In older children, the disease begins with a dry cough, later the dry cough develops into a cough with sputum or even blood. Children often develop a fever, possible abdominal pain, and rapid or painful breathing, leading to difficulty breathing or choking. 

Most often, lung tissue in children is involved in the inflammatory process due to an infection that has not been treated; for example, the course of bronchitis can be complicated by the development of pneumonia. A bad sign is bronchitis, the symptoms of which only worsen, or if a short-term improvement in the condition is replaced by bronchitis that flares up with renewed vigor. Extensive pneumonia can cause insufficient oxygen to enter the blood. As the disease progresses, blue discoloration of the skin and lips is observed. Most often, initially healthy children experience pneumonia for 1-3 weeks without complications. However, it is very important to start timely treatment. In rare cases, the disease can affect the pleural cavity, pleurisy develops, and the child may feel pain when breathing.

Course of the disease

In older children, the disease begins with a dry cough, later the dry cough develops into a cough with sputum or even blood. Children often develop a fever, possible abdominal pain, and rapid or painful breathing, leading to difficulty breathing or choking. In infants, you can often observe rapid breathing with flaring of the wings of the nose, and a slight cough. Poor general health, fever, refusal to drink and eat, possible vomiting.

When to call a doctor

The next day, if the suspected cold does not go away after a week; if the symptoms of the disease worsen after a short period of improvement. Contact your pediatrician during the day if you notice blood in your baby’s sputum or if your baby has a fever or cough. Call your doctor immediately if your child has difficulty breathing or is choking.

Doctor’s help

If pneumonia is suspected, the doctor will take blood tests and take an x-ray of the child’s lungs. However, there are complex cases when it is difficult to identify the disease using an x-ray. It is often difficult to determine what exactly caused pneumonia – bacteria or viruses, so the doctor will prudently prescribe antibiotics. Infants with pneumonia may develop suffocation and lack of oxygen, so they should be in the hospital under the supervision of doctors. Seriously ill children of any age should be treated in a hospital.

Your help to the child

In case of pneumonia, the child must remain in bed. Symptoms of the disease are treated with the same medications as bronchitis. Inhaling a saline solution almost always helps relieve symptoms, but antibiotics are still necessary.