[Treatment of pneumonia in childhood (author's transl)].

It is necessary to start with antibiotic treatment in infections of the lower respiratory system, especially pneumonias. The finding of the infectious agent is difficult and without security. With simple investigations, as sedimentation rate, white blood cell count and cell differentiation there is a possibility of 80% to get a diagnosis of bacterial infection. In 25 patients aged 1 1/2 to 9 years with x-ray diagnosis of pneumonia the results of treatment with cephacetril (100 mg/kg/d) are given. Clinical symptoms disappeared after 5 days, the average time of illness was 12 days. One patient got a severe pleural effusion.