What does it mean when a child is diagnosed with pneumonia?

Abstract

Pneumonia is a frequent diagnosis without adequate consideration of the etiology. Pneumonia implies the presence of inflammation of the lung parenchyma with consolidation. That inflammation may be from infectious or noninfectious causes. Radiologic diagnosis of pneumonia is subject to interobserver interpretation and may misdiagnose noninflammatory radiological opacifications as pneumonia. The common diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia in children most commonly has a viral rather than bacterial etiology. Antibiotics should be reserved for those where the clinical course, laboratory measure of biomarkers, and radiology are consistent with the diagnosis of pyogenic bacterial pneumonia.