The traditional practice of using vegetable or other oils to soothe infants’ stomachs and stuffy noses can put them at risk of a form of pneumonia, according to doctors.

Writing in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, they describe the cases of two Mexican-American infants who developed lipoid pneumonia after their parents gave them oils - a traditional remedy commonly given to children in Mexico and other cultures.

Pneumonia refers to any inflammation of the lungs, which causes symptoms such as breathing difficulty and coughing. Lipoid pneumonia arises when fatty substances, such oils, get into the lungs. Giving children mineral oil, as a laxative or in the form of nose drops for nasal symptoms, has long been recognized as a risk for lipoid pneumonia.

Still, various oils and animal fats are commonly used in some cultures as a remedy for childhood ills like stomach irritation, constipation and stuffy noses.

In one of the two cases in the current report, the parents began feeding their week-old infant a capful of olive oil per day to ease his “fussiness.” He soon developed an abnormally rapid breathing pattern and a cough.

The baby was taken to the hospital several times, showing abnormal breathing, poor oxygen circulation and high levels of carbon dioxide in his blood. Despite chest X-rays and other tests, as well as questions about any medications the baby may have been given, the cause of his symptoms was not discovered until the doctors asked specifically about oils.

The mother then revealed that, on the advice of her family, she’d been giving her son a capful of olive oil each day to soothe his stomach.

The situation was similar with the second child, a 4-month-old boy with persistent breathing difficulty and poor growth. His mother had been giving him oil in the form of nasal drops to help his runny nose.

In both cases, the diagnosis of lipoid pneumonia was delayed, in part because the parents had not considered the oil to be “medicine,” and so did not mention it when asked about medication.

Since doctors so often ask specifically about medications, it may be easy to miss the possible role of traditional therapies, like olive oil, in a child’s symptoms, according to Dr. Lucas R. Hoffman, the lead author of the report.

As in these two cases, it may take a very specific question to get to the root of the problem, noted Hoffman, an assistant professor of pediatric pulmonology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle.

In a brief survey of Spanish-speaking parents at their clinic, Hoffman and his colleagues found that the majority were familiar with the practice of giving oils to babies and children for common ailments. Of these parents, 88 percent thought the practice was beneficial, and only a few thought it could be harmful.

The risk of lipoid pneumonia from oils does seem to be low, Hoffman told Reuters Health, given that oils are widely used but relatively few babies fall ill.

Still, he said, it’s always best to ask a doctor or nurse about what’s safe to feed or give to an infant, particularly if the baby has any health problems.

SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, November 2005.