At the first sign of illness in your children, it can make any parent or caregiver’s anxiety kick in. Illnesses are often unpredictable, and your children’s health is always your top priority, after all!

Thankfully, many illnesses can be treated easily and your child will make a full recovery. When it comes to pneumonia, a little more attention is required.

Pneumonia can sometimes be dangerous to small children, so our AFC Urgent Care Louisville team explains what to look for below.

What Signs Indicate Pneumonia?

If your child comes into contact with a virus or bacteria, it can eventually manifest itself into an infection if your child’s immune system can’t fight it off. With pneumonia, the infection affects the lungs and causes the alveoli to fill up with fluid. These little air sacs have the important job of transporting oxygen through your blood, so having any sort of disruption to this process can be dangerous.

Children can start to experience symptoms rather quickly, so watch for the emergence of a deep, mucus-producing cough and the arrival of a fever. In addition, it can cause general aches and pains and full-body chills. Basically, it can make your little one feel pretty bad!

Children at a Greater Risk of Severe Pneumonia

• Children with chronic illness like heart or lung disorders
• Any child who has asthma
• Premature infants
• People with compromised immune systems

Can Pneumonia Go Away on its Own?

Sometimes, but not always. Viral cases can go away without medical intervention, but bacterial cases usually require a round of antibiotics to fully recover. In any case, come see us if your child is experiencing symptoms. We can do a thorough exam and get to the root of the issue!

In addition to an exam, we can perform a digital X-ray if your child is over 6 months old. This helps us get a clear picture of where the infection is, and we can determine the right treatment plan based on the information we obtain from it. Pneumonia can be a serious condition in anyone, but especially children. If you notice any warning signs of a severe infection, seek medical help right away.

Signs of a Dangerous Pneumonia Infection

• If your child is having trouble breathing
• If your child’s fingernails or lips have a blue or gray color
• If your child has a high-grade fever of 102 degrees or higher
• If your child is refusing fluids

Does your child have a concerning cough? Stop by AFC Urgent Care Louisville today.