How to treat pneumonia in children

  Pneumonia is a relatively common lower respiratory tract disease in pediatrics, with a high prevalence in winter and spring, mainly due to infection by various pathogenic microorganisms. If treated promptly and effectively, it often does not cause serious sequelae.  The pneumonia of children can be divided according to the cause: (1) viral pneumonia: the pathogenic respiratory syncytial virus in the first place, followed by adenovirus, influenza virus, parainfluenza virus, other still measles virus, enterovirus, cytomegalovirus, etc. (2) Bacterial pneumonia: common pathogens are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Gram-negative bacilli, Legionella pneumophila and anaerobic bacteria, etc. (3) Other infectious pneumonia: mycoplasma, chlamydia, fungi and parasites, etc. (4) non-infectious causes of pneumonia: aspiration pneumonia, fallout pneumonia, eosinophilic pneumonia, etc.  2, viral pneumonia: for viral pneumonia, symptomatic treatment is mainly taken, such as nebulized inhalation of hormones, bronchodilators to relieve the child’s airway inflammation, spasm, application of cough and phlegm drugs; for children with heavy wheezing, nebulized inhalation still can not relieve, may be treated with intravenous hormones.  3. Bacterial pneumonia: Before the results of the pathogenic examination are available, the doctor will choose antibiotic treatment for the child based on experience. In children with severe infections, the doctor may use 2 antibiotics at the same time to control the possible pathogenic bacteria. After the pathogenic test results are available, the doctor will choose a targeted antibiotic treatment based on the drug sensitivity results.  4. Mycoplasma pneumonia: Mycoplasma pneumonia is preferred to be treated with macrolides and other antibiotics, such as azithromycin and erythromycin. For severe mycoplasma pneumonia, intravenous hormone therapy is often required. For children with combined pulmonary atelectasis, bronchoscopic lavage treatment is also required to prevent sequelae.  5. Aspiration pneumonia: The treatment of aspiration pneumonia is mainly symptomatic, and bronchoscopic lavage treatment can help remove inhaled foreign bodies. For children with a large amount of inhalation at one time, ventilator-assisted ventilation can help to get through the acute phase.  In summary, the treatment of pneumonia in children depends on the severity of the infection. Mild pneumonia is fine with a little oral antibiotics under medical supervision; if the pneumonia is severe or if the child has difficulty breathing and is pale, he or she usually needs to be hospitalized for a few days and treated with intravenous antibiotics and oxygen if necessary.