Symptoms of pneumonia in children

Written by Yang Feng
Pulmonology
Updated on October 24, 2024
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Pneumonia is a particularly common infectious disease of the respiratory system, and infants and young children are especially susceptible to pneumonia because their immune systems are much weaker than those of healthy adults. When infants and young children develop pneumonia, their symptoms differ from adults; they often exhibit only fever, crying, nausea, vomiting, etc. The symptoms of coughing and phlegm are relatively less obvious, making the diagnosis of pneumonia in infants and young children somewhat more difficult. If a patient exhibits fever, auscultation and routine blood tests can be used to preliminarily determine the presence of an infection. If pneumonia is suspected, further comprehensive imaging examinations can be conducted to confirm the diagnosis.

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Difference between Viral Pneumonia and COVID-19 Pneumonia

The differences between viral pneumonia and COVID-19 begin with their names. Viral pneumonia is a broad concept, referring to lung inflammation caused by any respiratory virus, whereas COVID-19 specifically refers to the pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus that emerged in 2019. Additionally, regarding symptoms, viral pneumonia can cause fever, cough, and sputum production, but rarely progresses to severe disease. On the other hand, treating COVID-19 is challenging as there are no specific drugs available, and a significant portion of patients may develop severe illness. Furthermore, in terms of prognosis, there are many vaccines available that provide protection against viral pneumonia, whereas, as of now, there is no vaccine available for COVID-19.

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What department does pneumonia go to?

What department should I go to for pneumonia? Pneumonia, as the name suggests, is a lung disease, which is to say it is a disease of our respiratory system. Therefore, the most appropriate department to visit would be the Department of Respiratory Medicine. If the patient's condition is relatively stable, they can visit the outpatient Respiratory Medicine department. Of course, there are a small number of patients whose condition is very critical, and in such cases, they must first visit the Department of Emergency Medicine. The doctors in Emergency Medicine will decide based on the patient's condition whether their next step should be to go to Respiratory Medicine, be admitted for in-hospital treatment, remain in the emergency for observation, or need to be admitted to the ICU for further emergency treatment.

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How many days does the pneumonia vaccine take effect?

Pneumonia is a common infectious disease of the respiratory system. For the elderly who are frail, infants and young children who repeatedly suffer from pulmonary infections, and adults with immune deficiencies, it is an option to get vaccinated against pneumonia. Generally, antibodies are produced in the body 2 to 3 weeks after vaccination, which may protect against most types of pneumococcal bacteria. Different pneumonia vaccines vary in the duration the antibodies last in the body, with most lasting about one year. For bivalent and trivalent pneumonia vaccines, the immune protection can last about five years.

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Do you have a runny nose with pneumonia?

In clinical settings, pneumonia patients exhibit varying accompanying symptoms depending on the type of pneumonia. Particularly in very young infants, the early symptoms might primarily include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and even fever, without obvious coughing symptoms. In some newborns, pneumonia can be diagnosed through auscultation at this stage. In adults, certain types of pneumonia, such as those caused by viral infections, may not receive timely and effective anti-infective or antiviral treatment initially. In these cases, the condition can worsen and spread, leading to pneumonia, with some patients also experiencing symptoms of a runny nose. Of course, conditions like most cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, and lung abscesses that cause pulmonary inflammation usually do not involve a runny nose. Therefore, in clinical practice, if pneumonia is accompanied by a runny nose, it is usually due to specific circumstances of the illness.

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How to treat pneumonia in children?

In the treatment of pediatric pneumonia, the main choice is to use antimicrobial drugs to control the infection and symptomatic treatment. For patients with mild symptoms, oral medication can be administered, but for those with a prolonged course of illness or difficulty in taking oral medication, drugs can be administered via intramuscular injection or intravenous antibiotics. If the pneumonia is caused by an infection of Streptococcus pneumoniae leading to lobar pneumonia, the first choice of clinical drugs is penicillin antibiotics. If there is an allergy to penicillin, macrolide antibiotics can be used for anti-inflammatory treatment. For patients experiencing respiratory distress and hypoxia, oxygen therapy should also be provided. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor according to specific circumstances.)