Atypical bacterial pneumonia in children
Recently, the National Children's Hospital has received many cases of children hospitalized due to pneumonia, including many children with Mycoplasma pneumonia with atypical symptoms, easily confused with the common cold. So what types of bacteria cause atypical pneumonia in children, and how is it treated?
1. Types of bacteria that cause atypical pneumonia in children
Pneumonia is the most common problem in children. This is an infection that occurs in the lungs, in which, atypical pneumonia is a lung infection caused by atypical bacteria that are difficult to detect by conventional methods.
Atypical pneumonia is usually caused by three common strains of bacteria:
- Caused by mycoplasma Pneumoniae bacteria
With this strain, it is estimated that there are about 2 million cases of atypical pneumonia in children caused by mycoplasma each year. About 55 - 70% of atypical pneumonia in children is caused by mycoplasma.
The main risk groups are those who tend to live or work in densely populated areas such as schools, dormitories, damp slums, etc.
However, according to researchers, there are still many cases of atypical pneumonia caused by M.Pneumoniae without any special risk factors.
- Caused by chlamydophila pneumoniae bacteria
Atypical pneumonia caused by Chlamydophila (C. Pneumoniae) occurs year-round and is most common in school-age children. It is estimated that about 50% of adults have had this disease before the age of 20.
People with the disease usually have only mild pneumonia symptoms and severe cases rarely appear.
- Caused by Legionella Pneumophila bacteria
Atypical pneumonia caused by Legionella Pneumophila occurs worldwide in sporadic cases. The incidence is unknown due to lack of surveillance and reporting in different countries. However, according to research, atypical pneumonia in children caused by Legionella Pneumophila accounts for only about 5 - 7%.
Atypical pneumonia caused by Legionella Pneumophila occurs when the bacterial pathogen is inhaled in vapors and dust in contaminated environments.
2. How to detect atypical pneumonia in children
Most atypical pneumonia in children has a prodromal stage with evidence of respiratory tract infection. At that time, children with pneumonia may have a high fever, a continuous fever of 39 to 40 degrees Celsius.
In addition, children may also have other symptoms such as: Children cough a lot, cough in fits, dry cough, hoarseness accompanied by difficulty breathing, rapid breathing. For older children, there may be chest pain, headache, muscle pain, muscle stiffness...
In particular, children with mycoplasma pneumonia may develop a rash, while those with Legionella pneumonia may have diarrhea and sometimes confusion.
In general, the physical symptoms of atypical pneumonia are quite poor. Examination often does not show obvious signs such as lung or other symptoms.
3. Diagnosis of atypical pneumonia
In addition to the suspected symptoms after clinical examination, the diagnosis of atypical pneumonia will be diagnosed by X-ray by doctors, which will have quite accurate diagnostic results. Because the characteristics of atypical pneumonia are often combined with extrapulmonary lesions such as liver, spleen or heart muscle damage, pleural damage... X-ray images also help identify and distinguish pneumonia from other respiratory diseases such as acute bronchitis.
Most atypical pneumonia in children will have a pre-symptomatic stage, so doctors may also need to order other tests such as: Culturing secretions from the lungs to look for bacteria, testing for specific antibodies in the blood, culturing bacteria from blood samples, etc.
4. Treatment of atypical pneumonia in children
Depending on each case, doctors will prescribe specific instructions. In most cases, treatment is with antibiotics to kill the bacteria that cause the disease. If the child's pneumonia is not severe, oral medication can be used. On the contrary, if the child has severe pneumonia and respiratory failure, intravenous antibiotics should be used, combined with oxygen therapy.
Most children with atypical pneumonia can recover completely with antibiotic treatment. However, parents need to note that they must use the full dose of antibiotics for a course of treatment, because if antibiotics are stopped too early, the risk of infection recurring is very high.
In addition, parents need to pay attention to taking care of their children so that they can recover quickly. It is necessary to increase the child's nutrition, breastfeed regularly when sick, and avoid the habit of fasting. Regularly clean the child's nose with saline to help the child breathe easier.
It is important to give your child plenty of fluids or encourage him or her to breastfeed more. This is because children with pneumonia need plenty of fluids to thin mucus, soothe their throats, reduce coughing and avoid dehydration.
In short:Atypical pneumonia is one of the most common types of pneumonia in children. Most children with atypical pneumonia have less severe symptoms than those with other types of pneumonia. However, if not monitored and treated promptly, in some cases atypical pneumonia can lead to dangerous pneumonia complications.
Therefore, when there are signs of suspicion, parents need to take their children to a medical facility for examination and treatment. Absolutely do not treat children on your own, treating them on the advice of doctors will endanger the child's life.
