What should I do if my child's cough does not heal for a long time?
Perhaps many parents have heard the term "Mycoplasma pneumoniae" and know the "power" of TA. Unlike before, in previous years, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections were mostly high in autumn and winter, but this year they struck early:
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Once hit, the child suffers, and the parents follow in a hurry.
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The main reason why Mycoplasma pneumoniae becomes a grinding leprechaun is mainly because of it:
➤ Easy cross-transmission and can be spread through droplets and direct contact.
➤ is the causative agent of respiratory diseases such as upper respiratory infections (colds), tracheitis, bronchitis, and even the dreaded pneumonia.
➤ Difficult to diagnose, incubation period up to 1-2 weeks, and recurrent infections.
There are babies at home, who is not worried about mycoplasma infection!
So today, the university will come to pick up Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in detail!
What is Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection?
First of all, what is Mycoplasma pneumoniae? Simply put, it is a pathogen, smaller than bacteria, and after invading the human body, it can lead to diseases, mainly infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract.
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So is Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection necessarily pneumonia? No.
❐ Pneumonia Fulcomymal Infection≠ Pneumonia
Mycoplasma pneumoniae, is a subtype of the mycoplasma family, a bit like Europeans, mycoplasma is the surname, pneumonia is its name, full name: Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
After it invades the human body, there will be 3 situations:
➤ Peace: Some Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections have no symptoms and can live peacefully with the baby or are quickly eliminated by the body's immunity.
➤ Causes various acute respiratory infection symptoms: such as intractable cough, severe cough, fever and sore throat, etc., and small babies may also wheeze.
There is usually no obvious exudative manifestation (e.g., dry cough with little sputum) in the early stages of Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.
However, the abnormal sensation of the affected part will be more obvious, manifested as sore throat or airway discomfort, frequent cough, this situation should be vigilant whether it is Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.
➤ Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia: According to epidemiological data, only 3%-10% of patients will develop pneumonia.
So when the doctor says mycoplasma infection, don't panic, it doesn't have to be pneumonia.
❐ It's a bit hard to diagnose
Some mothers said that the baby has been coughing for a long time, can't find the reason, and the antibody is negative, what's the matter?
This is because the current routine examination of Mycoplasma pneumoniae is to detect the concentration of antibodies in the human body, and the human body from infection to the production of antibodies requires a process, generally 5-7 days or even 10 days to detect it.
What should parents do?
When the child has a stubborn cough and fever, taking cough medicine is not effective, you can:
(1) Review the blood routine to see if there may be a new pathogen.
(2) Check Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibodies several times to facilitate early judgment and early treatment.
Mycoplasma infection treatment: 3 points to keep in mind!
What are the steps to resolve mycoplasma infection?
❐ Follow the doctor's advice for medication
Follow the doctor's advice to use azithromycin treatment, according to the actual symptoms according to the course of treatment.
In general, confirmed cases will require 2-3 courses of treatment, which will last about 10-13 days, and some mycoplasma infection that causes pneumonia may be extended to about 3 weeks.
Even if the medication is used for a long time, parents must obediently follow the doctor's instructions to give the baby medication, and never stop the drug or change the dosage without permission.
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At the same time, parents should also pay attention to whether it is oral or static antibiotics, if the condition (respiratory symptoms, body temperature, etc.) does not improve or even worsens in 2-3 days, it needs to be evaluated again in the hospital to consider whether the treatment plan needs to be changed.
❐ Be wary of co-bacterial infections
Clinical mycoplasma combined with bacterial infection, parents must be vigilant.
What does that mean? Originally, it was Mycoplasma itself that was doing things, but it also brought the bacteria in, resulting in mycoplasma bacterial co-infection.
When bacterial infection is coexisted, there are some clinical symptoms, the most important being recurrent fever.
Some have fever again after fever, and some fever symptoms worsen again on the way to improvement. The degrees are getting higher and higher, and the frequency is getting faster and faster.
There is also an increase in sputum, which changes color to yellow or green. At the same time, there will be additional manifestations such as fatigue and loss of appetite.
Of course, mixed infection can not be judged by symptoms alone, parents should actively cooperate with doctors to do blood routine and blood pictures for the baby, if there is a bacterial infection, strictly follow the doctor's advice to take sufficient amount of medicine.
❐ Prevention of recurrent infections
The baby at home always recurs, pay attention to the following points:
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Repeated infections have a great impact on the baby's body, so prevention must be done well.
Big boss: Mycoplasma pneumonia
As mentioned earlier, after mycoplasma infection, 3% to 10% of patients will develop pneumonia, if the baby is unlucky, what should I do?
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❐ How to judge
The main symptom of mycoplasma pneumonia is cough, and more than half of babies will have a fever.
This is also the most cunning thing about it: it resembles a cold, and it is easy to take it lightly.
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Therefore, when parents find that the baby has been coughing, fever, and taking medicine and nursing are not good, they should be vigilant.
Especially when the baby has severe cough, or long-term poor (more than 10 days), frequent fever (body temperature ≥ 38.5 degrees), the effect of taking antipyretic drugs is not good, and even high fever above 39 degrees, difficulty breathing, lack of oxygen, etc., infants and young children have whooping cough-like spastic cough or wheezing, do not hesitate, go to the hospital early.
❐ Treatment as directed by a doctor
Mild mycoplasma pneumonia, strictly follow the doctor's advice, sufficient and full course (oral administration is generally 3 days for 1 course) with azithromycin can be improved, and there will be no sequelae.
After treatment, if the symptoms improve, then the first thing to do is to improve the course of treatment and observe the recovery of symptoms.
When the baby's cough does not affect eating and sleeping, body temperature and inflammatory indicators have returned to normal, chest radiographs have also improved, and the drug can generally be stopped according to the doctor's advice.
Some babies after the standard treatment of azithromycin, roxithromycin and other macrolide antibiotics, the symptoms not only do not improve but worsen, then it is necessary to consider "refractory Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia", which may require glucocorticoids and bronchoscopic therapy.
Parents must strictly follow the doctor's advice to cooperate with the treatment.
Take care of it at the same time:
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Be aware that there are 2 small mistakes not to make:
➤ Insufficient amount of adequate course of medication.
➤ Stop the drug without authorization.
❐ Atomization if necessary
Mycoplasma pneumonia does not have to be atomized.
However, when the severe cough it causes is more serious, or repeated cough, airway hyperreaction, etc., you can follow the doctor's advice to carry out appropriate degree of atomization to reduce symptoms and speed up recovery.
During the epidemic, if you dare not go to the hospital for atomization, you can choose to atomize at home, the premise is that you must be proficient in atomization methods, and you can learn from the doctor before the operation.
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At the same time, different atomizers form different particle sizes, in general, the more advanced the nebulizer, the more able to send the drug solution deep into the lung tissue, for pneumonia, the efficacy is still different.
Finally, the University of Science and Technology still wants everyone to remember 3 words: follow the doctor's advice!