Question
An 18-day-old infant has a rough and noisy breathing sound during sleep, a bump on the right leg, and occasionally spits up foam from the mouth. Are these symptoms related to newborn pneumonia?
Answer
Newborn pneumonia can be categorized into aspiration pneumonia and infectious pneumonia, the latter of which may originate from bacterial, viral, or protozoan infections. Common clinical manifestations include rapid breathing, groaning, spitting up foam, cyanosis of the lips or extremities, coughing, fever, repeated vomiting, poor appetite, and poor mental state. Since newborns have a weak cough reflex, symptoms may sometimes be atypical, manifesting only as rapid breathing or poor feeding. When observing the above symptoms, parents should be vigilant and seek the diagnosis and treatment of a pediatric specialist.