Early Detection of Respiratory Illnesses and Warning Signs in Children
Friday, 05/09/2025, 10:09 (GMT+7)
At the recent workshop titled “Common Respiratory Diseases and Warning Signs in Young Children”, Dr. Do Thi Thao from Vinmec shared practical guidance to help parents recognize early symptoms and assess the severity of respiratory illnesses in children. These are the most common health issues among preschool-aged children, especially during seasonal transitions. Seemingly simple symptoms such as cough, fever, or runny nose, if carefully monitored, can help parents distinguish between mild, moderate, and severe conditions, and decide when home care is sufficient and when medical attention is necessary.
1. Common signs of respiratory illness in children
- Mild: Cough, runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, low-grade fever < 38.5°C, normal feeding and play.
- Moderate: Fever ≥ 38.5°C, frequent coughing, wheezing, poor feeding, fatigue, irritability.
- Severe: Rapid breathing, chest retractions, cyanosis, refusal to feed, persistent vomiting, lethargy, seizures.
2. Identifying severity for proper care
- Mild cases: Parents may care for the child at home by keeping them warm, ensuring rest, cleaning the nose with saline, reducing fever appropriately with Paracetamol, and providing adequate fluids and easily digestible nutrition. Antibiotics and cough medicine should never be used without medical advice.
- Moderate cases: If high fever ≥ 38.5°C lasts more than 2 days with poor feeding or persistent irritability, the child should be taken to a doctor for evaluation and to prevent complications.
- Severe cases: Signs such as rapid breathing, chest retractions, cyanosis, refusal to feed, lethargy, or seizures require immediate emergency care at a medical facility.
3. When to seek urgent medical attention?
Parents should act quickly if their child shows any of the following signs:
- Fever ≥ 38.5°C not responding to antipyretics.
- Rapid or labored breathing, chest retractions.
- Cyanosis, cold lips or extremities.
- Refusal to feed, repeated vomiting, or signs of dehydration.
- Lethargy, difficult waking, or seizures.
