Cough is a complex, multicomponent protective reflex of the body. A cough is necessary in order to exclude pathological secretions and / or foreign bodies from the respiratory tract. There are more than fifty factors for cough, it can accompany diseases of the heart, gastrointestinal tract, paranasal sinuses and other things. However, the main cause of cough, of course, is considered to be diseases of the respiratory tract. Tracheitis belongs to this kind of diseases, and can have a different nature. Symptoms and treatment of tracheitis in adults depend on the causes of the disease.
Causes of tracheitis
Tracheitis is often caused by the presence of a viral infection in the body, develops against the background of acute inflammatory diseases of the respiratory system, or can be caused by other pathological agents. The cause of acute tracheitis of a bacterial nature is bacteria of the genus Streptococcus, in particular S-pyogenes, bactericides, anaerobes, bacilli of the genus Staphylococcus bacteria; bacillus Haemophilus influenzae.
In addition, the following factors influence the development of the disease:
- hypothermia, as a result of which the body's defense mechanisms are reduced;
- weakening of immunity against the background of hypo- and beriberi, serious illnesses, stress;
- inflammation of the lining of the trachea due to allergic reactions;
- injury or inflammation of the trachea associated with foreign bodies;
- smoking that irritates the respiratory tract;
- drinking alcohol;
- damaging effects of chemicals, dry or cold air.
Sometimes, tracheitis is caused by diseases of the heart and lungs, in particular, emphysema, kidney pathologies and chronic inflammation of the nasopharynx, which affect blood and oxygen circulation.
Symptoms of tracheitis in adults
The disease in adults and children manifests itself immediately after the launch of disease-causing mechanisms in the respiratory system.
The main symptom of tracheitis is a cough that is quite dry. In addition, tracheitis can be expressed in the following symptoms:
- hoarse voice;
- increase in body temperature;
- sore pain in chest area;
- weakness;
- headache.
In a chronic illness, a person suffers from an excruciating cough that gets worse at night. Cough appears when crying, laughing, changing air temperature. Cough is both dry and with a lot of sputum. The disease continues for about 3 months, sometimes subsiding, sometimes intensifying. In children, signs of tracheitis usually appear at night or late in the evening. The baby has sleep disorders due to a prolonged dry cough. Symptoms of tracheitis in the morning can besuddenly dead voice, sneezing.
However, the most significant symptom of the disease in children, as well as in adults, is considered to be a "barking" dry cough, which is gaining strength before bedtime. In addition, another sign is a burning sensation in the chest.
Acute tracheitis
The main symptom of acute tracheitis in adults and children is regular bouts of dry cough. It is most intense in the mornings and evenings, due to the accumulation of sputum in the airways. However, a seizure can be triggered by harsh laughter, screaming, a sharp temperature drop, and other similar factors. Often, after coughing, the patient feels severe pain and burning behind the sternum.
Also, the disease is evidenced by the general weakness and fatigue of the patient. It is very likely that severe headaches will be noted. If acute tracheitis has received complications, then a high temperature should be expected. As a rule, in the first days, the presence of sputum is not observed. This explains why the cough is hacking, does not bring relief. But in the future, the amount of sputum will begin to increase significantly.
However, after a certain period, the cough smoothly flows from dry to wet. Seizures do not recur very often. The patient feels much better. And if at first the sputum was extremely thick, but departed with extremely great difficulty, then as the disease develops, it noticeably liquefies. The cause of the development of the disease can be a mechanical injury resulting from the ingress of a foreign object into the respiratory tract.
BesidesThis, tracheitis can be triggered by excessively hot or cold air. Also, irritation of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract with too polluted air can cause disease.
Chronic tracheitis
In case of untimely attention to acute tracheitis, to the beginning signs of the disease, sooner or later the disease will inevitably progress into a chronic form. In this case, the change procedure is accompanied by depleted or hypertrophic transformations of the mucous layer of the trachea. Like the acute form, chronic inflammation in a child and adults expresses itself with prolonged coughing fits and quite severe pain in the lower chest. A symptom of chronic tracheitis is discharge, which has a different appearance. In some patients, they are scarce and viscous, while in others they are abundant, mucopurulent. We emphasize that regardless of the density and intensity of secretions, they are almost always very easy to separate.
Diagnosis of tracheitis
Usually tracheitis occurs with pronounced symptoms, however, the diagnosis should be made by a specialist. Only in this way is it possible to prescribe the right treatment that will have the desired effect. The final diagnosis is established by the doctor based on the following data:
- Symptoms of tracheitis (photos on this topic are presented in the article). These include patient complaints of pain in the throat and chest, cough, hoarseness, a slight increase intemperature, body weakness, etc.
- Case history. The doctor needs to find out during what period the patient is concerned about the unhe althy condition, at what point the first signs of the disease appeared and what they may be associated with.
- General inspection. As a result of listening to the lungs with a phonendoscope, hard breathing, dry or wet rales are detected. An examination with a laryngoscope may be performed to check the condition of the mucous membrane of the larynx.
- Complete blood count. Conducting a general blood test is aimed at establishing the fact of the presence of inflammatory processes in the body. In this case, an increased level of leukocytes and an increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate will be recorded.
Situations of late treatment of patients for medical care are possible. Then additional diagnostics may be required: chest X-ray and laboratory examination of sputum.
Medicated treatment
Drug therapy is usually used if the disease is triggered by a bacterial infection. The most commonly prescribed drugs are in the form of an aerosol. Much less often, the patient is given pills. This is due to the fact that the aerosol allows you to get into almost the entire area of the trachea, which cannot be achieved when taking pills.
But despite this, a list of the most effective drugs against tracheitis should be given:
- "Bioparox". It is an aerosol. The course of treatment takes from a week to ten days. The price of the drugis four hundred and forty rubles. It is strictly forbidden to give to children under three years of age. Individuals prone to bronchospasm should also be wary of the drug. It perfectly removes the initial symptoms of tracheitis. Reviews about the drug are quite positive.
- "Sinekod". This medicine comes in the form of a syrup. The cost varies from four hundred to eight hundred rubles. It is undesirable to take women in the first trimester of pregnancy, as well as during lactation.
- "Lazolvan". Can be sold as tablets, solution for inhalation and oral administration. The price is three hundred and forty-five rubles. Do not use in conjunction with other cough medicines. If you have a peptic ulcer of the stomach or duodenum, you should also refuse it.
- "Sumamed". Like the above remedy, it is available in the form of tablets and capsules. It can also be administered in the form of powders for syrup. It costs from two hundred to one thousand eighty-three rubles. It is not recommended for use in the presence of severe liver or kidney dysfunction. In addition, it is contraindicated for children under three years old.
Folk treatment of tracheitis
There is a fairly extensive list of methods to combat tracheitis. It is provided just below:
- Inhalation procedures using a nebulizer.
- Drug therapy.
- Traditional medicine.
Of course, each of the above methods has its own advantages and disadvantages, but this article will focus onlast treatment.
Traditional medicine. In the arsenal of folk remedies there is a fairly impressive list of recipes to eliminate the disease.
The most popular are listed in the following directory:
1. Mustard baths. Mustard foot baths do an excellent job with tracheitis. To do this, you just need to put on socks, in which dry mustard powder is poured.
2. Blackberry infusion. Also an effective remedy is an infusion of blackberries, prepared in this way:
a) two tablespoons of berries/leaves per two hundred milliliters of boiling water;
b) insist for fifteen minutes. Drink at least four times a day.
3. Propolis. An excellent remedy for tracheitis will be home inhalation with propolis. In order to prepare it, you need to heat forty grams of wax and sixty grams of propolis in a water bath. Then, covering yourself with a blanket over the container, breathe for ten minutes.
4. Potato. Not bad helps a compress of crushed potatoes, which is applied to the upper chest. However, it should be borne in mind that this method is strictly forbidden to use if the patient has a high temperature.
5. Compress of honey, flour, sunflower oil and mustard. The above ingredients must be mixed in similar proportions, for example, a teaspoon, then heated in a water bath, after adding a spoonful of vodka. Put the resulting mass on the chest. It is recommended to repeat until the symptoms stop.
6. Decoction of milk andpine buds. Very useful properties for tracheitis are characterized by a decoction of milk and pine buds, which is prepared as follows: in five hundred milliliters of milk, previously boiled, a teaspoon of pine buds is thrown. Let it brew and drink in small "doses" throughout the day until the disease disappears.
Inhalations in case of illness
Symptoms and treatment of tracheitis at home include inhalation. They can be of two types: steam (over a pot of hot water with the addition of various products) and using a nebulizer (drugs are used, which are selected by the attending physician).
1. Steam inhalation. Conducted with the addition of the following herbal preparations:
- melissa;
- chamomile flowers;
- St. John's wort;
- coltsfoot;
- thyme.
2. Inhalation using a nebulizer. The nebulizer is intended for the use of medications. The most commonly prescribed drugs are:
- "Lazolvan" - promotes liquefaction of sputum and its speedy removal. Efficiency is achieved through penetration into the tissues of the trachea and lungs.
- Saline solution - provokes the separation and subsequent withdrawal of sputum due to the heating of the tissues of the trachea. It is allowed to use even during pregnancy, since the product is not toxic.
How are inhalations performed for tracheitis?
- it is forbidden to talk and move during the procedure;
- the procedure is performed one hour before meals, orone hour after;
- it is not recommended to strain the ligaments within an hour after the procedure;
- should be treated with this method three times a day to achieve the desired effect.
Tracheitis in children
By its nature, tracheitis is classified into the following groups:
- Infectious tracheitis.
- Non-infectious tracheitis.
Based on the name, it becomes obvious that infectious tracheitis is provoked by bacteria and viruses that irritate the mucous membrane of the trachea.
The most common symptoms of tracheitis in children are caused by the following microorganisms:
- Adenovirus.
- Flu.
- Measles
- Whooping cough.
- Staphylococcus.
However, the disease can be triggered not only by infectious agents. They are quite capable of irritating mucous membranes:
- Excessively hot air.
- Too cold air.
- Polluted air.
The presence of the disease can be judged if the following symptoms of tracheitis in children are present: dry, hacking cough that does not bring any relief. Most often with tracheitis there is no sputum. Cough reaches its climax in the morning and evening periods. In this case, the patient feels severe pain behind the sternum. The child's voice becomes husky and whistling.
Another symptom of tracheitis in infants and preschoolers is sleep. It becomes intermittent as the cough torments even at night.
To detect diseasethe doctor listens to the child: when coughing, loud wheezing occurs.
Tracheitis during pregnancy
Launched tracheitis during pregnancy is fraught with infection of the unborn child. In addition, the disease can significantly complicate childbirth.
A dry cough, which reaches its climax in the morning and evening, is quite clearly signaling the disease that has arisen. This is due to the fact that it is during such periods that the maximum amount of sputum is collected in the respiratory tract. Also, an attack can be provoked by taking a deep breath, laughing and screaming. In the process of coughing, the patient feels a cutting pain in the throat, due to the attempt of the diseased organs to reduce the respiratory capacity, wishing to avoid another coughing fit.
It should be taken into account that in the first days the disease is characterized by a dry cough, devoid of sputum, but gradually it "reclassifies" into a wet, less painful, much more productive one. The sputum itself is usually purulent.
To combat the disease during pregnancy, the following methods are used:
- inhalation;
- traditional medicine;
- medicines.
The first option is considered the most effective way. For its implementation, you can use both an ordinary steam and an ultrasonic inhaler. In the absence of these, you should build a home one - having prepared the necessary infusion, cover yourself with your head over the container and inhale the emitted vapors.
