Is it easy to cause white lung?, Why the incidence rate of mycoplasma pneumonia has risen recently
Introduction: Mycoplasma pneumonia is the most common community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 5 and above in China, often occurring in autumn and winter. It is a pulmonary inflammation caused by Mycoplasma pneumonia infection.
Recently, the incidence rate of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia has increased in China, especially in some southern areas. Why does the incidence rate of mycoplasma pneumonia rise and whether it is easy to cause white lung, these issues also cause concern.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is the most common community-acquired pneumonia in children aged 5 and above in China, often occurring in autumn and winter. It is a pulmonary inflammation caused by Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection, which can affect the bronchi, bronchioles, alveoli, and lung interstitium. It is worth noting that Mycoplasma is a type of microorganism, neither a bacterium nor a virus. It is the smallest independent microorganism found in nature, situated between bacteria and viruses. Contact transmission and droplet transmission are the main modes of transmission of Mycoplasma pneumonia.
Mycoplasma pneumonia is more common in children aged 5 and above, but it can also occur in children under 5 years old. The main clinical manifestations are fever and cough, which can be accompanied by headache, runny nose, sore throat, and earache. Fever is mainly characterized by moderate to high fever, and those with sustained high fever indicate severe illness. Coughing is more severe and can resemble a whooping cough. Some children have wheezing symptoms, which are more common in infants and young children. The early signs of the lungs may not be obvious, and as the condition progresses, there may be a decrease in respiratory sounds and dry/wet rales.
"From what we have observed, the incidence rate of mycoplasma pneumonia this year is indeed 20% to 30% higher than that in previous years. On the one hand, it is related to the impact on human immunity and the internal environment of the airway after COVID-19 infection; on the other hand, in the past three years, people have been accustomed to wearing masks, which has reduced the spread of many respiratory diseases, but also led to a decline in human immunity." Doctors from the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine in a Grade III A hospital in Guangzhou told the First Finance and Economics reporter.
Hu Yang, deputy chief physician of the Shanghai Lung Hospital affiliated to Tongji University, told the First Finance and Economics reporter that in the past three years, with the prevalence of the COVID-19, people's activities have been relatively reduced, which has blocked the spread of diseases such as mycoplasma pneumonia to some extent, and people's resistance to mycoplasma will also be relatively weakened. Now, the prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic has been loosened, the flow of people is dense, and the wearing of masks is reduced, so the incidence rate of mycoplasma pneumonia is gradually increasing.
In addition, some doctors from the infection department told the reporter of China Business News that after the emergence of the COVID-19, people have paid more attention to the treatment of various respiratory diseases, and correspondingly, more people have taken the initiative to go to hospitals for testing, which has also led to the discovery of more mycoplasma pneumonia.
Several doctors told First Financial reporters that the phenomenon of white lung caused by Mycoplasma pneumonia is still relatively rare.
White lung is actually a colloquial expression in imaging. Normal lung tissue has many alveoli filled with air, which appear as black shadows on X-ray and CT scans. When there is inflammation or inflammatory exudation in the lungs, X-rays cannot pass through, and the imaging becomes "white lung".
"Either the lungs have inflammation or white lungs, and white lungs have a higher degree of inflammation. With the increase in the incidence rate of mycoplasma pneumonia, it is not ruled out that there will be some cases of white lungs. But generally speaking, white lungs caused by mycoplasma pneumonia are relatively rare. For most people, mycoplasma pneumonia is still a self limiting disease." Hu Yang said.
"White lung caused by Mycoplasma pneumonia is not common, and compared with other respiratory system diseases, this disease is not very different. It is mainly characterized by dry cough, occasional coughing of white phlegm, and more severe patients may experience symptoms such as high fever and difficulty breathing. Mycoplasma infection is more common in the population, but it may not necessarily occur due to the immune system. Children are relatively more susceptible to infection due to their underdeveloped immune system," said doctors from Guangzhou's top three hospitals.
It is worth mentioning that in February this year, the General Office of the National Health Commission also issued the Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines for Mycoplasma Pneumonia in Children, with the aim of further improving the standardization level of diagnosis and treatment for Mycoplasma Pneumonia in children. This guideline shows that the treatment principle for Mycoplasma pneumonia is focused on early identification and treatment of SMPP and FMPP. The optimal treatment window period is within 5-10 days after the onset of fever. If the fever persists after 14 days of the disease and there is no improvement in the condition, sequelae often remain.
Hu Yang stated that there is currently no vaccine available to prevent Mycoplasma infection. To prevent Mycoplasma infection, the most important thing is to cultivate good personal hygiene habits, wash hands frequently, and maintain household hygiene and cleanliness; At the same time, try to supplement nutrition as much as possible to ensure sufficient sleep. In the popular season, pay attention to indoor ventilation and try to minimize going to crowded and poorly ventilated public places.
