Community-acquired pneumonia in children: From diagnosis to treatment

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children is a leading cause of childhood morbidity and mortality mainly in the developing world. Its etiology can be viral, bacterial, or mixed infection. The etiological agents are different in different age groups and during the various seasons of the year. Chest X-rays and inflammatory laboratory tests have low diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. CAP in children has an important impact on society and is a frequent cause of physician visits, work loss, and reduction of quality of life of the children and his/her family. The use of treatment algorithms in the developing countries has led to lower mortality rates, but the future of this approach, given the rate of development of antimicrobial resistance, is uncertain. The wider use of pneumococcal vaccines may represent an important advance in the prevention of pneumonia caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.