Bottom Line
Community-acquired pneumonia is one of the most common serious infectious diseases encountered in children. Diagnostic testing, including chest x-ray, is not needed for most children with mild to moderate CAP who are treated as outpatients.
For the majority of preschool-age children, viral infections are the most common cause of CAP. For school-age children and adolescents with mild to moderate CAP, S. pneumoniae is the most common pathogen, and high-dose amoxicillin is recommended as first-line therapy. If there is concern of atypical pathogens in school-age children and adolescents, the addition of a macrolide should be considered.
References
The Management of Community-Acquired Pneumonia in Infants and Children Older Than 3 Months of Age: Clinical Practice Guidelines by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin. Infect. Dis. 2011;doi:10.1093/cid/cir531.
This column, Clinical Guidelines for Family Physicians, regularly appears in Family Practice News, an Elsevier publication. Dr. Tien is a second-year resident in the family medicine residency at Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital. Dr. Skolnik is an associate director of the family medicine residency program at Abington Memorial Hospital.