Pneumonia is a common disease and one of the main causes of death in children. The majority of cases of pneumonia are caused by viruses, treating the disease mainly relies on proper care and solving symptoms. With good care, the child will quickly cure the disease.
1. Overview of pneumonia in children
Pneumonia is a disease that only has an infected lung condition. The air s pockets in the lungs are filled with pus and mucus that prevents the body from absorbing the necessary amount of oxygen.
The causes of pneumonia can be caused by:
- Viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites cause. In most cases, this disease is caused by viruses such as adeno virus, rhino virus, influenza virus … causing disease.
- Some factors can increase the risk of pneumonia in children such as living in areas with high levels of pollution, having relatives who smoke or are frequently exposed to smoke.
If treatment of pneumonia in children is delayed, it can cause many dangerous complications affecting the development of the child later such as: Meningitis, blood infections, pleural effusion, pericardial effusion, heart failure, antibiotic resistance, underdeve developed rickets. Therefore, parents need to detect early symptoms of the disease to properly care for the child.
Most often, pneumonia begins to occur after the upper respiratory tract is infected. Symptoms of the disease begin to appear 2 or 3 days after you have a cold or sore throat. Then they attack the lungs. Mucus, leukocytic… gathering in the alveoli of the lungs makes it difficult for the body to absorb oxygen. This inadvertently causes the baby to breathe faster so that the lungs can provide the necessary amount of oxygen to the body.
Children infected with the bacteria that cause pneumonia often get sick quite quickly. Depending on the age of the child and the cause of the disease, there will be different symptoms of pneumonia. General symptoms of the disease may include:
- The child wheezes or sounds like a hiss. This can be considered the most common sign.
- Sudden high fever and rapid breathing, abnormal shortness of breath, try your best to breathe.
- Sore throat, headache and rash.
- If the child has pneumonia caused by whooping cough, he will have prolonged coughing attacks, his face pale because of lack of oxygen or when breathing sounds like a hiss.
- Nasal congestion, chills, vomiting
- Chest pain, abdominal pain (because the child has a cough and shortness of breath)
- Fatigue, seducy
- Loss of appetite (in older children) or not wanting to feed (in babies), which can lead to dehydration
- Lips, blue or gray nail head.
- If inflammation occurs in the lower part of the lungs (location near the abdomen), the child may have fever, abdominal pain or vomiting but without manifestations of respiratory disease.
2. Proper treatment and care for children with pneumonia
2.1. Proper treatment of pneumonia in children
The treatment of pneumonia in children depends on many factors, including physical condition and suspected causes of pneumonia (viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites).
Depending on the type of bacteria that are believed to be the cause of the disease, the doctor will prescribe appropriate medications for pneumonia in children. If the disease is caused by a virus, the baby does not need to take antibiotics. If the disease is caused by bacteria, the baby needs to be treated with antibiotics.
Most children with pneumonia can be treated at home. If there is one of the following factors, the baby must be hospitalized so that the doctor has a treatment regimen for pneumonia in children:
- If coma or convulsions: airway through the child and diazepam pump. The child's safe position is in a coma if head or neck injuries are suspected, neck and glucose infusion should be fixed first.
- For children with severe dehydration (only for children with diarrhea with envelopes, sunken eyes, skin pinch marks that lose very slowly, cannot drink or drink very poorly): Keep them warm; children who are not severely malnourished do not take the transmission line.
- Health Hub treatments may include intravenous antibiotics and respiratory therapy. In more severe cases, the baby may be treated in the intensive care unit (ICU).
- For young < 2 tháng children, fever is very high, trauma or need surgery, paleness, vomiting so much that it is impossible to take drugs to treat pneumonia in children,severe pain, cysts, malnutrition, facial or two-legged edema, need oxygen therapy, lung infections can spread to the blood, chronic diseases affecting the immune system, recurrent pneumonia, whooping cough should be examined and treated in a timely manner.
2.2. Proper care for children with pneumonia
Proper childcare is one of the preferred methods in the treatment of pneumonia in children. Some of the following ways of caring that parents can apply to help children quickly get rid of the disease are as follows:
Fever-lowering for children:
- Active warm compresses, the temperature of the water is determined by dipping the elbows of adults into the water pot, if it feels warm.
- If your child has a fever above or equal to 38.5°C, give him antipyretics as prescribed by his or her doctor.
- Patting the back and helping children excrete sputum effectively is one of the ways to treat pneumonia in children. The method of patting the child on the back when coughing with sputum will help circulation of the blood of the lungs, help sputum in the bronchi long and discharge easily. Perform back patting is best before meals or as early as 1 hour after eating to avoid causing vomiting. Pay attention not to pat the stomach, sternum or backbone.
Instructions for the child to cough (Cough clears the airways, pushes the secretion out of the lungs):
- For older children, ask them to cough after being patted in each area. When your child hasn't stopped coughing, he hasn't been clapped. Let the child sit up, his head reclines slightly forward, inhales, opens his mouth and abdominal muscles to cough deeply, without coughing in the throat. After that, inhale again. Continue coughing until sputum is released.
- For young children, sputum suction machine can be removed from the pharynx when the child cannot cough on his own.
Hygiene and diet for children:
- Cleaning the nose and mouth, parents use soft paper towels to wipe off the nasal water, water and then discard the towel immediately after use. If using a bucket towel, you must pay attention to keep the towel clean.
- Clean your child's home, toys, and belongings. Caregivers need to wash their hands when caring for and preparing food for the child.
- Feed the child nutritious, soft, easily digested, easy to swallow food.
- Feed your child on demand, divide multiple meals during the day, and the amount of each meal is less than usual, do not force the child to eat all the food his parents have prepared.
- When the child coughs, it is possible to use steamed cinnamon with honey, sugar-steamed roses, ginger, lemon for the child to drink to reduce.
When a child coughs, a runny nose accompanied by one of the following signs must immediately take the child to the hospital:
- There are chest concave (the middle of the abdomen and chest are concave when the child inhales).
- Breathing tired, nose puffy, cyanosis.
- Wheezing or hissing while lying still.
- Unable to drink, convulsions or seizures are difficult to wake.
3. How to prevent pneumonia in a child
Some types of pneumonia can be prevented with vaccines. Children are vaccinated periodically to help fight Haemophilus influenzae pneumonia and whooping cough starting at 2 months of age(5-in-1 vaccine). Influenza vaccination is recommended for all healthy subjects between the ages of 6 months and 19 years. Children with chronic diseases such as heart, lung or asthma disorders should be fully vaccinated.
Cleanliness, avoid spreading. Do not smoke, cook in rooms with young children. Isolate the child from the sick person to avoid spreading it into an epidemic.
The child's place of stay must be sufficiently light, airy, good air circulation. If using air conditioning, it is recommended to adjust so that the temperature difference in the house and outdoors is from 5 to 7°C so that the child can adapt.
Early detection of early manifestations of respiratory infections in general such as cough, fever, runny nose, shortness of breath … and other disorders such as diarrhea, poor appetite, slow weight gain … for timely care and treatment.
During pregnancy, mothers must have a full pregnancy examination, ensure the fetus develops well, have a diet full of nutrients such as protid, lipids, vitamins, mineral salts … Breastfeeding should be given from immediately after birth to 2 years of age so that the baby's body develops comprehensively and is more resistant to diseases.
As a key area of Share99 Health System, Pediatrics always brings satisfaction to customers and is highly appreciated by industry experts with:
- Gathering a team of leading doctors in Pediatrics:including leading experts, highly specialized (professors, associate professors, doctors, masters), experienced, used to work at large hospitals such as Bach Mai, 108.. The doctors are well-trained, professional, mind-centered, knowledgeable about the child's psychology. In addition to domestic pediatricians, pediatrics also has the participation of foreign experts (Japan, Singapore, Australia, USA) always pioneering the application of the latest and most effective treatment regimens.
- Comprehensive services:In the field of Pediatrics, Share99 provides a chain of continuous medical examination and treatment services from Newborn to Pediatrics and Vaccines,… according to international standards to take care of your baby's health with parents from birth to adulthood
- Intensive techniques:Share99 has successfully implemented many specialized techniques to make the treatment of difficult diseases in Pediatrics more effective: neurosurgery – skull, hematoma stem cell transplantation in cancer treatment.
- Professional care:In addition to understanding the young psychology, Share99 also pay special attention to the children's play space, help them play comfortably and get acquainted with the hospital environment, cooperate in treatment, improve the efficiency of medical examination and treatment.
For direct advice, please click hotline number or register online HERE. In addition, you can register for remote consultation HERE
- Psychological characteristics of children aged 1 – 6 years
- Transient rapid breathing in babies
- Nutrition and diet for children after weaning