Summary
How can you tell whether your child has pneumonia or just plain bronchitis? In this video, Dr. Richard Honaker gives some rules to go by.
- Fever: the higher the fever, the more likely pneumonia.
- Breathing: a child who is short of breath, wheezing or can’t get enough air in may have pneumonia.
- Color and energy: a dusky color or lethargy goes along with pneumonia.
- Extra muscles: children who use their neck or stomach muscles to move air in and out are significantly short of breath and working very hard to breathe.
- Retractions: when your child breathes in and you can see their ribs, that’s a sign they’re working hard to get air in.
If there’s any question, Dr. Honaker says to get your child to the doctor. The main things to look for are shortness of breath, lethargy, wheezing and using extra muscles to breathe, and shortness of breath is the biggest concern.
Key takeaways
- A higher fever makes pneumonia more likely.
- Shortness of breath, wheezing, a dusky color and lethargy are warning signs.
- Using neck or stomach muscles to breathe, and retractions, mean your child is working hard to breathe.
- Shortness of breath is the biggest concern; if in doubt, see the doctor.
Questions Dr. Honaker answers
How can I tell pneumonia from bronchitis?
Dr. Honaker says to look at the fever (higher means pneumonia is more likely), shortness of breath or wheezing, a dusky color, lethargy, use of extra muscles to breathe, and retractions.
What are retractions?
When your child breathes in and you can see the ribs, a sign they’re working very hard to get air in.
When should I take my child to the doctor?
If there’s any question, especially if your child is short of breath, which Dr. Honaker calls the biggest problem.
