Three young children with Down syndrome developed fever, cough, wheezing, irritability, and tachypnea. They had bilateral infiltrates on their chest radiographs and developed respiratory distress, which required their hospitalization. Laboratory studies suggested that the children had mycoplasma pneumonia. These children may have experienced severe mycoplasma infections early in life because of their Down syndrome-associated immune abnormalities. When young children with Down syndrome develop pneumonia, physicians should consider Mycoplasma pneumoniae as the possible etiologic agent.
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