Loss of appetite.

• Tiredness.

• Fever.

• Chills.

• Headache.

• Fast breathing.

• Irritability.

• Abdominal pain.

• Bluish gray color around the lips, nose, or fingernails.

• Flaring of nostrils.

• Wheezing (refers to the high-pitched whistling sound that occurs while breathing).

How to Diagnose Pneumonia in a Child?

The diagnosis of pneumonia can be made in the following ways such as:

• Chest X-ray: Helps in taking images of bone, internal tissues, and organs. It uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams for the production of images.

• Blood Test: It is done to look for signs of infection present.

• Sputum Culture: It is done on mucus that is coughed from the lungs into the mouth and is a diagnostic test to determine the presence or absence of any infection.

• Pulse Oximetry: It is a small device used to measure the amount of oxygen in the blood. For measuring it, a sensor is applied over the finger.

• Chest CT (Computed Tomography) Scan: It provides images of the structure present in the chest.

• Bronchoscopy: A procedure used to see inside the airways of the lungs.

• Pleural Fluid Culture: It is a test done by taking a sample of fluid from the space between the chest wall and the lungs.

How to Prevent Pneumonia in Children?

• The pneumococcal vaccine is the vaccine used to protect the child from bacterial pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumonia.

• Avoid people with signs of a respiratory infection such as cold, cough, flu, or coronavirus (COVID-19).

How to Treat Pneumonia in Children?

• Treatment of pneumonia in children includes antibiotics.

• Drinking plenty of water.

• Cool mist humidifier in the child’s room.

• Medicine for cough.

• Sometimes the child may get hospitalized for the treatment of pneumonia.

What Are the Complications of Childhood Pneumonia?

The complication of pneumonia is very common in children to occur and includes the following:

• Pleurisy: Occurs when the thin lining between the pleura and lungs becomes inflamed, which may lead to respiratory failure.

• Bacteremia: Occurs when the bacteria spread into the blood, which causes organ failure and septic shock.

• Trouble Breathing: This means the person has to use a breathing machine when the lungs heal.

• Lung Abscess: It is a rare complication seen in children with serious pre-existing illnesses. Lung abscess is the destruction of lung tissues caused by microbial infection.

• Blood Poisoning: It is a rare but serious complication of childhood pneumonia.

Conclusion:

Pneumonia can occur at any age but is most common in young children. Pneumonia in newborns occurs mainly due to irritability, grunting (refers to sharp, deep sound), and hypoxemia (refers to a low level of oxygen in the blood). Pneumonia has caused the deaths of more than 800,000 young children. It is one of the leading causes of hospitalization in children. It usually takes one to two weeks for a child to recover from pneumonia. Vaccination is an effective way to protect a child from pneumonia. It can be prevented by increasing protective measures such as reducing risk factors like air pollution and adequate nutrition.