Community-acquired pneumonia in children Recommendations of the Croatian Society for Pediatric Pulmonology of the Croatian Medical Association

Abstract

Community-acquired pneumonia is potentially serious infection in children. The diagnosis can be based on the history and clinical signs and symptoms. Additional diagnostic tests (laboratory, imaging, and microbiology) may be helpful when diagnosis is unclear. The most likely etiology depends on a number of factors such as seasonality, geographic location, the age of child, and the severity of disease. Treatment involves symptomatic measures, and in most children antibiotic therapy. This paper presents the clinical guidelines of the Croatian Society of Pediatric Pulmonology to standardize the procedures for the diagnosis and treatment of children with community-acquired pneumonia.

Keywords

• community-acquired infections – diagnosis
• drug therapy
• microbiology
• prevention and control
• virology; pneumonia
• bacterial – diagnosis
• prevention and control; pneumonia
• viral – diagnosis