What is walking pneumonia?

Bacteria Mycoplasma pneumonia as the most common cause of pneumonia in the community in children under 5 years of age, although it affects all human groups. In Saxon literature it is known as “walking pneumonia”.

In Spanish it is called atypical pneumonia, walking pneumonia, walking pneumonia. Its eradication is not difficult and is accelerated by treatment based on a certain group of antibiotics, known as macrolides.

“It also produces form eardrum infection which is known as bullous myringitis, a type of very painful blisters in them, like skin blisters from sunburn,” says Dr. Pedro Vargas, pediatrician at Paitilla Hospital.

It is called atypical because bacteria are among them Mycoplasma pneumoniae– These are organisms that do not fit well like bacteria or viruses and have some elements that look like fungi.

It is found throughout the respiratory tract and is transmitted by coughing in contact with wet particles.

It usually starts as a cold: sore throatdry cough that then becomes wet, headache and pain in the whole body (muscle pain).

It can be manifested by a short-term fever or no fever. The the cough is usually long-lasting, for several weeks, and cause chest pain, and with coughing you can see blood in the sputum. About 5%-10% of children develop bronchitis and pneumonia. It causes acute asthma attacks in children with asthma.

Causes skin rash reddish spots and hivesmaculo-papular rash and eruption of other painful rashes, known as erythema nodosum.

It is a disease of high infectivity due to a long-lasting strong cough, which can be dry or wet.

This contagiousness is minimized by use face maskand the greatest respiratory risk is the development of pneumonia and multiple effusion, that is, the accumulation of fluid in the space between the lungs and its covering, the pleura.

Infection of the eardrum can cause bursting and bleeding, but hospitalization is rarely required.