Pneumonia is a common disease in children with both primary immunodeficiencies and secondary immunodeficiencies, such as cancer chemotherapy, transplantation, treatment of autoinflammatory diseases, human immunodeficiency virus, and malnutrition. Pneumonia and other infections of the respiratory tract have been identified by…
Persistent pneumonia has been defined as continuation of symptoms and radiographic findings beyond 4 weeks given that most acute pneumonia improves clinically and radiographically within that time. Persistent or residual abnormalities occur in 10%–30% of children with radiographically confirmed community-acquired…
Acknowledgment The authors acknowledge previous contributions of Dennis Murray and Chitra Mani to this chapter. Pneumonia , a Greek word meaning “inflammation of the lungs,” is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in infants and children due to…
Bronchiolitis is a syndrome of inflammation and obstruction of the lower respiratory tract that usually is caused by a viral infection. A young child with bronchiolitis typically comes to medical attention during the winter months after 2–4 days of low-grade…
Upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) are one of the most common medical conditions evaluated by primary practitioners who care for children. An estimated 5%–10% of URIs in early childhood are complicated by acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS). Sinusitis is a common…
Acute Mastoiditis Acute mastoiditis is exclusively a complication of acute otitis media (AOM). Previously, only one-third of cases occurred in the context of a first episode of otitis media ; over time, acute mastoiditis has been recognized more frequently as…
Otitis Externa Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations Otitis externa is an infection of the skin of the hairy and glabrous parts of the ear canal. Acute otitis externa (i.e., swimmer’s ear) is usually unilateral and is often associated with head immersion…
Acute Otitis Media Acute otitis media (AOM) remains one of the most frequently diagnosed infectious diseases in early childhood. By 3 years of age, 60% of children will have experienced at least one episode of AOM, and 24% will have…
Infections related to the upper airways comprise peritonsillar, retropharyngeal, and parapharyngeal abscesses, as well as Lemierre syndrome and epiglottitis. Infections of the middle airways include croup (laryngotracheitis), laryngitis, bacterial tracheitis, and bronchitis. These conditions share the potential for respiratory compromise…
Acute pharyngitis is one of the most common illnesses for which children and adults in the US seek medical care. There were approximately 10.4 million visits to physician offices for pharyngitis in 2016. It is estimated that a rapid antigen…