Your child's persistent cough and fever may be caused by mycoplasma infection

In this article, a child with symptoms such as fatigue and weakness, persistent dry cough, and fever is introduced. Laboratory tests and imaging tests suggest that the child has mycoplasma pneumonia. Therefore, azithromycin was given to reduce inflammation and the antitussive drug pentovirine was given to relieve cough symptoms, and after reasonable treatment, the child's symptoms were quickly relieved and mycoplasma pneumonia was cured.

【Basic Information】Female, 6 years old

【Disease type】Mycoplasma infection

【Treatment Hospital】Huashan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University

Date of visit: November 2021

【Treatment plan】Azithromycin relieverates inflammation, and pentovirine relieverates cough.

【Treatment period】2 weeks

【Treatment effect】Fever and cough were significantly improved, the total number of white blood cells, neutrophils, and C-reactive protein were all restored to normal, and the chest X-ray examination showed that the bilateral perihilar interstitial infiltrates disappeared.

1. Initial consultation

About a month ago, the child's mother came to the clinic with her child and told me that Tongtong had symptoms such as fatigue, lack of energy, and occasional dry cough two days ago, followed by persistent dry cough and fever, and took cefixime and cough medicine at home, but the effect was not significant, so she was brought to the hospital. On the initial examination, the child's breath sounds were coarse with crackles, high body temperature, and rapid heart rate, and pneumonia was initially considered. Therefore, I recommend that parents take their children for imaging and laboratory tests to help diagnose the diagnosis, and the laboratory results show that the total number of white blood cells, neutrophils, and C-reactive protein are all elevated, and the chest x-ray is shown in the figure, and the diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia is made.

X-ray: bilateral perihilar interstitial infiltrates. The dense medial opacity of the upper right region results in thickening of the right paratracheal stripe

Second, the treatment process

I told my mother that mycoplasma pneumonia is a lower respiratory tract infection caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which can initially manifest as fatigue and weakness, body aches, severe cases accompanied by fever, persistent dry cough, chest pain, and severe symptoms such as rash and swollen lymph nodes.

1. Fatigue, weakness and myalgia. In the early stage of the disease, most of them are manifested as lack of strength in the whole body, poor mental state, and accompanied by symptoms such as muscle aches around the body, which can be relieved by themselves after 2~3 days.

2. Fever. Generally, it is a moderate fever, about 37.5 °C, which can last for 2~3 weeks, and the frail person may have a high fever.

3. Coughing. It is usually a persistent and severe dry cough, usually without sputum or a small amount of sputum, and if yellow sputum is seen, it indicates other bacterial infections.

In addition, headache, sore throat, chest pain, and in severe cases, it may be accompanied by rash, swollen lymph nodes in the neck and behind the ears.

For the treatment of mycoplasma pneumonia, for patients with rapid onset, glucocorticoid therapy can be considered to play an anti-inflammatory, antiasthmatic effect, commonly used drugs methylprednisolone, azithromycin and clarithromycin are preferred for children with mild symptoms, and for severe cough, antitussive drug pentoverine citrate syrup can be used to relieve cough symptoms. Because mycoplasma is not a true bacterium and does not have a cell wall, antibiotics that act on the cell wall of bacteria, such as penicillins and cephalosporins, are commonly used and are ineffective for this disease, so patients should not abuse antibiotics on their own.

3. Therapeutic effect

The child was actively treated with the antibiotic azithromycin and the antitussive drug pentovirine, and the parents also strengthened the management of the child's life, and the symptoms such as fever and cough improved significantly after one week, and the laboratory tests were rechecked two weeks later, the total number of white blood cells, neutrophils, and C-reactive protein were all back to normal, and the chest X-ray examination, the bilateral perihilar interstitial infiltrates disappeared, and there were no other signs, indicating that mycoplasma pneumonia was completely cured.Seeing that the child's spirit improved after healing, and I was full of joy.

4. Precautions

1. Within 1~2 weeks of the alleviation of the child's symptoms, if it is still infectious or has the possibility of recurrence, it is still necessary to do a good job of disinfection and isolation, and if there are immunocompromised people or infants and young children at home, it is necessary to avoid contact with the child, and let the child be rechecked regularly.

2. Strengthen nutrition for children, supplement enough protein and vitamins, and let children exercise more, enhance physical fitness, improve immunity, promote disease recovery, and reduce the risk of recurrence.

3. Let your child develop good hygiene, cover his mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing, and wash his hands frequently.

4. In autumn and winter or in the season of high incidence of diseases, avoid going to densely populated places, wear a mask when you go out, and rinse your hands immediately after returning home.

5. Personal perception

Mycoplasma pneumonia is an acute pulmonary infectious disease caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, which is characterized by fatigue and weakness, persistent dry cough, fever and other symptoms.

Laboratory and imaging examinations showed that the total number of white blood cells, neutrophils, and C-reactive protein were all elevated, and bilateral perihilar interstitial infiltrates suggested mycoplasma pneumonia. Most patients with mild symptoms of the disease can recover without treatment, but they may also develop into severe pneumonia, and even respiratory failure, heart failure and other serious conditions that endanger life and health, so patients must use reasonable antibiotic treatment under the guidance of doctors to reduce symptoms, shorten the course of the disease, and prevent complications.