Why is pneumonia in children easy to recur?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Tung Hoanh - Department of Resuscitation - Emergency - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
Most cases of pneumonia only need treatment for a short time. However, it is not uncommon for childhood pneumonia to recur many times. Recurrent pneumonia can lead to serious complications, even death.

1. What is recurrent pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a common infectious disease with high morbidity and mortality rates, especially in children under 5 years of age.
Pneumonia is a condition of damage to the lung parenchyma, accompanied by symptoms of cough, shortness of breath, chest pain, rapid breathing, chest indrawing,... Symptoms may change with the age of the disease. core. A child is assessed as having very severe pneumonia when the above symptoms are present, accompanied by systemic danger signs such as lethargy, difficulty in waking, refusing to breastfeed, not being able to drink, vomiting, convulsions,...
Inflammation Persistent pneumonia is pneumonia with clinical symptoms and pneumonia on chest X-ray that persists for more than 30 days despite at least 10 days of antibiotic treatment.
Recurrent pneumonia is a term used to describe a condition in which a child has 2 or more episodes of pneumonia in a year or 3 or more episodes of pneumonia at any time; between episodes of pneumonia in children without clinical symptoms and pneumonia lesions on chest X-ray.
The causes of pneumonia include:
Bacteria: The most common cause, mainly Streptococcus pneumoniae (accounting for 30 - 50% of cases), Haemophilus influenzae (accounting for 10 - 30% of cases). disease), Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, E.Coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae,...; Viruses: RSV respiratory syncytial virus, influenza A virus, influenza B, parainfluenza adenovirus,...; Parasites and fungi: Candida, Toxoplasma,...

Nấm Candida gây bệnh
Nấm Candida gây bệnh

Trắc nghiệm: Làm thế nào để có một lá phổi khỏe mạnh?

Để nhận biết phổi của bạn có thật sự khỏe mạnh hay không và làm cách nào để có một lá phổi khỏe mạnh, bạn có thể thực hiện bài trắc nghiệm sau đây.

2. Causes of pneumonia in children are easy to recur

Some reasons why pneumonia in children is easy to relapse many times include:
Natural conditions, external environment and society: At the time of season change, sudden weather changes easily cause pneumonia recurrence; Polluted water and air; Overcrowded living environment, poor sanitary conditions; Inhaling cigarette smoke from people around; How to take care of the child or the child's health has problems: When the child sweats a lot but does not change clothes right away, causing the child to sweat backwards, leading to pneumonia; Misuse of cooling equipment; Letting the child out in the early morning or late at night makes him cold; Children born prematurely, with bronchopulmonary dysplasia; The baby's lung function is impaired; Children with malnutrition, zinc deficiency, vitamin A deficiency; Children are not fully vaccinated and on schedule, do not receive good primary health care; Children with congenital respiratory tract defects, immunocompromised, pulmonary aspiration syndrome, congenital heart disease, asthma, recurrent wheezing, pulmonary tuberculosis, airway foreign body, airway obstruction due to mass tumors, bronchial stenosis;

Không khí ô nhiễm có thể gây viêm phổi ở trẻ tái phát
Không khí ô nhiễm có thể gây viêm phổi ở trẻ tái phát
Antibiotic resistance: Overuse of antibiotics (widespread and unreasonable use) when treating diseases makes pneumonia easy to recur; Parents' habit of arbitrarily buying drugs, arbitrarily stopping drugs without indications should not treat the disease thoroughly, pneumonia will recur more times and antibiotic resistance is more serious.

3. Measures to prevent recurrent pneumonia in children

3.1 Changing misconceptions about disease treatment When a child shows signs of pneumonia, parents should immediately take the child to a doctor for timely treatment; Parents absolutely must not buy or use antibiotics and cough suppressants for children at home. Cough is a physiological reflex to expel sputum from the airways, to clear the airways, so do not use cough suppressants without a doctor's prescription; Using antibiotics to treat pneumonia must comply with the doctor's instructions on dosage and duration, limit antibiotic resistance in children, and ensure thorough treatment effectiveness.

Điều trị viêm phổi theo chỉ định của bác sĩ
Điều trị viêm phổi theo chỉ định của bác sĩ
3.2 Caring for a child with pneumonia at home properly If a child has a fever of 38.5°C or higher, the child should take fever-reducing medicine, the times of medication should be spaced 4-8 hours apart, or warm compresses can be applied. for baby; Vibrating the child when he has a cough with phlegm to push the sputum in the bronchi out thanks to the child's cough reflex; Baby can use steamed kumquats with honey, ginger, lemon basil, ... to relieve cough; Have children vaccinated according to the schedule of the national immunization program; When the weather is cold, you need to keep warm, when it's hot, you need to cool the baby. 3.3 Keeping the baby's hygiene Clean the baby's nose and mouth with soft disposable tissues. If using a bucket towel, you should pay attention to clean the towel to avoid bacteria/virus on the towel returning to the baby's body; Clean the house, toys, utensils and children's clothes; Do not let your baby come into contact with cat hair and cigarette smoke; Caregivers need to wash their hands when holding and preparing food for the baby.

Vệ sinh sạch sẽ giúp phòng tránh virus vi khuẩn
Vệ sinh sạch sẽ giúp phòng tránh virus vi khuẩn
3.4 Ensure appropriate and balanced nutrition Encourage children to drink plenty of water, paying attention not to drink too much water at once. It is possible to provide water for the baby through milk, juice, soup, soup,... At the same time, it is necessary to monitor the status of urination to see if the baby is dehydrated; Feed your child nutritious, soft, easy-to-swallow and digestible foods; Diverse dishes in meals to provide enough nutrients for the baby; Feed your baby on demand, should be divided into several meals a day and if the child does not want to eat, do not force him to eat all the prepared meals. There are many causes of recurrent pneumonia in children. What parents need to do is find ways to prevent the risk of pneumonia recurrence in children with the right care and treatment regimen. And when detecting a child with pneumonia, it is necessary to take the child to the doctor for early and proper treatment to avoid possible dangerous complications.

Cha mẹ cần đưa bé đi khám để được điều trị sớm
Cha mẹ cần đưa bé đi khám để được điều trị sớm

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