If your child has breathing difficulties or a problem with the lungs, a Private Paediatric Respiratory Physician in the UK has the experience and training to treat it. Pediatric Respiratory Physicians diagnose, treat, and monitor children with respiratory and lung conditions from birth to 21 years of age.
Let us find out more about this infection as well as a disease:
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a type of severe infection that can cause inflammation of the lungs. It can also be caused by a wide variety of microorganisms – bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
The lungs are made up of small “sacs” called alveoli that fill with air when they breathe in the case of healthy people.
Pneumonia is a common disease that appears annually in 5% to 11% of the population. It can present mildly, but the need for hospital admission increases with age.
Medium and long-term mortality is high, and in fact, pneumonia is the leading cause of death from infectious disease in the world and the sixth overall. Furthermore, it is the leading cause of infant mortality worldwide.
What Causes Pneumonia?
When a child’s defenses are weakened, they are more susceptible to infection by microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
Atypical pneumonia can also occur, caused by other bacteria, which often go unidentified.
Viruses are also the most common cause of pneumonia, such as the flu virus, chickenpox, measles, or whooping cough.
If you have any symptoms of this infection, you should immediately search on the internet – “cough specialist near me” and consult the best doctor.
Tips to prevent pneumonia:
Pneumonia is an infectious disease, and it can be very serious, but it can be prevented in some cases.
- Get a flu shot:
Every autumn, those groups with a higher risk should get vaccinated against the flu. This vaccine, which must be administered annually following, does not fully protect against the flu, but it does make it more difficult to contract it during the six months following its application.
- Go to the doctor immediately at the first symptoms:
Pneumonia can be cured, but it can also become a serious and sometimes fatal disease. Especially the population at risk should pay attention to the symptoms and not wait for Google – “cough specialist near me.” In no case we should self-medicate.
3 Follow the treatment prescribed by the specialist:
Especially in antibiotics, do not miss any doses and take medicine until it is finished, even if we begin to feel better. Unless the doctor prescribes them, we will not take antitussives or cold medicines.
- Nurture your defenses:
Proper nutrition is key to improving natural defenses, both in children and adults. In the case of minors, exclusively feeding with breast milk during the first six months of life and effectively preventing pneumonia, reduces the duration of the disease. And for everyone, a healthy lifestyle, with a balanced diet, exercise, and sufficient rest, contribute to making us more resistant to infection.
- Environment under control:
The number of children who develop pneumonia can also be reduced by correcting environmental factors such as indoor air pollution (for example, avoiding smoking indoors) and promoting proper hygiene in crowded homes.
- Take care of your hygiene:
We must wash our hands frequently, especially before cooking, after blowing our nose, going to the bathroom, changing a baby’s diaper, or being in contact with sick people and thereby avoiding introducing harmful microorganisms into our organism by bringing our hands to our nose or mouth.
We must also cover our mouths when coughing or sneezing, putting on a disposable tissue or the elbow’s inside, better than with the hand.
- Try not to spread the disease:
Suppose you are going to visit a patient who has pneumonia in the hospital setting. In that case, it is necessary to follow the hospital’s regulations to avoid spreading the disease or increasing the risk of the sick person. Thus, if you are recommended to use a mask or wash your hands when entering or leaving the room, follow the recommendations.
When faced with respiratory disease symptoms, it is essential to go to a Private Paediatric Respiratory Physician in the UK to rule out complications and even prevent them in the future.
