Do you have a runny nose with pneumonia?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on April 26, 2025
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In clinical settings, pneumonia patients exhibit varying accompanying symptoms depending on the type of pneumonia. Particularly in very young infants, the early symptoms might primarily include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and even fever, without obvious coughing symptoms. In some newborns, pneumonia can be diagnosed through auscultation at this stage. In adults, certain types of pneumonia, such as those caused by viral infections, may not receive timely and effective anti-infective or antiviral treatment initially. In these cases, the condition can worsen and spread, leading to pneumonia, with some patients also experiencing symptoms of a runny nose. Of course, conditions like most cases of mycoplasma pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia, and lung abscesses that cause pulmonary inflammation usually do not involve a runny nose. Therefore, in clinical practice, if pneumonia is accompanied by a runny nose, it is usually due to specific circumstances of the illness.

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Symptoms of pneumonia cough in children

Pneumonia in infants commonly occurs in young children, especially those under two years of age. The onset of the disease is usually rapid, starting with symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections that gradually evolve into more pronounced respiratory symptoms. The cough is frequent, initially a dry, irritating cough, that progressively worsens as the disease advances. In cases of severe pneumonia, the cough may actually lessen. During the recovery phase, the cough gradually diminishes and rattling sounds can be heard in the throat due to mucus. After the mucus is cleared, there may still be occasional bouts of irritating dry cough, which will slowly subside.

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Is bronchopneumonia the same as pneumonia?

Some patients might ask if bronchopneumonia is a type of pneumonia. Undoubtedly, bronchopneumonia is a type of pneumonia, categorized anatomically. It can be classified into lobar pneumonia, bronchopneumonia, and interstitial pneumonia. During X-ray imaging, bronchopneumonia typically shows as irregular patchy shadows distributed along the lung markings, with soft and blurry edges, without signs of consolidation. It often occurs in the lower lobes of both lungs. The treatment principles for bronchopneumonia are similar to those for common pneumonia, mainly involving the use of antibiotics, cough suppressants and expectorants, fever reduction, and other symptomatic treatments.

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What are the symptoms of pneumonia?

Pneumonia can have many manifestations, and each person's symptoms can be different. It is highly heterogeneous, varying from mild to severe and can last for short or long durations. The main factors depend on the type of pathogen involved and the state of the body. The most common symptoms of pneumonia are coughing and producing sputum. The cough can be mild or severe and may be accompanied by sputum. The amount of sputum can vary and may be yellow, green, red, or rust-colored. Other possible symptoms include chest pain, difficulty breathing, respiratory distress, and most cases of pneumonia also involve fever. The duration and severity of the fever are somewhat related to the course of the illness. However, a small portion of patients may have atypical symptoms, especially older adults, who may not show direct respiratory symptoms but instead exhibit consciousness disturbances such as coma, confusion, fatigue, and more.

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How is pneumonia treated?

Pneumonia is a respiratory tract infectious disease that requires the timely selection of antimicrobial drugs and anti-inflammatory treatment, as well as the choice of symptomatic treatment medications. Symptoms of pneumonia include fever, headache, nausea, sore throat, cough, expectoration, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. The pathogens causing the infection vary, and so do the antibiotics used to treat them. For common bacterial infections, penicillin antibiotics or cephalosporin antimicrobial drugs can be selected. During an acute fever phase, antipyretic analgesics may be chosen or physical cooling methods may be employed.

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How to completely cure pneumonia in children?

Childhood pneumonia is mainly due to the weaker resistance of children, who are then subjected to the invasion of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, or other agents like chlamydia and mycoplasma, leading to inflammation of the alveoli. Generally, the treatment of pneumonia is mainly targeted at its pathogens. For instance, antiviral treatment is administered for viral infections, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory treatments are required for bacterial infections, and specific antibiotics such as azithromycin or erythromycin are used for mycoplasma infections. For other types like tuberculosis and some other fungal pneumonias, specific treatments targeting those pathogens are also necessary. If the baby clearly has symptoms like wheezing or difficulty in breathing, symptomatic treatment is required. Therefore, pneumonia in children is mainly treated based on the cause, and as long as the course of treatment is sufficient, it can be cured completely. However, even after recovery, it does not mean a child will never contract pneumonia again. If the child has weak immunity or is in a high-risk environment with exposure to other patients with pneumonia cough, they might be infected again.