Diseases of children (pediatrics)

Exogenous allergic alveolitis in children

Exogenous allergic alveolitis (ICD-10 code: J-67) - belongs to a group of interstitial lung diseases of known etiology. Exogenous allergic alveolitis is a hypersensitivity pulmonitis with diffuse damage to the alveoli and interstitium. The incidence in children (usually at school age) is lower than in adults (the incidence of exogenous allergic alveolitis is 0.36 cases per 100,000 children per year).

Treatment of pneumonia in children

The main method of treating pneumonia is immediate (if pneumonia is diagnosed or suspected in a child's serious condition) antibacterial therapy, which is prescribed empirically. That is why the doctor needs knowledge about the etiology of pneumonia in different age groups in community-acquired and hospital pneumonia, in various immunodeficiency states.

Diagnosis of pneumonia in children

Peripheral blood analysis should be performed in all patients with suspected pneumonia. Leukocytosis over 10-12x109/l and a band shift over 10% indicate a high probability of bacterial pneumonia. If pneumonia is diagnosed, leukopenia under 3x109/l or leukocytosis over 25x109/l are considered unfavorable prognostic signs.

Symptoms of pneumonia in children

Classic symptoms of pneumonia are shortness of breath, cough, fever, symptoms of intoxication (weakness, deterioration of the child's general condition, etc.). With pneumonia caused by atypical pathogens (for example, C. trachomatis), fever, as a rule, does not occur; body temperature is either subfebrile or normal.

Causes of pneumonia in children

Community-acquired (home) pneumonia. The etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in 50% of cases is represented by mixed microflora, and in most cases (30% of cases) community-acquired pneumonia is caused by a viral-bacterial association. This cause is more often observed in children of early and preschool age. In a small percentage of cases (5-7%), the etiology is represented by a viral-viral mixed microflora and in 13-15% - a bacterial-bacterial association, for example, an association of Streptococcus pneumoniae with acapsular Haemophilus influenzae.

Pneumonia in a child

Pneumonia in a child is an acute infectious disease, predominantly of bacterial origin, characterized by focal lesions of the respiratory sections of the lungs and the presence of respiratory disorders and intra-alveolar exudation, as well as infiltrative changes on radiographs of the lungs.

Chronic bronchiolitis obliterans

In childhood, chronic obliterating bronchiolitis develops after acute bronchiolitis, which usually has a viral or mycoplasmal etiology (more often in older children). The morphological substrate is obliteration of the bronchioles and arterioles of one or more sections of the bronchi, leading to impaired pulmonary blood flow and the development of pulmonary emphysema.

Chronic bronchitis in children

Chronic bronchitis is a chronic widespread inflammatory lesion of the bronchi, occurring with repeated exacerbations, at least 3 times in 2 years. In childhood, it is usually a manifestation of other chronic lung diseases. As an independent disease, it is diagnosed when excluding chronic pneumonia, pulmonary and mixed forms of cystic fibrosis, ciliary dyskinesia syndrome and other chronic lung diseases, congenital malformations of the bronchi and lungs.

Recurrent obstructive bronchitis in children

Recurrent obstructive bronchitis is obstructive bronchitis, episodes of which are repeated in young children against the background of acute respiratory viral infections. Unlike bronchial asthma, obstruction is not paroxysmal in nature and is not associated with the impact of non-infectious allergens. Sometimes repeated episodes of obstruction are associated with chronic aspiration of food.

Recurrent bronchitis in children

Recurrent bronchitis is bronchitis without obstruction, episodes of which are repeated 2-3 times over 1-2 years against the background of acute respiratory viral infections. Episodes of bronchitis are characterized by the duration of clinical manifestations (2 weeks or more).