What Are the Treatments for Walking Pneumonia in Children?

The term pneumonia can cause any parent to panic. It is a serious illness caused from inflammation in the lungs, but in most cases, children and adolescents are easily treated. Pneumonia in children is caused from viruses, chemical irritants, foreign bodies and microorganisms.

Prescription Treatments

• Walking pneumonia in children is caused from mycoplasma attacks on the ciliated cells of the respiratory system. Mycoplasma is very resistant to most antibiotic treatments, yet there a few select medications that successfully treat walking pneumonia in children. According to Dr. Greene these medications include: azithromycin, erythromycin, clarithromycin and tetracyclines.

Home Treatments

• Make sure your child is able to get plenty of rest in order to fight the pneumonia infection. Soothe coughing symptoms by creating a steam room in your bathroom. Turn on the hot water in your shower, close the door and sit with your child while the steam develops for at least 15 minutes to allow the moisture to penetrate your child's airways. Use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer at night to increase the air moisture in your child's room while sleeping to thin mucus and soothe coughing.

Additional Remedies

• Try adding a few drops of essential oils such as pine, peppermint or eucalyptus to vaporizer water to create soothing aromas for irritated airways caused from walking pneumonia coughing. Try using the same essential oils in a warm bath to relax and soothe your child. Offer your child plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration while recovering from walking pneumonia. Try offering ice chips, frozen fruit bars and warm soups and broths to encourage plenty of fluid intake.

Medications to Avoid

• Dr. Greene recommends avoiding the use of cough suppressants to treat coughing caused from walking pneumonia. He states that the only time cough suppressants should be used in children is at night time if the coughing symptoms are disturbing your child's sleep. Speak to your pediatrician before using any over-the-counter medications to treat walking pneumonia symptoms.

Considerations

• According to Dr. Greene, children who develop walking pneumonia may have a lingering dry cough that lasts up to six weeks after pneumonia symptoms have subsided. It is important to take your child to all follow-up appointments to monitor coughing and ensure that your child's lungs are clear of infection.