Question
What are some simple ways to determine if a newborn has pneumonia? The child keeps running a fever, coughing, and has a runny nose. I’m worried it might turn into pneumonia. Can you please guide me to a doctor?
Answer
Coughing can occur in newborns with pneumonia in clinical settings. Clinical symptoms may include fever, shortness of breath, choking on milk, and vomiting foam from the mouth. Newborns have not fully developed their cough reflex, and their chests are relatively undeveloped, with weak respiratory muscles. Therefore, coughing is rarely seen during the illness, and breathing movements are shallow, making symptoms non-specific and lung rales inaudible. Symptoms may not include fever or elevated body temperature. Difficulty breathing may only manifest as pauses, irregular breathing, or rapid breathing. In severe cases of oxygen deficiency, the skin may turn blue. General characteristics of diseases with or without upper respiratory infection symptoms include shallow breathing, head nodding during breathing, flaring of the nostrils, cyanosis, vomiting foam from the mouth, decreased appetite, milk regurgitation, suffocation, lack of energy or irritability, low responsiveness, vomiting, and abnormal body temperature.