Pneumonia is a lower respiratory lung infection that causes inflammation in one or both lungs.

It is one of the most dangerous diseases that creep up on kids. The disease claims the life of a child every 20 seconds.

Overall, pneumonia symptoms vary according to age, but there are a number of clues that can help you recognize when your child has more than a bad cold.

Mild Pneumonia in Children

Pneumonia that is caused by certain bacteria, including Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Chlamydophila pneumoniae, usually results in milder symptoms, even in children.

This type of pneumonia, known as atypical or walking pneumonia, is prevalent among school-age children.

Children with walking pneumonia may not feel sick enough to stay home, but they could have the following symptoms:

• Dry cough
• Low-grade fever
• Headache
• Tiredness

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is responsible for about 15 to 50 percent of all adult cases of pneumonia, but the rate is even higher among school-age children.

That’s because walking pneumonia, which most often develops in late summer and fall, spreads from person-to-person.

Outbreaks clearly can occur within groups that have close contact, such as schools or camps.

Kids who are exposed to the germ while they are at school often bring the illness home.

Moderate Pneumonia in Children

Viruses cause most cases of pneumonia in preschool children between four months and five years old.

Affected children will usually have symptoms associated with other viruses, such as:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Low-grade fever
• Nasal congestion
• Diarrhea
• Loss of appetite
• Lack of energy or tiredness

Severe Pneumonia in Children

Bacterial pneumonia is more common among school-age children and teens.

These types of pneumonia often develop more abruptly than a cold or virus and have more dramatic symptoms, such as:

• High fever
• Cough that produces yellowish or green mucus
• Sweating or chills
• Flushed skin
• A bluish tint to the lips or nail beds
• Wheezing
• Difficulty breathing

Doss noted that children with bacterial pneumonia usually look far sicker than those with other forms of pneumonia.

Pneumonia in Newborns and Infants

Newborns and infants may not show typical signs of pneumonia infection.

It may also be difficult to determine if toddlers have the illness because they may not be able to communicate how they feel as well as an older child can.

However, the following symptoms can indicate that a baby or young child may have pneumonia:

• Looking pale
• Being limp or lethargic
• Crying more than usual
• Feeding poorly
• Being irritable or restless
• Vomiting

Pneumonia Treatment and Prevention

Treating pneumonia depends on what caused the infection, and can range from outpatient treatment to surgery.

Treating Bacterial Pneumonia

Bacterial pneumonia can be treated with antibiotics, which usually help people feel better within three days.

People who are very old, very young, or have shortness of breath or high fever may need to be admitted to the hospital for intravenous antibiotics.

If you need to go to the hospital, your doctor may do cultures from sputum or blood tests to identify and target the exact bacteria.

People with more severe cases of bacterial pneumonia may be treated with oxygen, intravenous fluids, and breathing treatments to ease symptoms.

Treating Viral Pneumonia

Viral pneumonias are more likely to be treated at home (outside the hospital).

Viral pneumonia caused by the flu can be treated with an antiviral medication called Tamiflu (oseltamivir).

But for many other viral pneumonias, your doctor can only treat the symptoms.

That means drinking lots of fluids, eating well, resting, taking medication for pain or fever, and treating breathing difficulties.

Viral pneumonia may take one to three weeks to clear completely.

Mycoplasma pneumonia is a type of pneumonia caused by a germ that’s somewhere between a virus and a bacteria.

Also called atypical pneumonia, it’s a mild and common type that’s most likely to affect children and young adults.

This type of pneumonia can be treated with several types of antibiotics, and usually does not require hospitalization.

Treating Fungal Pneumonia

If the course of your pneumonia is slow and your chest X-ray looks unusual, you may have fungal pneumonia.

These pneumonias can be diagnosed with a blood test that shows your body is making antibodies to the fungus.

More than 10 types of fungi can cause fungal pneumonia, which is more common in people with weakened immune systems.

Several antifungal medications serve as treatment for pneumonia and can be administered whether orally or intravenously.

Treating Complicated Pneumonia

Complications may be more common in pneumonia that starts after stomach contents are inhaled into the lungs, a type of pneumonia called aspiration pneumonia.

Another dangerous pneumonia is necrotizing pneumonia, which is viral pneumonia that becomes secondarily infected by a type of bacteria called staphylococcus.

Complicated pneumonias such as these may result in respiratory failure that requires assisted breathing with a machine called a ventilator.

In rare, but severe cases, a pocket of pus called a lung abscess can form inside the lung.

If you have complicated pneumonia, you may need to undergo a procedure to drain the lung or remove diseased lung tissue.

Your doctor may refer to this procedure as “lung scraping.”

Pneumonia Home Remedies

There are no proven alternative treatments to get rid of germs that cause pneumonia.

However, there may be some home remedies that help with symptoms and some that may help prevent you from getting sicker.

These include:

• Getting plenty of rest
• Quitting smoking
• Eating a healthy diet
• Avoiding heavy use of alcohol

Vitamin C and warm fluids (such as tea or chicken soup) may also help by keeping mucus in the lungs loose.