Question
The 12-month-old girl has symptoms of tracheobronchitis after discharge from the hospital one week ago, starting to feel phlegm and a coughing sound. Is it possible that it’s a recurrence of pneumonia?
Answer
Infants have narrower airways, making them prone to nasal congestion, mucus sounds, or a hoarse voice. Therefore, if the baby does not have coughing and fever, it may not necessarily be pneumonia. The hoarse sound caused by hypoplasia of the thyroid cartilage is different from the sound of phlegm caused by pneumonia; the former is more of a gurgling sound, while the latter is more of a hissing sound, and it is more pronounced during deep inhalation.