Male: One of the biggest concerns on why kids starts coughing, they take a chest X-ray and they see a pneumonia. First of all what does the word pneumonia mean?
Dr. Marcus: Pneumonia is an infection in the lungs. Quite simply, any bacteria, virus, or parasite which gets into the lungs either by being inhaled or through the blood stream can cause a pneumonia.
Male: There are different types of pneumonia, lobar, hilar - Can you say a little bit about the types of pneumonia?
Dr. Marcus: The different types of pneumonia really relate to the area of the lung that is affected and sometimes relate to the type of organism that is causing the infection. A lobar pneumonia means that an entire lobe. One large portion of the lung is affected. Interstitial pneumonia would mean that it is an area of the lung that is between the lobes, in the interval spaces. You can also have a walking pneumonia, which is frequently caused by a virus perhaps mycoplasma that indicates an X-ray appearance that is somewhat milder in a patient who is not quite as sick as another patient with a more severe bacterial pneumonia.
Male: And there is also one we call aspiration pneumonia which is you see sometimes in young kids who vomit, is that true?
Dr. Marcus: Aspiration pneumonia is an entirely different type of pneumonia. Some patients who either vomit or have problems swallowing properly, such as patients who have neurologic disorders may have some of the food or the acid in their stomach actually get through their upper airway and get into the lung. This aspirate will cause an inflammation of the lungs, leading to an aspiration pneumonia, which also can cause significant symptoms to the patient.
