[Treatment of acute infections of the lower respiratory tract in children]

Abstract

Introduction: Acute respiratory tract infections are the most common childhood diseases. A preschool child suffers up to 5-7 infections of upper airways during a year. Lower airway infections make 5-20% of all respiratory infections.

Etiologic factors: In developed countries, 75% of pneumonias in childhood are of viral etiology, in 15% of bacterial, and in 10% of some other causative agent (mycoplasma, rickettsiae, fungi, parasites). In developing countries, bacterial pneumonias are present in much higher percentages.

Treatment: Treatment of respiratory infections includes antimicrobial therapy (causal), relief of symptoms (symptomatic) and conduction of general principles in child treatment. The choice of antimicrobial drug is based on evidence of agents and their sensitivity to antimicrobial drugs, age, patient's condition, previous treatment and possible allergic reactions to the drug. In cases where we cannot provide adequate specimen for microbiologic testing, when these tests do not reveal the agent, or when therapy must be started before the agent is available, we must decide about the therapy, taking in consideration the most frequent agents, and those that would cause the most devastating clinical picture. This therapy can later be modified according to the isolated agent and its sensitivity to the drug.

Conclusion: Having in mind the incidence and importance of respiratory infections in morbidity and mortality of children, the aim of this article was to show guidelines in treatment of respiratory infections in children. The main point remains that we should take in consideration the individual patient before all.