The Truth About White Lung Syndrome and Mycoplasma Pneumonia
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A mysterious upswing in child pneumonia cases in China, reported by the World Health Organization in November, made headlines as media outlets reported on a potential link to a condition dubbed “white lung syndrome.”
Then, last week, health officials in Warren County, Ohio, warned of a significant uptick in the number of typical pediatric pneumonia cases — 145 reported incidents of pneumonia in children ages 3 to 14 since August. A modest rise in cases was also reported in Massachusetts by several media outlets, according to Becker’s Hospital Review.
Is there really cause for concern?
“Initially, when we heard reports of an increase of a respiratory infections in China, many of us feared that we had seen this movie before, and it had the possibility of being like COVID,” says William Schaffner, MD, an infectious disease specialist and professor of preventive medicine and health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.
But that’s not the case, he says. “Now that data has been examined more closely, the opinion is that we are experiencing a seasonal increase in respiratory infection. It may be slightly more than usual but not unexpected,” he says.
Pneumonia Rates in the U.S. in Line With Typical Pre-Pandemic Levels
A report release last Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that the weekly percent of emergency department visits with diagnosed pneumonia nationwide was largely consistent with previous years for children ages 0 to 4 years, with slight increases above typical levels for children ages 5 to 17 years, but still in line with pre-pandemic years.
The health agency indicated that this rise in cases is most likely due to viruses and bacteria we expect to see during the respiratory illness season, and not caused by a pathogen from another country.
“These infections we are seeing in the United States are all with viruses and bacteria that are normally here,” says Dr. Schaffner.
The CDC reports said that the agency will continue to monitor incidents of increased respiratory illness both in the United States and around the world, including China.
What’s Behind the Recent Pneumonia Outbreaks?
Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs in one or both lungs, which often causes the air sacs to fill with fluid or pus. The pneumonia-causing pathogens identified in Ohio labs include the bacteria Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae, as well as adenovirus.
Mycoplasma bacteria is also the dominant pathogen driving an uptick in childhood pneumonia cases in Asia and Europe.
In its weekly communicable disease report, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) noted that six European countries have recorded recent increases in mycoplasma pneumonia. The ECDC said these types of mycoplasma infections typically surge every one to three years.
Pneumonia Clusters May Be a Consequence of the Pandemic
The upswing in pneumonia cases may be due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic, Schaffner suggests, since fewer children have been able to build immunity to mycoplasma infection because of lockdowns and isolation periods.
The good news: Pneumonia caused by mycoplasma infection is usually mild and rarely requires hospitalization, according to the New York State Department of Health. Because people can often carry out their daily activities with this type of illness, it is sometimes referred to as “walking pneumonia.”
The CDC says that most people get better without treatment, but there are also antibiotics that can help with more severe infections.
Still, as the American Lung Association warns, “Don’t be fooled. Walking pneumonia can be miserable and is commonly accompanied by a cough, fever, chest pain, mild chills, and headache.”
‘White Lung Syndrome’ Is Not a Real Condition
Some news sources have been referring to the pneumonia cases caused by mycoplasma as “white lung syndrome” because lung inflammation can appear as white patches on X-rays of people with pneumonia.
Schaffner comments that it’s a “scary name” that may be stirring up more controversy than is warranted.
Jake Scott, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford Medicine, cautioned on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that white lung syndrome is a made-up term, pointing out that any type of pneumonia will appear as white areas on X-rays and computerized tomography (CT) scans. “It’s certainly not specific to Mycoplasma pneumoniae,” he wrote.
Avoid Pneumonia if You Can
More respiratory infections may be expected as the holiday season continues and people gather together indoors with friends and family. To reduce your chances of getting pneumonia, the American Lung Association offers the following tips:
- Get your annual flu vaccine to lower the risk of getting pneumonia caused by the flu.
- Talk to your doctor about whether you are eligible for a pneumonia vaccine (there is no vaccine for viral or mycoplasma pneumonia, but certain individuals should get vaccinated for pneumococcal pneumonia).
- Ask your doctor if your pertussis vaccine is up to date.
- Exercise, eat a well-balanced diet, and get adequate sleep.
- Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with warm, soapy water.
- Don’t smoke.
- Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and encourage others to do the same to reduce the spread of these infections.
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