Today, inflammation of the respiratory tract, both upper and lower, is diagnosed in every fourth inhabitant of the planet. These diseases include tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, laryngitis and pharyngitis. Most often, diseases begin to develop in the autumn-winter period, since it is then that influenza or ARVI diseases become widespread. According to statistics, every adult gets sick three times a year, diseases in children are diagnosed up to ten times a year.
Description of the human respiratory system
The respiratory system is a collection of organs interconnected and providing oxygen supply, carbon dioxide removal and the process of gas exchange in the blood. This system consists of the upper and lower airways and lungs.
The respiratory system performs the following functions:
- participates in thermoregulation of the body;
- enablesproduce speech and smell;
- participates in metabolic processes;
- moisturizes the air inhaled by a person;
- provides additional protection for the body from environmental influences.
When air is inhaled, it first enters the nose, where it is cleaned with the help of villi, warmed by a network of blood vessels. After that, the air enters the pharyngeal plane, which has several sections, then it passes through the pharynx into the lower respiratory tract.
Today, inflammation of the respiratory tract is a common occurrence. One of the very first and fairly common signs of pathology is a cough and runny nose. Diseases affecting the respiratory tract include tonsillitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis and laryngitis, tracheitis and acute respiratory infections.
Reasons for the development of the disease
Inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract occurs for several reasons:
- Viruses: flu, rotovirus, adenovirus, measles and others - cause an inflammatory response when they enter the body.
- Bacteria: pneumococci, staphylococci, mycoplasmas, mycobacteria and others - also provoke the development of the inflammatory process.
- Mushrooms: candida, actinomyceles and others - cause local inflammation.
Many of the above microorganisms are transmitted from one person to another. Some viruses and fungi can live in the human body for a long time, but manifest themselves only with a decrease in immunity. Infection can occur through household or airborne droplets. Transmission can occur through conversationwith an infected person. At the same time, the respiratory tract becomes the first barrier for pathogenic microorganisms, as a result of which an inflammatory process develops in them.
Inflammation of the respiratory tract can occur in a person of any age, gender and nationality. Social status and material condition do not play a role in this.
Risk group
The risk group includes:
- People with frequent colds, chronic pathologies of the upper respiratory tract, which leads to a decrease in resistance to negative environmental influences.
- Persons constantly exposed to hypothermia and other negative factors of nature.
- HIV-infected people with concomitant secondary diseases.
- Children and old age.
Symptoms and signs of illness
Symptoms of inflammation of the respiratory tract are similar to each other in different diseases, they differ only in the localization of the pain syndrome and discomfort. It is possible to identify the location of the inflammatory process by the symptoms of the pathology, but only an experienced doctor after a comprehensive examination can make an accurate diagnosis and identify the pathogen.
All diseases have an incubation period of two to ten days, it all depends on the causative agent of the disease. For example, with influenza, signs of pathology appear quickly, a person's body temperature rises strongly, which does not subside for about three days. When ingestedparainfluenza, the patient develops laryngitis. Adenovirus infection occurs in the form of tonsillitis and pharyngitis.
Rhinitis and sinusitis
Rhinitis (runny nose) - inflammation of the mucous epithelium of the nose. A person has a runny nose, which profusely goes out during the reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms. As the infection spreads rapidly, both sinuses are affected. In some cases, inflammation of the airways, the symptoms and treatment of which are discussed in this article, leads to the development of not a runny nose, but nasal congestion. Sometimes the exudate is presented in the form of green pus or a clear liquid.
Inflammation of the sinuses, accompanied by difficulty breathing and severe congestion, is called sinusitis. At the same time, swelling of the nasal sinuses leads to the development of headache, impaired vision and smell. Pain in the region of the nose indicates a running inflammatory process, pus may begin to drain from the nose. All this is accompanied by an increase in temperature, fever and malaise.
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils. In this case, the person shows the following signs of the disease:
- pain while swallowing;
- increase in body temperature;
- swelling of palatine tonsils;
- appearance of plaque on the tonsils;
- muscle weakness.
Tonsillitis develops as a result of a virus or pathogenic bacteria entering the body. In some cases it is possiblethe appearance of pus in the form of yellow overlays on the mucous epithelium of the throat. If the pathology is caused by fungi, then the plaque will have a white color and a curdled consistency.
Pharyngitis, laryngitis and tracheitis
In this case, inflammation of the respiratory tract is manifested by perspiration and dry cough, periodic difficulty in breathing. Body temperature is increased inconsistently. Pharyngitis usually develops as a complication of influenza or SARS.
Laryngitis, or inflammation of the larynx and vocal cords, is also a complication of influenza, whooping cough or measles. In this case, a person develops hoarseness and cough, swelling of the larynx and difficulty breathing. If left untreated, the disease can cause muscle spasm.
Tracheitis - inflammation of the trachea, which is accompanied by a prolonged dry cough.
Bronchitis and pneumonia
Moving down, pathogenic microorganisms cause inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. A person develops bronchitis. The disease is caused by a dry cough or sputum discharge. A person experiences signs of intoxication and malaise. If left untreated, the infection spreads to the lungs, causing pneumonia. In this case, the patient complains of a sharp increase in body temperature, intoxication, chills, cough. If the disease is not caused by an infection, but by other reasons, the symptoms may not appear, the person will only feel the signs of a cold.
In severe cases, pathology leads to a disorder of consciousness, the development of convulsions and even death. It is very important to prevent the development of serious complications in a timely manner. ATin this case, it is recommended to pay attention to non-specific manifestations of a cough, it cannot be treated on its own.
Diagnostic measures
Antibiotics are usually prescribed for inflammation of the respiratory tract. But before that, the doctor must make an accurate diagnosis in order to choose the most appropriate drug. Diagnosis begins with the collection of anamnesis, examination and questioning of the patient. Next are laboratory tests. It is important in this case to distinguish between viral and bacterial diseases of the respiratory tract.
Laboratory research methods include:
- Blood and urine test to determine the nature of the disease.
- Examination of mucus from the nose and throat in order to determine the causative agent of the infection, as well as the choice of the drug to which it is sensitive.
- Bacteriological culture of throat mucus for the causative agent of diphtheria.
- PCR and ELISA for suspected specific infections.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include:
- Laryngoscopy to determine the nature of the inflammatory process.
- Brochoscopy.
- X-ray of the lungs to determine the extent of inflammation.
According to the results of a comprehensive examination, a final diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is prescribed.
Disease Therapy
Four types of therapy are used in medicine:
- Etiotropic treatment,aimed at stopping the reproduction of the infectious agent and its spread throughout the body. If the pathology is caused by viruses, the doctor prescribes antiviral drugs, such as Kagocel or Arbidol. Antibiotics are prescribed for inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, as well as upper, when the disease is caused by pathogenic bacteria. The choice of remedy in this case depends on the localization of the pathological process, the age of the patient and the severity of the course of the disease. For example, macrolides are often prescribed for angina.
- Pathogenetic therapy is aimed at stopping the inflammatory process, as well as shortening the recovery period. In this case, the treatment of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, as well as the lower one, is performed using immunomodulators, anti-inflammatory combined drugs, NSAIDs.
- Symptomatic treatment, the purpose of which is to alleviate the patient's condition, improve his quality of life. The doctor prescribes nasal drops to eliminate congestion, throat sprays, expectorants and antitussive drugs. These medicines must be taken along with antibiotics for inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract.
- Inhalation treatment allows you to quickly get rid of cough and inflammation. For this, steam inhalations and nebulizers are used.
As you can see, the treatment of inflammation of the respiratory tract should be comprehensive. In the absence of therapy, serious complications can develop, which sometimes lead to death.
Forecast
When contacting a medical institution in a timely manner, the prognosis is usually favorable, subject to compliance with all prescriptions and recommendations of the doctor. Often diseases provoke the development of serious negative consequences. Diseases such as flu, sore throats and pneumonia can cause complications that are difficult to treat.
Prevention
Preventive measures primarily include vaccination for certain infections. In the autumn-winter period, it is recommended to use special preparations. You can also use traditional medicine, which help to increase the body's defenses. In this case, you can include onion and garlic, honey, linden decoction in the diet. People who are at risk should avoid disease-provoking factors. Hypothermia should not be allowed. It is recommended to give up bad habits.
For inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, doctors recommend:
- Stay away from cough drops as they won't cure a sore throat.
- In addition to gargling, you also need to take medication that the doctor must prescribe. In some cases, rinsing with soda solution is contraindicated, as this only aggravates the course of the disease.
- Vasoconstrictive drops can be used for no more than five days, otherwise drug addiction occurs.
