Many people simply do not believe that pneumonia can occur without coughing and fever. Unaware of the mechanism of the body's resistance to pathogenic microflora, it is common for a person to consider such a phenomenon as absurd. But in reality, is there pneumonia without coughing in children? Contrary to popular belief, such a condition is quite possible and is not so rarely diagnosed, including in newborn babies. That is why all parents should know the symptoms of latent pneumonia in children without cough in order to identify the disease in time and prevent the development of health consequences.
A little information
It should be understood that coughing is not a disease, but its symptom. In fact, it plays the role of a kind of protection in the body. It is due to it that the sputum accumulated in the lungs gradually leaves them. So is there pneumonia without coughing in children? The answer will be positive. And to explain this phenomenon is easy. In fact, pneumonia in a child occurs without coughing and, accordingly, without sputum in the lungs, if the natural reflex was suppressed for some reason.
In such situations, pathology usually provokes a strong increase in temperature.
It is noteworthy that any kind of disease can occur without this symptom. In other words, with any type of pneumonia, the child may not have a characteristic cough. There may be several reasons for this: either the immune system is weakened to such an extent that the defense mechanisms simply do not start, or the natural reflex is suppressed by antitussive drugs, which may be the initial prerequisite for the development of inflammation. In addition, many parents are faced with a latent form of pneumonia after previously untreated pathology.
Why is this disease dangerous?
The occurrence of pneumonia contributes to the activity of pathogenic bacteria. This defect is considered quite common and occurs in about 5-6 children out of 1000. If you discover the pathology in time and start the correct therapy, it is not so difficult to deal with it. But if pneumonia occurs without a cough, it can take too much time to identify it. As a result, the clinical picture is complicated, which can lead to a host of negative consequences. Especially when it comes to a small child. No wonder this disease is still considered deadly throughout the world.
Pneumonia without coughing in children can provoke the development of renal, cardiac, respiratory, and liver failure. Other common complications of this disease include:
- hepatitis;
- anemia
- infectious toxic shock;
- mastoiditis;
- encephalitis;
- psychosis;
- sepsis;
- otitis;
- meningitis.
There are other and equally dangerous complications of pneumonia without coughing in children, which appear extremely rarely. These include:
- bacteriomy - the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into the bloodstream;
- exudative pleurisy - the accumulation of fluid directly in the lungs;
- lung abscess - accumulation of pus in the affected organ;
- violation of the respiratory function - the child simply can not inhale the normal amount of air.
However, it is worth saying that with proper treatment, the kids recover quite quickly. Well-being, full appetite and good mood return to them.
Reasons for the appearance
The risk of pneumonia is extremely high in young children due to:
- physiological features;
- regular problems with the stomach and abdominal breathing, which makes gas exchange difficult;
- immature immunity.
In an older child, the causes of pneumonia can be:
- infectious and viral diseases;
- weakened immunity;
- stressful situations;
- second hand smoke;
- hypothermia;
- vitamin deficiency;
- penetration into the lungs of food, vomit, foreign objects.
In addition, sometimes pneumonia can also be obtained by airborne droplets. Among children, the disease is transmitted:
- by dirty hands;
- through the water supply system;
- in contact with a person with influenza or pneumococcal infection.
Symptoms of pneumonia without coughing
In fact, the signs of this disease in both children and adults are approximately the same. The only difference is that an independent person can go to the doctor and undergo an examination, noticing a number of other symptoms. But in young children, it is much more difficult to identify or even suspect this pathology. After all, little patients cannot report their ailment, so we can only hope for the care of the parents.
If the baby's immunity is critically weakened, then the temperature may also not be. That is why it is extremely difficult to detect pneumonia without coughing in a child up to 2 years. According to Dr. Komarovsky, the following symptoms should alert parents:
- cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle;
- excessive drowsiness;
- weakness, fatigue;
- severe thirst, dry lips;
- unusual lethargy, loss of interest in your favorite pastimes and toys;
- lack of appetite.
These are the main signs of pneumonia without coughing in a child.
How to suspect
You can also judge the occurrence of pneumonia without coughing in children by the following signs:
- bad feeling;
- lung mobility on the one hand;
- muscle pain;
- chest discomfort;
- trouble breathing.
Of course, only an older child can tell about such manifestations. Although in newborns, the symptoms of pneumonia without coughing may be similar. That is why parents should be vigilant and sensitively react to any changes in the behavior of the crumbs. Particular care should be taken after a cold and hypothermia.
How to detect pathology
The most common and reliable way to diagnose latent pneumonia is deservedly considered an x-ray. In the pictures, you can notice several signs indicating the presence of inflammation:
- pathological expansion in the basal zone;
- too transparent fields;
- dark places with irregular shapes and blurry contours.
Using radiography, you can determine the affected areas, the nature of the foci of inflammation and the severity of the disease. But even this exact study is not considered so ideal. In addition, its use is limited to too high a load on a weakened children's body.
Other diagnostic methods may be used to detect pneumonia:
- blood tests to determine the level of glucose and enzymes produced by the liver;
- microbiological blood tests;
- sputum bronchoscopy;
- urine tests;
- measurement of oxygen saturation.
Pneumonia without coughing in children often entails a fatal outcome precisely because of untimely diagnosis and therapy. If you suspect this pathology, you must rely on the results of all studies in total and follow all the doctor's instructions exactly, and not try to determine the diagnosis and cure the child on your own. Hoping for a full recovery is possible only under this condition.
Treatment of pneumonia without coughing in a child
Inflammation of the lungs is a pathology that requires urgent antibacterial therapy. That is why the treatment of pneumonia occurs most often in a hospital. Here are the main indications for hospitalizing a child:
- respiratory failure;
- all sorts of complications;
- blood flow disturbance;
- acute form of intoxication;
- temperature is more than 38 degrees, which lasts a long time;
- disability, malformations;
- chronic course;
- baby's age is less than 3 years.
Pneumonia without coughing in a child requires symptomatic and antibacterial therapy. Treatment of young children at home is not recommended - a specialist should monitor the condition of the baby.
Antibiotic use
Immediately after examining the child, the doctor empirically prescribes antibacterial drugs to the small patient, relying on his experience and a history. The effectiveness of the selected medication can be determined 1-2 days after application. A correctly selected product will bring the desired effect: the child’s temperature will drop and overall health will improve. In the treatment of pneumonia without coughing, drugs are used in the form of injections, and after the condition of the crumbs is normalized - in the oral form.
In the treatment of pneumonia in children , the following drugs are used:
- penicillin and its artificial substitutes - "Ampicillin", "Amoxilav", "Amoxicillin";
- macrolides - "Azithromycin", "Erythromycin";
- cephalosporins - "Cefix", "Cephalexin".
Symptomatic treatment
This part of therapy is necessary to eliminate existing symptoms, alleviate the condition as a whole, and speed up the healing process. For this purpose, the doctor may additionally prescribe to the child:
- expectorant;
- antihistamines;
- bronchodilator;
- prebiotics;
- vitamin complexes;
- antipyretic;
- mucolytic;
- anesthetics;
- immunomodulators.
Physiotherapy
Together with medications, physiotherapeutic procedures can be prescribed for the best effect - electrophoresis, microwave, physical exercise therapy, inductometry and massages. They are necessary to accelerate recovery, maintain immunity and reduce the likelihood of developing all kinds of complications. Most often, doctors recommend a set of measures:
- inhalation - modern ultrasound nebulizers are used in clinics today, Pulmicort and Berodual are prescribed for children to stop shortness of breath and hoarseness, and appropriate drugs and mineral water are used to remove sputum;
- electrophoresis - supplemented with antibiotics and other medicines, helps eliminate hoarseness and remove phlegm;
- Impulsive UHF-therapy - necessary to stimulate blood flow, reduce the severity of the inflammatory process and stop swelling;
- chest massage - indicated for drainage of the bronchi;
- breathing exercises - helps the baby ease breathing.
It is worth considering that physiotherapeutic procedures have some contraindications: the presence of malignant neoplasms, decreased blood coagulability, fever, neurotoxicosis. That is why the complex of such events is selected individually.
Home treatment
The main tasks of parents with a child’s disease are to perform all prescribed procedures, take prescribed medications and create favorable conditions for recovery. Remember that the crumbs ’diet should be balanced and varied, the indoor air should be moist and cool, and the drinking regimen should be plentiful. If the baby has a fever, he must observe bed rest.
Also remember that you can not give crumbs antipyretic drugs systematically - such therapy will not make it possible to really determine the effectiveness of the use of antibiotics and dull the natural response of the immune system.
Rehabilitation
After recovery, each child needs time to recover. At the same time, parents should worry about creating favorable conditions for successful rehabilitation and resort to such activities:
- heat treatment;
- inhalation sessions;
- elimination of foci of chronic infection - sinusitis, caries, tonsillitis;
- physiotherapy exercises, massage;
- oxygen cocktails;
- regular walks on the street without the risk of hypothermia;
- intake of vitamin complexes and immunomodulatory agents.
Prevention
You can prevent the occurrence of pneumonia in a child by increasing immunity. To do this, you can resort, for example, to a hardening scheme. It is recommended to lower the level of seasonal incidence with the help of sports. In addition, parents should worry about their child minimally in contact with sick peers. Another way to avoid the onset of pneumonia in a baby is vaccination.