Patient's question:
My baby has had phlegm in her throat for more than two months and a few days, with some coughing and nasal congestion. Sometimes she chokes on milk while eating. I went to the hospital and told the doctor about these symptoms, but the doctor didn't recommend a chest X-ray or prescribe any medication, saying it was acute bronchitis. I visited two hospitals, and the doctors listened to her lungs but didn't suggest a chest X-ray. I'm worried it might be pneumonia. When my baby was one month old, she had phlegm in her throat, and I took her to the hospital for a chest X-ray. The doctor said it's not good to have frequent X-rays. I don't know what to do. Can a chest X-ray reveal pneumonia?Doctor's answer:
The simplest way to suspect pneumonia is to count the breaths and carefully observe the chest retractions. For infants under two months, if the breathing rate is greater than or equal to 60 breaths per minute while in a quiet state, it can be considered tachypnea. In infants under two months, visible inward movement of the lower chest wall during inhalation is called chest retraction. This occurs because children with pneumonia need to breathe more forcefully than usual. If an infant has both tachypnea and significant chest retractions, it can be diagnosed as severe pneumonia. When the child again experiences difficulty feeding, convulsions, poor appetite, stridor, fever, or hypothermia, it is necessary to take them to the hospital for diagnosis and treatment.