Question
An infant weighing 5.2 pounds at birth developed cough symptoms twenty days after birth and was diagnosed with pneumonia by the maternal and child hospital. The baby has been hospitalized for five days. The parents are unable to visit and inquire about the condition daily. Initially, they were told that there was improvement, but today the doctor indicated that the condition has worsened, pointing out that the infant has a weak constitution. The parents are worried about the seriousness of the situation.
Answer
Newborn pneumonia can be divided into two main categories: newborn aspiration pneumonia and newborn infectious pneumonia. The former can be further subdivided into amniotic fluid aspiration pneumonia, meconium aspiration pneumonia, and milk aspiration pneumonia. Due to the immature immune function in newborns, it is easy to lead to severe pneumonia and even sepsis, which may be life-threatening in severe cases. In such situations, hormone treatment may be required. If the immune function is poor, immunoglobulins can be considered to enhance active immune function.