Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs and the lining of the lungs. Pneumonia can be caused by a combination of things, including viruses, fungi, bacteria, and parasites. Pneumonia is commonly the result of an unchecked upper respiratory infection, although not always the case. In any case, it should be treated as a serious matter, especially within children, as it is a very serious illness. Read more on pneumonia below:
What are the symptoms?
Pneumonia symptoms or signs, can include: fever, flu like symptoms, conjuctivitis, headache, changes in breathing control (i.e.wheezing, labored breathing, rapid breathing, etc.), coughing, vomiting, pain in the chest and abdomen, sore throat, lack of appetite, hesitance in movement, and in the infection's most dangerous belated stage, a blue or gray tinge of the lips and/or fingernails depending on the age of the child and severity of the pneumonia infection.
How is Pneumonia diagnosed and treated?
Your physician will usually do a physical examination of your child since pneumonia symptoms are so general and similar to a lot of other infections out there. Depending on what he concludes your child has, he may order blood tests, x-rays or bacterial cultures, before he makes a diagnosis of your child. If he concludes that your child does indeed have pneumonia he may prescribe antibiotics or he may decide that your child needs to be hospitalized, depending on the severity of the infection.
Is it contagious?
As a rule of thumb, pneumonia is not considered contagious, but it is usually just a extended severe stage of another infection present, which could be contagious. It is always good to isolate your child from other children if he or she is showing any kind of symptoms relevant to a pneumonia infection.
