Etiologic Agents and Epidemiology Haemophilus influenzae type b and Streptococcus pneumoniae In otherwise healthy children, the three most common organisms causing hematogenously acquired acute bacterial meningitis worldwide are Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). Previously, Hib…
Pericarditis is inflammation of the pericardium and proximal great vessels. The etiologies of pericarditis are diverse and include infectious and noninfectious causes. Pericarditis may be acute, subacute, chronic, or recurrent in presentation. It may be the sole manifestation of a…
Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle that may progress to dilated cardiomyopathy. The condition can manifest with a range of clinical presentations from nonspecific systemic symptoms to fulminant heart failure or sudden death. There is continued debate…
Acknowledgements The authors acknowledge substantial use of material from this chapter in the last edition. The American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology, as well as other national societies, provide updated scientific statements on many of the…
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…