A doctor spoke about the difficulty of identifying pneumonia by symptoms

Symptoms of pneumonia are not very specific, so it is difficult to determine pneumonia by them. This was told on December 19 by the pediatrician of "SM-Clinica" for children Elizaveta Dautova.

"The symptoms of pneumonia include: fever, decreased and lack of appetite, lethargy, weakness, cough with or without sputum, runny nose, sleep disturbance, participation of auxiliary muscles in the act of breathing, shortness of breath, chest pain, headache, diarrhea. <...> It is important to immediately contact a pediatrician for examination and examination of the child to rule out pneumonia, as there are no clear differences between pneumonia and influenza," - said the doctor in conversation with "Gazeta.Ru".

At the same time, Dautova specified that in 50% of cases pneumonia runs secretly. The child may have a rare cough or it may not be there at all, body temperature may be no higher than 37.5 degrees, there may be no runny nose and shortness of breath.

According to the expert, most often such cases are caused by atypical bacteria and can be identified only by radiography or CT scan of the chest organs.

The pediatrician emphasized that the main danger of pneumonia is a severe inflammatory reaction and disruption of oxygen supply to organs and the brain.

"It is important to note the anatomical features of the respiratory system in young children: narrow and short nasal airways, trachea and bronchi, immature lung tissue. This contributes to the penetration of viruses and bacteria into the lungs, increased risk of obstruction and a decrease in the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide", - added Dautova.

According to the doctor, in addition to taking medication, treatment includes warm drinking, bed rest, breathing exercises and regular ventilation of the room.

However, the therapy depends on the specific case, so, according to the expert, self-treatment of pneumonia is in no case allowed. Dautova stressed the need for immediate medical attention, as hospitalization may be necessary.

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Children and immunocompromised people are at risk

Earlier, December 3, therapist Natalia Leontieva advised to ventilate the room to protect against pneumonia. She warned that pneumonia can be transmitted through the air, and in some cases - even in direct contact with infected objects. Also, to minimize the risk of infection, Leontieva urged to dress for the weather, drink hot drinks enriched with vitamins - tea with ginger and lemon.