Note when using antibiotics to treat pneumonia in children

The article was professionally consulted by Doctor of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.

When a child is diagnosed with pneumonia, treatment requires antibiotics, even though the disease has many causes. In the case of children with viral pneumonia, antibiotics are not effective, but it is very difficult to accurately diagnose whether it is a virus alone or in combination with bacteria.

Pneumonia in children is an acute respiratory infection, this condition will damage the lung parenchyma leading to respiratory failure. The disease can occur at any age, but children under 2 years of age are most common. Pneumonia in general is mainly transmitted through the respiratory tract, when bacteria and viruses residing in the nose and throat will spread when children cough, sneeze, and runny nose. One of the causes of pneumonia is:
Bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Other pathogens such as: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Group B Streptococci, Hemophilus influenzae type B, Respiratory syncytial virus,... Risk factors: Children exposed to smoke, weak immune system, cramped living space or pollution, chronic diseases will have a higher risk of disease. Most often, pneumonia in children begins with fever, cough, and upper respiratory tract infection. More severe conditions will have symptoms of shortness of breath, sweating, chills, fatigue and poor feeding. In some cases, children have the above symptoms along with rapid breathing, rising and falling of the nostrils, intercostal muscle contraction, chest indrawing, pain when coughing, purple lips and extremities, dangerous cases may have respiratory arrest.

When a child is diagnosed with pneumonia, the use of antibiotics to treat pneumonia in children should be appropriate and prescribed by a specialist doctor. The treatment of pneumonia in children is mainly as follows (in addition, there are special treatments in each specific case depending on the disease condition and the response ability of each child):
Treatment in children Newborns and children under 2 months of age:
Children needing hospital treatment The indication for treatment must be prescribed by a specialist doctor, suitable for age, immune status, disease severity and antibiotic resistance . Take the drug Benzyl - penicillin or Ampicillin in combination with the drug Gentamycin. Treat each course from 5 to 10 days. Children with very severe pneumonia should use Cefotaxime.

Children from 2 months to 5 years old:
Children only cough and fast breathing: Outpatient treatment, use Cotrimoxazol in places where pneumococcus is not yet resistant to the drug, the treatment needs to be 5-7 days. If the child does not show any signs of progression or worsening, treatment such as severe pneumonia is indicated. Severe pneumonia: Indicated for the treatment of pneumonia in children at the hospital. Use benzylpenicillin or ampicillin. After 2-3 days, if the child shows signs of improvement, continue taking the drug for 5 - 10 days. If the child shows no signs of improvement or gets worse, treatment is indicated as very severe pneumonia. Very severe pneumonia: Indicated for treatment in hospital. Treatment drug is Benzylpenicillin combined with gentamicin a course of 5-10 days. For children over 5 years old:
Use benzylpenicillin or cefuroxime. In the case of children with atypical pneumonia, use oral erythromycin for 10 days. In addition to the use of therapeutic drugs, when taking care of a child with pneumonia, it is necessary to:
Comply with the doctor's instructions, give the child a full dose and number of days, do not arbitrarily stop or change the medicine without consent. doctor's opinion. Enhance feeding and breastfeeding, because providing plenty of water to thin sputum, soothe throat - reduce cough and avoid dehydration.

Pneumonia in children is a serious lower respiratory tract infection that needs to be detected early and treated promptly. However, pneumonia in children often has very serious complications if not treated promptly, so prevention is essential. The main prevention methods are:
Breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months and having a reasonable diet. Create a clean, smoke-free and pollution-free living environment for children. Children should not be in frequent contact with crowds, especially those who show signs of sneezing, runny nose, cough... Fully vaccinated, on time for children. This is a specific measure to prevent pneumonia in children, giving children active immunity against the disease when infected.