Role of CBC Parameters in Early Diagnosis of Bacterial and Viral Pediatric Pneumonia

Pneumonia is the leading cause of hospitalizations and death among children with nearly 120 million new cases and one million deaths every year.

• Viruses are the main cause of pneumonia in infants and toddlers between 30 days and 2 years old.
• Children 2 to 5 years old, respiratory viruses are also common with the rise of cases related to S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae type B and other bacterial organisms.

Viral pneumonia caused by , respiratory syncytial virus, which are the most common cause of community- acquired pneumonia in children younger than 5 years. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most common bacterial cause across all age groups. Other important bacterial causes in children younger than 5 years include Hemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Moraxella catarrhalis.

Parapneumonic effusion/empyema (PPE/EP), necrosis of lung parenchyma (NC), and lung abscess (AB), are serious complication of pediatric pneumonia. Because of these serious complications, early diagnosis of the causative organism is very important to start the proper treatment and avoid these serious complications.

Complete Blood Picture (CBC) is one of the most important preliminary routine investigations for diagnosis and monitoring of infection.