Pneumonia is a disease that is better known only in theory, however, as well as about any other. Nevertheless, the statistics are not comforting - three children out of five at least once, but have suffered this disease. Most often it overtakes children in a particularly tender age - in 2-3 years. It is noteworthy that her clinical picture, symptomatology and, of course, treatment, is significantly different from how it all goes in adults. Inflammation of the lungs (as the illness is commonly called in everyday life) is a significant danger to the health and life of children, so timely diagnosis and treatment is extremely important.
Treatment of pneumonia in children
Treatment of pneumonia in a child is prescribed by a doctor who decides and in what conditions it is more expedient to carry it out. So, if the child's age is less than 3 years, the disease is severe and there is a risk of complications, then the treatment is carried out in a hospital. If the course of the disease is smooth, then it makes sense to leave the child at home under the supervision of loving relatives.
When treating a child at home, it is important to ensure that he is adherent to bed rest. For better ventilation of the lungs, you can raise the pillows and mark the baby in the semi-sitting position. The room where the patient is located should be cleaned regularly and ventilated. Food should correspond to the child's age requirements, be easy to use and warm, in addition, the baby's diet should include a plentiful vitaminized drink - a decoction of rose hips, juices, fresh fruit and fruit cocktails. It is better to exclude fried, fatty, hot and smoked for a while at all.
Pneumonia in children without fever
In recent years, the word "atypical pneumonia" has been heard more often, but few know how it differs from pneumonia "typical". Its main difference is that it is caused by specific pathogens - staphylococci, pneumococci, chlamydia and mycoplasmas. Most often it occurs in children, adults rarely experience this disease.
In addition, the picture of the disease is different - atypical pneumonia often passes without a rise in temperature and is more similar to the usual ARI. The blood counts may not change. The child is tormented by a debilitating dry cough, more characteristic of acute bronchitis. Treatment of this disease also has its own characteristics, since the pathogens of SARS do not react to all antibiotics, but only to certain ones. For the purpose of an appropriate drug, sputum analysis is taken for sensitivity to antibacterial drugs. Only in this case the treatment will be effective.
Antibiotics for pneumonia in children
Because pneumonia is caused by an infectious-inflammatory process, it can not do without antibiotic therapy. The drug, corresponding to the nature and severity of the disease, from the whole variety of modern medicine available in the arsenal, should be selected only by a doctor. In no case should one self-medicate and give the child antibiotics without prescribing a doctor.
In addition to the use of antibiotics in the treatment of pneumonia in children, the following methods and means of rehabilitation after pneumonia in children are also used:
- Medicines that promote the production of sputum, decongestants, antipyretic drugs.
- Massage for pneumonia in children. It is recommended to begin with 4-5 days from the moment of diagnosis of the disease, when the inflammatory process is already on the decline. Massage is performed in the supine position on the back. The main massage movements - longitudinal strokes, ring kneading of large pectoral muscles, rubbing intercostal spaces.
- Physiotherapy for pneumonia in children is widely used in the complex treatment of pneumonia.
Its main methods are: mustard wraps, cans, warm baths, ultraviolet irradiation, UHF therapy.
Prevention of pneumonia in children
There are two types of preventive measures: primary and secondary. Primary prevention includes general recommendations regarding hardening, compliance with the regime, providing the child with adequate nutrition and sufficient physical activity.
Secondary prevention consists in providing a complete cure for pneumonia and protecting the child from infection to prevent relapse.