The disease causes many children in the North to have fever and prolonged cough, easily mistaken for the flu.
Many children are hospitalized with Mycoplasma pneumonia, with symptoms that can be easily confused with the common cold. If not diagnosed correctly, the child may develop respiratory failure, which is life-threatening.
Nearly 50 children are hospitalized every day for treatment of pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma.
The child (8 years old, Lao Cai) had a high fever and cough continuously. The family took the child to a nearby hospital and was diagnosed with viral fever. The child was monitored at home for 3 more days but the fever did not go away.
On the 5th day of illness, the child was admitted to the Respiratory Center, National Children's Hospital, with a continuous high fever, dry cough, rash all over the body, and a chest X-ray showinglobar pneumonia.
In-depth test results showed that the child was positive for Mycoplasma Pneumoniae. After 5 days of treatment with specific antibiotics, on June 26, the patient was alert, no longer had a fever, no difficulty breathing, and his lungs had significantly improved.
Similarly, patient LDT (10 years old, in Thai Binh) was brought to the Respiratory Center with a severe cough accompanied by a continuous high fever, chest pain, difficulty breathing, and a rash all over the body. He had been treated at a lower-level hospital for 9 days without improvement.
Admitted to the hospital, the child was X-rayed, tested, and diagnosed with lobar pneumonia and left pleural effusion caused by Mycoplasma. After more than 10 days of treatment, the patient is alert, eating well, has no chest pain, no difficulty breathing, and is about to be discharged.
According to a representative of the Respiratory Center, National Children's Hospital, recently many cases of children hospitalized due to pneumonia have been received, including many children with Mycoplasma pneumonia with atypical symptoms, easily confused with the common cold.
It is worth mentioning that if not diagnosed correctly and treated promptly, the disease will become serious, leading to respiratory failure and endangering the child's life.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Hong Hanh - Director of the Respiratory Center, National Children's Hospital said that pneumonia has many causes, of which Mycoplasma Pneumoniae (atypical bacteria) is an important agent causing pneumonia in children. The disease occurs in all ages, but is more common in older children.
According to an American study, the rate of pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma Pneumoniae in children aged 5-10 is 16%, while in the group of children aged 10-17, this rate is up to 23%.
Currently, every day, the Respiratory Center, National Children's Hospital receives 150-160 inpatients, of which Mycoplasma Pneumoniae infections account for 30%, meaning that every day there are about 50 patients being treated.
Children aged 4-10 years old with the following signs need special attention:
According to doctors, the incubation period for Mycoplasma pneumoniae bacteria to enter the body is about 2 to 3 weeks. After this time, the disease will develop and experience the following symptoms:
- Initially, children have symptoms of respiratory tract inflammation: sneezing, runny nose, fever. Children with pneumonia may have high fever, continuous fever from 39 to 40 degrees Celsius. In addition, children also cough a lot, cough in bouts, cough accompanied by difficulty breathing, rapid breathing. Older children may have chest pain, headache, muscle pain, muscle stiffness...
- In particular, children with Mycoplasma pneumonia may have conjunctivitis, hives, cardiovascular complications, gastrointestinal and urinary complications...
Doctors recommend that if children, especially older children from 4-10 years old, show symptoms such as respiratory tract infection, high fever, cough and difficulty breathing, they should be taken to specialized medical facilities for examination and early diagnosis and timely treatment.
This helps prevent complications that parents cannot detect, such as high fever with extrapulmonary manifestations, severe pneumonia, and respiratory failure.
Symptoms of pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma are easily confused with other pneumonia agents such as viruses and bacteria. To diagnose pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, specific tests are required./.
