Pneumonia in adolescents of senior school age develops quite often. Being constantly in a team, children easily pick up viruses from each other that cause an inflammatory process. An additional risk factor can be reduced adolescent immunity against the background of hormonal changes.

Reasons for development

An inflammatory disease is caused by:

  • viruses;
  • bacteria;
  • Candida mushrooms.

Other viral diseases such as influenza, measles, scarlet fever and others can also become the causes of the development of the inflammatory process. Pneumonia develops as a complication of ARVI, influenza, and another viral disease in adolescents with weakened immunity.

Older schoolchildren are at risk of hormonal changes in the body. Internal systems are finally formed, during this “window” it is easiest to earn an ailment that threatens the development of chronic complications in the future.

SARS is the most common among adolescents. The causative agents of the disease are mycoplasmas, chlamydophils , legionella and other viruses that are easily transmitted from person to person in large groups (at school, college, section). The main danger of this type of pneumonia is in its non-obvious symptoms: the temperature is normal, the patient’s blood tests are in order. Diagnosis is difficult, and coping with atypical pneumonia becomes more difficult.

Main manifestations

The signs of pneumonia can be different and directly depend on the root cause of the development of the inflammatory process. The main symptoms for adolescents are similar to those typical for adult patients:

  • a sharp rise in temperature;
  • cough;
  • painful sensations in the chest area when breathing and coughing;
  • wheezing is heard;
  • dyspnea;
  • general state of weakness;
  • headache;
  • lack of appetite;
  • decrease in general activity, loss of interest in everything.

If the temperature cannot be brought down for a long time with the help of antipyretics, this may be a manifestation of a severe form of inflammation. But the symptomatology may not coincide with the clinical picture, the disease can be almost asymptomatic. This complicates the diagnosis, and it will not be possible to start treatment in a timely manner.

Diagnostics

Diagnostic methods for suspected pneumonia in adolescents are as follows:

  • radiography;
  • peripheral blood test;
  • blood chemistry.

At the initial appointment, the doctor listens to the teen’s lungs, asks him to take deep breaths and exhalations. Each side of the chest is heard, pneumonia can be left-sided, right-sided, or affect both lungs at once. The doctor makes a survey, assesses the general health of the patient, prescribes a referral for an X-ray. The foci of inflammation are displayed in the picture. Additionally, blood tests are carried out: peripheral analysis to detect a bacterial focus of the disease, biochemical analysis – to assess the severity of the development of inflammation. Based on the data obtained, a diagnosis is made, and a decision is made on the need for hospitalization.

Common symptoms of pneumonia in adolescents differentiate from other lung diseases. The main task of the doctor is to distinguish pneumonia from bronchitis and to prescribe the correct treatment.

Therapies

Pneumonia is treated with medication. To avoid complications, in most cases, you will need to resort to antibiotics.

Therapeutic methods, depending on the cause of the development of inflammation:

  • the disease against the background of ARVI does not require additional therapy, except for the treatment of the underlying infection;
  • with a bacterial origin of the disease, a course of antibiotics is prescribed;
  • with pneumomycosis (pneumonia, provoked by a fungus), antifungal drugs are prescribed.

Most inflammatory processes of this nature can be treated at home. Hospitalization of a teenager is required in the most extreme situations, according to statistics, this happens in 8-10% of cases. In the hospital, droppers are placed, injections are administered, and the patient’s health is constantly monitored.

Taking medications

Taking antibacterial agents on your own initiative and not on the advice of your doctor is a bad idea. Any antibiotics must be prescribed by the attending physician based on the results of diagnostics; self-treatment of pneumonia with the first drug available from the pharmacy is unacceptable. Pneumonia is not always bacterial in nature, and this is also worth remembering.

The following antibiotics may be prescribed:

  • Amoxicillin;
  • Ceftriaxone ;
  • Erythromycin;
  • Flemoxin .

The dosage and course of treatment depend on the characteristics and severity of the inflammatory process. The course of drugs does not stop, even if the patient feels better after a few days. It is necessary to undergo treatment completely, observing all the recommendations. The decision to discontinue medications is made by the doctor if the results of repeated tests and X-rays have shown good results.

ethnoscience

Folk remedies for pneumonia are ineffective. An acute inflammatory process cannot be stopped by the “grandmother’s” method, there is a risk of complications and death. It is possible to resort to traditional medicine only as an auxiliary therapy. Be sure to consult a doctor before using home recipes.

Forecast

With the right approach to therapy and careful attention to the doctor’s recommendations, the prognosis is positive. Only 10% of patients require hospitalization for complications. It will take 2-6 weeks to completely cure pneumonia. The duration depends on the severity of the course of the disease, the condition and individual characteristics of the organism.

Prophylaxis

Preventive measures can be as follows:

  • ensuring motor activity of a teenager to prevent stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract;
  • organization of a humid and cool climate in the room where the patient is located to facilitate breathing;
  • drinking a lot of liquid to thin sputum;
  • full treatment of the primary disease;
  • measures to strengthen the immune system: taking vitamins, maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The risk of developing inflammation is significantly reduced if you organize the correct therapy for the primary disease: ARVI, influenza, and other viral pathology. The main preventive technique will be the general strengthening of the patient’s health.

Complications

Possible complications include:

  • pleurisy;
  • lung abscess;
  • pulmonary edema;
  • bronchial spasms;
  • anemia;
  • meningitis;
  • inflammation of the heart muscle;
  • sepsis;
  • DIC syndrome.

The negative consequences can affect not only the lungs. If the infection spreads further, dangerous situations arise for all internal systems.

If you suspect the development of pneumonia, you will need to consult a doctor and undergo a diagnostic examination. It is necessary to make an appointment with a pediatrician, he can, if necessary, redirect to an infectious disease specialist. The doctor’s recommendations should be strictly adhered to, the course of the prescribed treatment should not be abandoned, even if it seemed that the patient was much better. Only by adhering to the therapeutic course, it will be possible to cope with pneumonia and do without complications.