Symptoms of walking pneumonia in toddlers?

(June 4, 2010)

Walking Pneumonia In Children

Walking pneumonia in children is a mild form of pneumonia caused by bacteria called Mycoplasma pneumoniae. It is also known as atypical pneumonia. The disease got its name because when it is actually diagnosed most of the symptoms have gone away (including fever) and thus the children are walking around with pneumonia. The symptoms can linger for about a month and in some rare cases can be life threatening if not treated properly.

Walking Pneumonia In Children Symptoms

Symptoms include:-

-   Early symptoms are similar to that of the common cold or influenza.
-   Signs of decreased activity
-   Fever, sore throat and headaches
-   Chest pain
-   Muscle aches
-   Shortness of breath
-   Chills
-   Muscle aches
-   Diarrhea
-   Enlarged lymph glands

The toddler will also develop a dry cough which worsens at night. The cough will continue to worsen even as other symptoms disappear. It may linger for 3-4 weeks and sputum may be streaked with blood. Take your child to the doctor immediately if this is the case. Do this as well if the child has difficulty in breathing as this could be due to the reduced oxygen level in the blood.

Diagnosis of pneumonia in toddlers is usually made on the basis of the child’s symptoms and a chest x-ray may be taken too which may show diffuse infiltrates. The x-ray results simply mean that your child has pneumonia. It is the pattern of the symptoms which will help in correct diagnosis. Cultures are not usually carried out as they take a long time to grow and children can test positive for the disease even months after the infection. Other specific tests include Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody tests, cold agglutinin test, and the complement-fixing (CF) antibody test. These tests are not used on children who have no complications of walking pneumonia.

Walking pneumonia is treated mainly with the help of antibiotics. Medicines to combat the fever may be prescribed as well. The fever is the immune system’s response to the bacterial infection. A cough suppressant may be prescribed if the sputum is red or has blood in it. The intake of water should be increased for toddlers who suffer from this infection. This will aid recovery. You may use a heating pad on your child’s chest to relieve the chest pain. Do check with your doctor before doing this.

Remember that walking pneumonia is highly contagious and can easily be passed when the child coughs or sneezes. Do not let the child mix with other children or adults.

Submitted by N on June 4, 2010 at 06:02