The course of treatment of pneumonia in newborns. Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs) in a newborn baby

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Pneumonia is one of the most dangerous pathologies in newborns. Due to the characteristics of the child's body, the disease has other mechanisms of development and, accordingly, requires other approaches to treatment.

Despite the introduction of modern methods of diagnosis and therapy, pneumonia remains a fairly common cause of childhood mortality. Therefore, treatment is carried out according to special medical protocols that take into account age-related characteristics.

The treatment of inflammation in the smallest patients has its own characteristics. All newborns with suspected pneumonia, regardless of the severity of the condition, are hospitalized in a hospital, because at home, i.e. in outpatient treatment, it is more difficult to provide the right microclimate and protect against allergens that are dangerous for a weakened body.

The medical staff of the hospital conducts round-the-clock monitoring of newborns to avoid the development of complications. The child is often turned from side to side to prevent stagnation of fluid in the lungs and aggravation of the pathology.

Medicines are administered to babies intravenously or intramuscularly, as it is difficult for a child to swallow a pill or drink an unpleasant-tasting drug solution.

Neonatal care includes: types of therapy:

  1. Etiological therapy. To combat pneumonia, they are most often used from the group of fluoroquinolones. The course, frequency of administration and dose are individually prescribed by the doctor. If the disease progresses, a combination of two or more antibiotics of different groups is used.
  2. Pathogenetic therapy. It consists in the appointment of saline solutions to restore water and electrolyte balance.
  3. Symptomatic therapy. It, as an additional element, improves the well-being of newborns (for example, antipyretic or expectorant).

Important! If the crumbs have any (severe intoxication, sepsis, apnea, convulsive conditions), the newborn is transferred to the intensive care unit. There he is connected to an artificial lung ventilation (ALV) machine and intensive care is carried out.

After pneumonia, the baby's body is very depleted, and any SARS can give rise to a new episode (relapse) of pneumonia. Therefore, the attending physician of the hospital gives parents recommendations on this disease and a plan for further action at home.

It is certainly more comfortable to be treated in a familiar, home environment, therefore, as a rule, babies quickly recover after discharge.

The child is also observed by the local pediatrician during the period recommended by the hospital doctor. This period depends on how much time the child spent in the hospital and what is the risk of developing a relapse of pneumonia.

How long does it take to heal

So, typical community acquired pneumonia 5-7 days (mild), 5-15 days (moderate), 10-21 days (severe) are treated. Nosocomial and atypical pneumonia mild degree - 7-15 days, moderate degree - 10-21 days, severe - 14-56 days. Pneumonia in immunocompromised children mild and moderate usually lasts 2 to 3 weeks, severe - 21 days.

The longer the disease lasts, the more the body weakens. The hospital has its own bacterial microflora. They are very resistant to any drugs due to the constant influence of disinfectants. If such persistent pathogens enter the weakened body of a newborn, treatment can be delayed for a long time.

Treatment of pneumonia in premature babies

First of all, such babies are provided with the correct mode. They are placed in the incubator of the neonatal pathology department. The optimal temperature in the department ranges from 34 to 36°C, and the air humidity is in the range of 60-70%. Babies are swaddled freely so as not to interfere with physical activity.

On a note! The newborn is regularly suctioned mucus from the respiratory tract with the help of special aerosols and solutions. Feeding is carried out through a probe, after which the baby is given a vertical position.

Adequate oxygen therapy is a very important factor on the way to recovery. Oxygen is used for respiratory failure and disorders of gas homeostasis.

Antibiotics are prescribed with a wide spectrum of action along with crystalloid solutions. In addition, premature babies are given immunoglobulins to increase immunity and plasma.

Against the background of the treatment of pneumonia, the necessary measures are taken to care for a premature newborn ().

Useful video

Professor N.A. Ilyina — Pneumonia in children and newborns:

Conclusion

The body of newborns and older children differ from each other, so the development and course of pneumonia is different for them. The terms of treatment, as a rule, depend on the general condition and severity of the pathology. However, the correct regimen, correct treatment, as well as restorative rehabilitation procedures will ensure a quick recovery for the baby.

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Progressive pneumonia in infants, newborns is accompanied by severe symptoms of lung damage, has extremely unpleasant health consequences. Therefore, complex treatment should be timely, hospitalization of the patient is necessary, it is necessary to involve antibacterial drugs. Pneumonia in infants can develop from the first days of life, premature babies and newborns with birth injuries are at risk.

What is pneumonia in newborns

This is an infectious disease that is accompanied by an inflammatory process of the lung parenchyma and bronchial walls. A disease with inflammatory foci can be determined after performing ultrasound, radiography. The relapse progresses in utero or develops against the background of infection of the lungs in the first days after the baby is born. Secondary pneumonia are already acquired ailments that become a complication of the underlying disease. To avoid intoxication of the body, it is required to start effective treatment on time.

Symptoms of pneumonia in the chest

The disease progresses spontaneously, occurs with acute intrauterine infections. Extensive pathologies during intrauterine infection are obvious from the first days of life, the general manifestations of acute pneumonia in the body of a newborn are detailed below, making the child nervous and irritable:

  • shortness of breath, wheezing;
  • high body temperature;
  • swelling of the lower extremities;
  • complete lack of appetite;
  • pronounced signs of dyspepsia, accompanied by bloating;
  • symptoms of general intoxication of the body;
  • indigestion;
  • severe belching, bouts of vomiting;
  • frequent regurgitation, bouts of vomiting.

signs

With increased activity of bacterial infections in the tissues of the lungs, bronchi, pneumonia develops. In the prenatal period, a unilateral or bilateral lesion progresses, doctors do not exclude fetal hypoxia. The first signs of pneumonia remind of themselves during childbirth, since the newborn is characterized by cyanosis of the skin, lips, and mucous membranes. Other manifestations, in addition to cyanosis of the skin, are presented below:

  • weak cry of a child at birth;
  • weakening of unconditioned reflexes;
  • underweight newborn;
  • enlargement of the liver and spleen;
  • low blood pressure;
  • muffled heart sounds when listening;
  • progressive seizures.

Causes

Bilateral or unilateral pneumonia occurs from the first days of life, it can be either an independent disease or a complication of another chronic disease. It proceeds in a complicated form, provoked by increased activity of viruses, bacteria, fungi, mycoplasma, chlamydia. In the fight against harmful pathogens of pneumonia, it is required to reduce the viability of streptococcal and staphylococcal microorganisms. Pathogenic factors preceding an acute attack in a newborn organism are presented below:

  • inadequate supply of cells with oxygen;
  • asphyxia in the process of labor activity;
  • birth trauma;
  • hypotrophy;
  • immunodeficiency states;
  • hypo-, beriberi;
  • congenital malformations of the lungs, myocardium.

Intrauterine pneumonia in newborns

Progressive pneumonia is a consequence of intrauterine asphyxia, when the child suffers from oxygen starvation, and the expectant mother suffers from late toxicosis, preeclampsia. After birth, a baby is characterized not only by extensive respiratory disorders, but also by dangerous internal pathologies. Congenital pneumonia can also be triggered by other pathogenic factors:

  • immaturity of the lung tissue, underdevelopment of the respiratory tract;
  • acute viral diseases during pregnancy;
  • anatomical and physical features of the structure of the respiratory tract;
  • heavy bleeding during pregnancy;
  • chronic diseases of the mother during gestation;
  • early discharge of amniotic fluid, leakage;
  • genetic factor.

stages

By clinical examination of the lungs, it is possible to determine the predominant stage of the pathological process, since the characteristic signs of pneumonia in infants differ each time, are modified in the absence of timely therapy. Here is the established classification of a characteristic ailment:

  1. The mild form is accompanied by shortness of breath, intermittent and heavy breathing, moderate acidosis and cyanosis.
  2. Pathology of moderate severity is characterized by generalized cyanosis, tachycardia, oxygen starvation, tachypnea, shortness of breath with wheezing appears.
  3. The severe form of the disease is characterized by dangerous respiratory disorders, extensive CNS lesions, convulsions, difficult sputum separation, and the child develops pleurisy.

Forms

Signs of pneumonia in infants are due to the period of infection and the nature of the prevailing symptoms. Doctors distinguish the following forms of a characteristic ailment, give a differential diagnosis:

  1. congenital pneumonia. A low degree of adaptation prevails, a decrease in the frequency of breathing, an increase in the liver. Since the virus penetrates the placental barrier, it affects the internal organs.
  2. Pneumonia in a newborn after caesarean section. The pathology is caused by birth injuries, there is a high probability of blood poisoning, lifelong disability, and contributes to cerebral edema.
  3. aspiration pneumonia. It is caused by a long anhydrous period, the transition of pregnancy with the most unexpected consequences for the health of the child.
  4. Postnatal pneumonia. At the initial stage, the symptoms are not characteristic of a characteristic ailment, they are considered atypical. These are signs of dyspepsia, high fever, CNS instability.

Complications

Inflammation of the lungs in newborns in the absence of intensive care is fraught with dangerous health consequences, and death is not ruled out. In such a clinical picture, newborns experience one of two forms of complications:

  1. Pulmonary. These are pleurisy, pneumothorax, respiratory failure, bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
  2. extrapulmonary consequences. Sinusitis, otitis, mastoiditis, heart failure.

Diagnostics

To avoid dangerous consequences in sepsis, it is necessary to start diagnosing in a timely manner. An X-ray image shows extensive foci of pathology, a stage of a progressive pathological process. These are compacted areas of tissue in the structure of the affected lung. Additional diagnostic measures for pneumonia are presented below:

  • general and biochemical blood test;
  • sputum culture;
  • general urine analysis;
  • echocardiography;
  • CT and MRI.

Treatment

The presence of nosocomial infections helps to promptly start intensive therapy involving injectable antibiotics. With the out-of-hospital form of the pathogenic flora, adults do not rush to the doctor, trying to treat the baby on their own, which worsens the clinical outcome. General recommendations from specialists when pneumonia is diagnosed in preterm infants are detailed below:

  • the child needs to be hospitalized, to ensure regular ventilation of the hospital ward, hygiene of the skin;
  • control the temperature regime of the body, especially the respiratory rate of the newborn;
  • provide the baby with a full period of breastfeeding for the formation and formation of children's immunity;
  • use antibacterial drugs from the penicillin group and not only for the productive extermination of pathogenic flora;
  • it is mandatory to carry out detoxification therapy, vitamin and oxygen therapy for a newborn in a hospital, hospitalization.

Here are the mandatory medicines in the conditions of preliminary hospitalization in order to significantly speed up the process of natural recovery in progressive pneumonia:

  1. Glucose. The composition is required to be administered intravenously to maintain the natural vital processes of the newborn organism.
  2. Salt solutions. Intended for entry into the newborn body intravenously. Needed to strengthen the immune system and remove toxic substances.

Medications

The main goal of the conservative one is to exterminate the pathogenic flora, restore the structure of the lung tissue and normalize the respiratory rate, strengthen the immune system with prescribed vitamins. Pneumonia can be cured by representatives of the following pharmacological groups and their prominent representatives:

  • immunostimulants: use antistaphylococcal, anti-influenza, antipseudomonal immunoglobulins;
  • symptomatic drugs: mucolytics, antipyretics, antitussives, anti-inflammatory drugs;
  • probiotics: Symbiter, Bio Gaia, Bifidumbacterin;
  • diuretics to remove excess fluid;
  • saline solution for the prevention of dehydration of the newborn.

Antibacterial drugs

To treat pneumonia, doctors recommend penicillin antibiotics to newborns. These are medicines Amoxiclav, Augmentin, Flemoxin Solutab, Flemoclav, Unazine orally. Mycoplasma pneumonia is successfully treated with macrolides: Azithromycin, Clarithromycin, Roxithromycin. Here is what is known about the proposed antibiotic therapy and its prominent representatives:

  1. Augmentin. It is produced in the form of a powder for the preparation of a suspension, it is approved for use by children already in the first year of life. The course of treatment is 7-10 days, additionally use probiotics. The daily dose is 125 mg / 31.25 mg in a dose equal to 2.5 to 20 ml.
  2. Flemoxin Solutab (125mg). Tablets for oral administration, which act systemically. For a day, a small child is supposed to take up to 3 pills for 7 to 10 days, a single dose is 1 tablet.

Effects

Pneumonia is a dangerous disease that can be fatal for a newborn. Even if the child survives, the health consequences are not the most favorable. This is:

  • respiratory failure;
  • dysplasia of the lung tissue;
  • the risk of recurrence of severe bronchopulmonary diseases.

The prognosis of intrauterine pneumonia in newborns

The prognosis in newborns with meconium aspiration is accompanied by a risk of congenital intrauterine pneumonia, neurological disorders due to cerebral hypoxia. A third of these children have a delay in physical and psycho-emotional development. In other clinical pictures, with a timely response to a health problem, the outcome is favorable.

Prevention

Parents must comply with sanitary and epidemiological standards in order to reduce the risk of pathogenic infection entering the newborn. Among other preventive measures for pneumonia, doctors distinguish:

  • planned pregnancy management;
  • timely strengthening of immunity;
  • prevention of infectious diseases;
  • maintaining a healthy lifestyle;
  • lack of contact with carriers of viruses, bacteria, other pathogenic microorganisms.

Video

You are an active person who cares and thinks about your respiratory system and health in general, continue to play sports, lead a healthy lifestyle, and your body will delight you throughout your life, and no bronchitis will bother you. But do not forget to undergo examinations on time, maintain your immunity, this is very important, do not overcool, avoid severe physical and strong emotional overload.

  • It's time to start thinking about what you're doing wrong...

    You are at risk, you should think about your lifestyle and start taking care of yourself. Physical education is obligatory, and even better start playing sports, choose the sport that you like best and turn it into a hobby (dancing, cycling, gym or just try to walk more). Do not forget to treat colds and flu in time, they can lead to complications in the lungs. Be sure to work with your immunity, temper yourself, be in nature and fresh air as often as possible. Do not forget to undergo scheduled annual examinations, it is much easier to treat lung diseases in the initial stages than in a neglected form. Avoid emotional and physical overload, smoking or contact with smokers, if possible, exclude or minimize.

  • It's time to sound the alarm! In your case, the likelihood of getting pneumonia is huge!

    You are completely irresponsible about your health, thereby destroying the work of your lungs and bronchi, pity them! If you want to live long, you need to radically change your whole attitude towards the body. First of all, go through an examination by such specialists as a therapist and a pulmonologist, you need to take drastic measures, otherwise everything may end badly for you. Follow all the recommendations of doctors, radically change your life, it may be worth changing your job or even your place of residence, absolutely eliminate smoking and alcohol from your life, and keep contact with people who have such addictions to a minimum, harden, strengthen your immunity, as much as possible be outdoors more often. Avoid emotional and physical overload. Completely exclude all aggressive products from everyday use, replace them with natural, natural products. Do not forget to do wet cleaning and airing the room at home.

  • Pneumonia - inflammation of the lung tissue, which has an infectious or bacterial nature of occurrence, still remains one of the most dangerous diseases, the final of which can be fatal. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), pneumonia is one of the 10 diseases that can lead to the death of a patient, especially in childhood. According to statistics, the most vulnerable to this disease are children of the first year of life, most often premature.

    Causes of the disease

    Due to their physiological and anatomical features, infants are often prone to respiratory diseases, the reason for this is their weak immunity and imperfection of the respiratory system. The lumens of the larynx, bronchi, trachea and nasal passages are still very poorly developed, and the mucous membrane has a tendency to rapid swelling, which makes it difficult for the child's already shallow breathing. In addition, babies are not able to get rid of sputum on their own, and its excessive accumulation in the bronchi slows down the healing process and causes a strong cough.

    Infants are susceptible to two types of pneumonia:

    1. Congenital - when infection occurs in the womb or during childbirth.
    2. Acquired - arising in the first months of a baby's life.

    As a rule, the causative agents of the disease are:

    • streptococci;
    • pneumococci;
    • staphylococci;
    • herpes virus;
    • chlamydia;
    • mycoplasmas;
    • cytomegalovirus;
    • fungus like Candida;
    • hemophilic and Escherichia coli.

    congenital form of the disease

    The cause of the congenital form of pneumonia is a consequence of a disease suffered by a woman during pregnancy, in which viral agents enter the baby's body through the placenta or amniotic fluid. The severity of the course of the congenital form of the disease can be different, and depends on a number of factors:

    1. The period of time that has passed from the moment of infection to the birth of the baby, the longer it is, the more difficult the disease will be;
    2. The causative agent of the disease;
    3. The degree of maturity of the newborn;
    4. Individual characteristics of the child's body, immunity.

    Infection in the womb

    If the infection of the fetus occurred even in the womb, through the blood (hematogenous method), the disease is diagnosed immediately after the baby is born and it is characterized by the following symptoms:

    1. Weak muscle tone - the child's movements are sluggish, the limbs hang down, the muscles are in a relaxed state;
    2. The color of the skin varies from gray to bluish;
    3. Immediately after birth, the child does not scream or his cry is very weak, and his breathing is hoarse and intermittent, more like groans;
    4. Unstable body temperature. For premature babies, a decrease to 35˚ C is characteristic, and for newborns who appeared on time, an increase to 40 ˚ C;
    5. The baby has no or weakly expressed congenital reflexes (breathing, swallowing, sucking). Such children after birth are on artificial ventilation of the lungs and receive nutrients through a special tube;
    6. After the birth of the baby, there are obvious signs of asphyxia;
    7. Foamy discharge from the mouth is possible.

    Infection during childbirth

    Infection of the crumbs can occur during its passage through the infected birth canal, in this case, pathogenic microorganisms penetrate the baby's lungs (bronchogenic method), and signs of inflammation appearing on days 2-3 characterize the following symptoms:

    • Lack of appetite, refusal to breastfeed, severe weight loss;
    • Indigestion, diarrhea, cramps and bloating;
    • Frequent regurgitation and vomiting;
    • Bluish hue of the nasolabial triangle and tongue;
    • Pale or earthy-gray color of the skin;
    • Wheezing, noisy, irregular breathing;
    • An increase in body temperature to very high values;
    • Sometimes a superficial cough;
    • Weak breathing in premature babies;

    Due to the lack of immunity, pneumonia for newborns is a rather serious disease and can lead to aggravating consequences. When such a diagnosis is made, urgent medical treatment of the baby is necessary in a hospital or maternity hospital.

    Acquired pneumonia

    An acquired or postnatal form of pneumonia can develop in infants in the first months of life, at home or in a hospital, for several reasons:

    1. Viral diseases;
    2. Hypothermia or overheating of the child;
    3. Asphyxia during childbirth and penetration of amniotic fluid into the respiratory tract;
    4. Intrauterine brain damage;
    5. Birth injury;
    6. Deviation in the development of the respiratory system;
    7. premature birth;
    8. Childbirth by caesarean section;
    9. Entering the respiratory tract of a newborn vomit.

    Symptoms of the disease

    In most cases, acquired pneumonia develops as a consequence of improper treatment of colds and viral diseases. What symptoms should young parents pay attention to in order to identify and recognize the onset of pneumonia, Dr. Komarovsky advises:

    1. The main signs of the disease are a dry, superficial cough, and the temperature, which cannot be brought down with the help of antipyretics;
    2. SARS, colds, severe dry cough, lasting more than a week;
    3. The skin becomes pale gray;
    4. The child's attempt to take a deep breath is accompanied by a strong cough;
    5. The frequency and depth of breathing is disturbed, shortness of breath appears;
    6. Blueness in the region of the nasolabial triangle.

    In the primary disease, the symptoms of pneumonia are mild and very similar to the manifestations of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections. Symptoms of the disease may not appear immediately, but several days after the onset of the inflammatory process. The onset of the disease is accompanied by a sharp jump in temperature, weakness, refusal to eat and general malaise. With the further development of the disease, the symptoms listed above appear.

    The severity of acquired pneumonia depends on the degree of formation of the body of the newborn; in premature babies, the clinical picture of the disease will be stronger than in babies born on time.

    Pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky warns that in some cases pneumonia in newborns is latent, it is not accompanied by symptoms such as cough and fever, which makes timely diagnosis rather difficult. Therefore, the task of parents and doctors is to identify and recognize other signs of the disease in time. Komarovsky notes that the latent form of the disease is characterized by such symptoms as lethargy, drowsiness, thirst and lack of appetite.

    Types of lung tissue damage in pneumonia

    With any type of pneumonia, the degree of lung damage is not the same, and it depends on how pronounced the symptoms of the disease will be. According to the localization and strength of damage to the lung tissue, several types of inflammation can be classified. The most common is focal pneumonia, in which a small area of ​​the lung is affected, it is characterized by symptoms such as a wet cough, fever, and excessive sweating. With total inflammation, one of the lungs is completely affected, and bilateral inflammation covers both organs at the same time,

    Diagnosis and treatment

    Dr. Komarovsky advises: at the first suspicion of pneumonia, the baby's parents should urgently contact a medical institution and undergo an appropriate examination:

    • Visual examination of the skin and mucous membranes of the baby;
    • Listening to the lungs for the presence of wheezing and the duration of inhalation - exhalation;
    • Percussion of the chest to identify inflamed areas;
    • Biochemical and general blood test;
    • General urine analysis;
    • Bacteriological cultures of sputum;
    • X-ray or fluorography of the chest.

    When diagnosing pneumonia, the baby needs immediate hospitalization. The sooner treatment is started, the more likely a successful outcome of the disease and the absence of complications.

    In most cases, treatment for pneumonia begins with broad-spectrum antibiotics, either orally or intramuscularly.

    In addition to them, the doctor may prescribe immunomodulatory drugs and vitamin complexes.

    An important role in successful anti-inflammatory therapy is played by herbal preparations or drugs that relieve swelling from the mucous membranes, transform a dry cough into a wet one, and contribute to the rapid discharge of sputum.

    To relieve the symptoms of intoxication, measures are taken to administer intravenous saline solutions.

    Dr. Komarovsky advises to accompany the treatment of a sick baby, the implementation of elementary rules of hygiene and prevention. In the room where it is located, daily wet cleaning, ventilation should be carried out and an optimal level of temperature and humidity should be maintained. The child should drink as much liquid as possible and eat more often, but in small portions, so as not to overload the gastrointestinal tract. A good help in complex treatment, after the patient's condition improves, will be a massage that helps cleanse the respiratory system of sputum.

    An important preventive measure to combat pneumonia is vaccination against pneumococcal infection.

    Possible Complications

    Timely started and competent treatment gives effective results, the disease can be overcome within 10-15 days. Delayed antibacterial therapy and untimely pneumococcal vaccination are fraught with a number of complications:

    1. Cough remaining for a long time after the end of treatment;
    2. Inflammation of the lungs caused by pneumococci can later lead to otitis media and meningitis;
    3. If the serous membrane of the respiratory organs (pleura) suffers during the course of the disease, there is a risk of developing pleurisy, which causes severe retrosternal pain to the child;
    4. A prolonged illness is likely to become chronic, and any further respiratory illness in the child may trigger another pneumonia;
    5. Sepsis of lung tissue.

    Prevention of pneumonia

    The disease is easier to prevent than to cure, therefore, to reduce the risk of infection, pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky advises parents of infants to follow some preventive measures:

    • Competent planning and management of pregnancy (timely delivery of tests and regular visits to the antenatal clinic);
    • Timely detection and treatment of inflammatory processes during childbearing;
    • Compliance with the regime and a healthy lifestyle;
    • Pneumococcal vaccine;
    • Feeding a newborn with breast milk;
    • Proper and balanced nutrition of the mother;
    • Avoiding contact with infected people.

    In the past few years in Russia, the list of mandatory vaccinations has included a vaccination against pneumococcal infection, represented by vaccines Prevenar (USA) and Pneumo-23 (France). The first vaccination is given to infants, starting from 2 months of age, the second - to children from 2 years to 5 years.

    Children's doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky believes that a timely vaccination against pneumococcal infection can protect a child from the occurrence of such serious diseases as pneumonia, tonsillitis, otitis and meningitis in the future.

    Pneumonia itself is a serious disease, and when it comes to young children, the situation can be critical. Congenital pneumonia in newborns is not so rare, and this is due to the fact that during pregnancy the expectant mother suffers an infectious disease. This subsequently affects the child, and the disease progresses in the first three days.

    When a baby is born, the symptoms are immediately visible, and asphyxia, which occurs during childbirth, and the fact that the child is premature, join the painful condition.

    Infants are a special category of patients, since their defenselessness and vulnerability to severe infection is obvious. The physiological characteristics of the baby contribute to the fact that the risk of getting sick increases significantly. Narrow passages in the bronchi, larynx, do not allow us to say that the baby can fight for life as well as an adult. The mucosa in babies is prone to edema, and removing sputum from the lungs is a rather difficult task. All systems have not yet been launched, they are not able to function fully. The lungs are more filled with blood than in adults, less elastic and therefore vulnerable.

    Although inflammation can occur in the baby and outside the hospital, most often, the most severe cases occur with infection in the womb. It can also be the consequences of past diseases, such as SARS, whooping cough, measles.

    With congenital pathology, the risk that the disease will be more severe than usual is quite large.

    You can determine the symptoms of pneumonia, which was obtained in utero, by the following signs:

    • the shade of the skin is bluish, the manifestations are most pronounced in the area of ​​​​the lips, on the tongue, the legs and arms may be bluish;
    • the cry at birth is very weak, or not heard at all, since inflammation of the lung tissue does not allow it to be manifested in full force;
    • breathing is confused, noise and wheezing are heard;
    • the temperature in children born on time is significantly increased, as for non-term ones, it is below 36 degrees;
    • the child is lethargic, poorly responsive to stimuli, reflexes are reduced;
    • the appearance of edema on the legs is possible;
    • the gag reflex is expressed, constant regurgitation is observed, both after eating and between them;
    • weight decreases, the umbilical cord falls off an order of magnitude longer than in healthy children, and the wound in the navel area can become inflamed.

    Symptoms that signal that infection occurred during childbirth are similar, but there are certain differences:

    • high body temperature;
    • refusal to eat, regurgitation is constantly observed, and vomiting occurs;
    • the lips and the area in the nose become bluish;
    • the stool is broken, constant pain in the abdomen, the child is naughty and does not sleep well;
    • in full-term babies, breathing is noisy, with wheezing, while not full-term babies breathe weakly and rarely;
    • intoxication of the body does its job, and this period is characterized by: weakness, drowsiness, poor reaction.

    Types

    The incubation period is short in time, and can range from several hours to seven days. Several forms of pneumonia in newborns, intrauterine and acquired, have been identified. Congenital, which are obtained during pregnancy, are divided into:

    • transplantation, in which the pathogen enters the baby through the mother's placenta;
    • intranatal, when infection occurs during the passage of the child through the birth canal;
    • antenatal, in which infection occurs through the amniotic fluid, and affects the lungs.

    After birth, the baby also has a high risk of getting sick, as the body is weakened, the immune system is not yet working, or is weak, which leads to infection. They share the infection outside the hospital, when the baby is already infected, and the hospital, if pneumonia occurs during the stay in the maternity hospital. This can happen in the intensive care unit, or in the pathology department. It should be noted that clinical manifestations also have a certain qualification, and they are divided into several types:

    1. Focal, in which the focus and the area of ​​​​the lesion are large enough. The disease develops on the rise, within about one week, or a sudden, rapid development within three days, while the course of the disease occurs in a mild form, easily treatable with certain groups of antibiotics;
    2. segmental does not manifest itself in any way, only with the help of x-rays it is possible to determine the compaction in the segments of the lungs, and it is usually caused by a viral infection. Can cause both SARS and influenza. There may be similarities with the segmental form, the symptoms are similar in the initial stage, but the general picture, which can be revealed using x-rays, does not appear until 2 weeks later;
    3. croupous differs in that its manifestation is affected by the allergic resistance of the child to infection. Against the background of bacterial diseases, this can be extremely rare, since the child's body has not met with such an infection and does not perceive it;
    4. the intertitial form is characterized by seals, and is accompanied by an allergic reaction. Rashes and peeling appear on the skin, which may indicate the nature of the disease.

    Causes

    Several causes that can cause this severe manifestation of pneumonia are divided into subgroups. The most common is bacterial infection.. These can be streptococci, anaerobic microorganisms that can exist in an oxygen-free environment, bacteroids that live in the soil. You can also find Listeria there.

    Viruses can also be the cause of the disease, of which cytomegavirus and herpes are especially common. Herpes occurs against the background of reduced immunity. If during pregnancy the mother suffered one of the forms of herpes, then there is a high risk that the baby will be born with a pathology. Therefore, it is so important to follow all the rules and recommendations of doctors.

    Fungal pathogens are also observed, which, with a weakened immune system, are activated, penetrate into the lower respiratory tract.

    Much depends on what chronic diseases the woman suffered from, how she bore the child, in what conditions.

    Combined pneumonia in newborns can also be observed, the consequences of which are not always good. It is important that there is an experienced specialist nearby who can determine that the baby is sick and take the necessary measures. It is the diagnosis that is in the foreground, only the speed of decision-making sometimes depends on the life of the baby.

    Prevention

    First of all, it is worth paying attention to the state of the epidemiological situation in the maternity hospital. It is this factor that is significant. Most often, congenital pneumonia in newborns occurs precisely inside the hospital, which is associated with non-observance of hygiene rules. In recent times, mortality from pneumonia has been a significant percentage, measures have been taken and certain requirements have been adopted that have helped to avoid many troubles.

    At the moment, all conditions have been created in order to localize the infection as soon as possible and avoid death.

    The prognosis for the course of the disease depends on many factors, and with the timely detection of the disease, the implementation of operational measures to neutralize the cause of the disease, the success of therapeutic actions is guaranteed.

    Breastfeeding is desirable, since through breast milk the child receives all the necessary enzymes, the mother's immune defense, and this prevents the penetration and activation of the virus in the baby's body.

    After the birth of a child, it is better not to put the risk of infection, not to stay in public places, try to isolate him from potential patients. The body of the baby is so weak that it can accept any infection, and thus be at risk of getting sick.

    For a mother, before getting pregnant, it is important to exclude all inflammatory processes in the body, cure all possible diseases, and only then plan a pregnancy.

    Treatment

    Each child should have an individual approach, since only after a thorough study of the pathology of the mother, determining the presence of her diseases, can effective treatment be prescribed. It is desirable to stay in a hospital, and, at the first signs of illness, a prerequisite for a speedy recovery is the provision of qualified assistance. In this case, one cannot do without antibiotics, but for a small one it is always fraught. But, with a competent approach, everything is fixable, and the life of a child sometimes depends on the doctor, mother, relatives.

    Carry out regular monitoring of body temperature and respiratory rate. The skin and mucous membranes must always be in perfect condition. Breastfeeding is shown, good nutrition is the key to successful treatment.

    Immunoglobulins and antibiotics are indispensable drugs during treatment, only with their help can the disease be defeated.

    Complications

    If the therapy was carried out in a timely manner, and adequate drugs were prescribed to help localize the disease, then the prognosis for the treatment of such a disease as congenital pneumonia in newborns is quite favorable. Within a few weeks, everything will return to normal, and the baby will be healthy.

    If you start the disease, then there is respiratory failure, toxicosis, refusal to eat, which leads to death.

    In premature babies, the risk of getting dysplasia is high, the lung tissue does not function at full strength, there is a repeated exacerbation of diseases associated with the broncho-pulmonary system. This often leads to death.