◎ Our reporter Dai Xiaopei
Recently, there have been many patients with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in hospitals in Beijing, Shanghai and other places. "Mycoplasma pneumonia" is also frequently searched.
Mycoplasma pneumoniae is neither a bacterium nor a virus, but a microorganism with a size between bacteria and viruses. Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia, also known as mycoplasma pneumonia, refers to pulmonary inflammation caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Zhang Jie, deputy director of Xiaotangshan Diagnosis and Treatment Center of Beijing Children’s Hospital, said: "The course of mycoplasma pneumonia is about 2 weeks, and the general prognosis is good without sequelae. A few can develop into critical illness, often characterized by dyspnea and respiratory failure. "
Zhang Jie said that Mycoplasma pneumoniae is mainly transmitted by respiratory droplets. Mycoplasma pneumonia is mainly spread from close relatives and communities, and is easy to spread in kindergartens, schools and other crowded places. The disease is more common in children aged 5 and above, but it can also occur in children under 5 years old. Mycoplasma pneumonia mostly occurs in autumn and winter, and there are sporadic cases in other seasons.
What are the symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia? According to the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Treatment of Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children (2023 Edition), the main clinical manifestations of this disease are fever and cough, which may be accompanied by headache, runny nose, sore throat and earache. Among them, fever is mainly moderate to high fever, and persistent high fever indicates serious illness. Cough is more severe, which can be similar to whooping cough. It should be noted that some children have wheezing performance, which is more common in infants.
In diagnosis, mycoplasma pneumonia can be judged by combining clinical and imaging manifestations, etiology and serological examination. It is reported that chest radiograph or chest CT in the early stage of mycoplasma pneumonia is mainly characterized by thickening and increasing the texture around bronchial blood vessels and thickening of bronchial wall, which may include ground glass shadow, "tree bud sign", interlobular septal thickening, grid shadow, etc., and combined with mycoplasma pneumonia antibody or nucleic acid detection, diagnosis can be made.
Some people say that mycoplasma pneumonia is easily confused with the common cold. Li Dong, chief physician of the Department of Infectious Diseases of Beijing You ‘an Hospital, once said that compared with the common cold, mycoplasma pneumonia has more severe symptoms and longer duration.
The best treatment window for mycoplasma pneumonia is 5 to 10 days after fever. Mild children should not be routinely treated with systemic glucocorticoid except for anti-mycoplasma pneumoniae treatment; Severe children should adopt comprehensive treatment with different emphasis.
Li Dong once said that mycoplasma pneumonia is not a legal infectious disease in China, but it is contagious. Once the related symptoms appear, it should be protected to avoid infecting others.
Do patients with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection need treatment? Sun Huaying, a pediatric trainee at Beijing Shijitan Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, said that mycoplasma pneumoniae infection is not the same as mycoplasma pneumonia, and whether it needs treatment should be judged according to the infection site and symptoms. If it is suspected that the upper respiratory tract infection is caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae, anti-infection treatment is not recommended, and it can heal itself; However, if the infection involves the lower respiratory tract, there will be symptoms such as cough, and a small number of infected people will progress to pneumonia and need anti-Mycoplasma pneumoniae treatment.
At present, there is no vaccine against mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. Zhang Jie suggested that you can eat some food that nourishes yin and moistens the lungs after being infected with mycoplasma pneumoniae. Parents should closely observe the changes of the child’s condition. If there are similar symptoms such as wheezing or dyspnea, go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible, and avoid blindly taking drugs and delaying the illness.