How to know if your child is infected with Mycoplasma pneumoniae? What are the symptoms?

Mycoplasma pneumonia is pneumonia caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumonia can occur throughout the year, but is more common in autumn and winter. It is mainly concentrated in school-age children, but now infants are also suffering from mycoplasma infection. It is mainly transmitted through droplets. The lung signs are mostly not obvious, but severe cases can threaten life or death. Below, I will introduce the symptoms to you so that you can avoid discovering the disease too late.

Most of them have a slow onset, with an incubation period of 1-3 weeks. Symptoms include fatigue, chills, poor appetite, headache, and sore throat; fever occurs 2-3 days later, and the fever pattern is irregular, with low or moderate fever and a fever duration of 1-2 weeks; cough gradually worsens, with cough or small amounts of sputum, sometimes like whooping cough, lasting 1-4 weeks; infants and young children show wheezing and dyspnea, and older children complain of chest tightness and chest disease. A small number of children may have extrapulmonary complications, such as nervous system damage, hemolytic anemia, carditis, polymorphic rash, myalgia, arthralgia, gastrointestinal symptoms, etc.

The physical signs are mostly not obvious, but there may be dry or wet rales in the lungs. Otoscope may reveal congestion and hemorrhage of the tympanic membrane, which is an inflammatory change. Children may develop tympanitis and otitis media. A small number of patients may have complications such as blood (acute hemolysis, thrombocytopenic purpura) or nerve (peripheral neuritis, pleurisy, etc.) or Raynaud's phenomenon (intermittent pallor or cyanosis of the limbs and pain when exposed to cold), which prolongs the course of the disease.

Physical examination may reveal pharyngeal congestion and cervical lymphadenopathy. Lung signs are often not obvious, local breath sounds are reduced or there are a small amount of dry or wet DG sounds, and occasionally pleural effusion. Patients with extrapulmonary complications may develop corresponding signs.

As can be seen from the above, the symptoms of Mycoplasma pneumonia are varied. I hope that parents can understand the seriousness of Mycoplasma pneumonia infection. Only by fully understanding and mastering the symptoms can timely and comprehensive treatment be carried out in the process of treating children with Mycoplasma pneumonia, thereby alleviating the condition of pediatric patients and preventing the condition from worsening.