Inflammation of the lungs or pneumonia is an insidious disease that affects the respiratory system. It is fraught with many complications, especially at an early age, when the immune system is the weakest and most defenseless. It is important to diagnose the disease as soon as possible and start treating it.
Features of the development of the disease in childhood
It is most difficult to diagnose pneumonia in children under 3 years old, since the disease begins to manifest itself according to symptoms similar to other ailments, and the child is not able to describe his feelings. At this age, the child still has short and rather narrow airways with a delicate mucous membrane, so the respiratory organs are very susceptible to the spread of the inflammatory process.
Babies have a poorly developed chest with a horizontal position of the ribs, which provides insufficient ventilation of the lungs. In the lower and back sections, blood stagnation often occurs due to the child spending a lot of time in the supine position. Against the background of this, children often develop atelectasis - airless sections of the lung tissue, where bacteria usually develop unhindered, inevitably causing inflammation of the respiratory organs.
There are several factors that contribute to the development of pneumonia in young children, which include:
- rickets;
- wrong feeding regimen;
- violation of hygiene rules;
- transfer of acute respiratory infections;
- diseases of the digestive system, etc.
Most often, pneumonia occurs within a few days after the onset of an acute respiratory infection. Against the background of acute respiratory infections, there is a rapid activation of the bacterial flora, which contributes to the destruction of the protective barriers of the respiratory tract and lungs by viruses. Various types of bacteria penetrate into the respiratory system, for example, streptococci and pneumococci, which leads to the development of pneumonia. In some cases, the disease is a consequence of a general weakness of the immune system due to the influence of the influenza virus.
Pneumonia symptoms
At the initial stage of the spread of the infection, the following symptoms are observed:
- pallor of the skin;
- restless state;
- deterioration in sleep;
- frequent regurgitation;
- decreased appetite and impaired stool.
Gradually, the child's temperature rises, usually up to 38 degrees. The most important factor in pneumonia is the rapid appearance of signs of respiratory tract infection: nasal breathing becomes difficult, the child begins to sneeze frequently, and a dry cough almost never stops. Edema appears in the area of the nasolabial triangle. It is worth noting that during the flu or common acute respiratory infections, these signs appear much later and usually against the background of the retreat of the infection.
In the future, the child has an increase in breathing and a violation of his rhythm. The wings of the nose turn pale, become tense and practically motionless. In some cases, frothy discharge from the mouth appears, shortness of breath is observed. The skin of a sick child becomes grayish. Mobility almost completely disappears, and most of the time children spend in restless sleep.
Types of pneumonia
In medicine, several types of pneumonia are distinguished, depending on the size of the focus of inflammation:
- Small focal pneumonia. Most often it occurs in infants and is characterized by a relatively small focus. The disease is fleeting, has not too pronounced symptoms.
- Segmental pneumonia: one or more segments of the respiratory system become inflamed. All signs of the disease are clearly manifested.
- Croupous pneumonia: almost all lung tissue is exposed to the inflammatory process. The disease is difficult and fraught with many complications.
- Interstitial pneumonia. This is a rather rare type of disease, when, in addition to the lung tissue, the septa from the connective tissue near the bronchi, as well as the alveoli, are affected.
In addition, acute and protracted pneumonia is isolated. In the first case, the disease lasts up to six weeks, and in the second, a longer period.
Diagnosis of pneumonia in a medical setting
Regardless of the nature of the course of the disease, the presence or absence of obvious signs of pneumonia, the child must be shown to the doctor. The success of the treatment of the disease largely depends on the correct and timely medical diagnosis. It is very dangerous to start treating a child on your own and, moreover, to write off the picture as an ordinary malaise or harmless phenomena, for example, teething. It is forbidden to use antipyretic, coughing and antibacterial agents without a medical prescription, otherwise it will be impossible to avoid deterioration.
A pediatrician is able to determine the state of the respiratory and other systems of the child's body using a phonendoscope. In this case, the chest area begins to be heard from the heart. The child must first be reassured, otherwise crying and general nervous tension will drown out the rhythm of the heartbeat. If during the diagnosis there are obvious noises, disturbances in the heart rhythm, this becomes the first sign of the presence of the disease.
Next, the doctor proceeds to listen to the respiratory system. Children often have too quiet breathing, so gentle tickling may be used to make it clearer and clearer. After that, breathing becomes deeper and more noticeable for a while. At these moments, crying is allowed, which can additionally show the characteristics of the baby's breathing.
To make the correct diagnosis, the doctor performs probing and listening to the chest, as well as such additional methods as X-ray, complete blood count. A detailed survey of parents is carried out to identify the features of infection, as well as the course of the disease in recent days. Only a comprehensive assessment of the body of a sick child makes it possible to accurately identify the cause of the malaise, taking into account all the main methods.
If small-focal pneumonia or segmental pneumonia is detected, treatment is recommended at home. In the case of more severe and prolonged pneumonia, the child is admitted to a hospital. For treatment, infusion and respiratory therapy is used on the basis of inhalation of special mixtures and the intake of suitable coughing drugs. In critical situations, artificial ventilation is prescribed. The child is given immunomodulatory agents. Antibiotics are prescribed only in extreme cases, so as not to harm the baby's body. Fortunately, in most cases, timely recognition of the disease and timely treatment provide a successful outcome.
