Timely treatment of viral bronchitis is of great importance. This is a fairly serious disease, the victim of which can be both an adult and a child. This inflammation appears most often under the influence of influenza or adenovirus, when the bronchial mucosa is affected. The maximum level of the spread of the disease occurs in the autumn-winter period. From this article you can learn about the symptoms of this disease and how to treat it, how this pathology differs from bacterial bronchitis.
Reasons
To start the treatment of viral bronchitis in time, you need to understand its causes and manifestations. Children are most often at risk, although adults also get sick quite often. The prevalence among minors is explained by an incompletely formed immune system and regular visits to crowded places - schools,kindergartens. All this contributes to the transmission of infection.
Among adults, patients with a weak immune system who lead an unhe althy lifestyle suffer from viral bronchitis. All this is worsened by the negative environmental situation.
The ailment itself appears due to the absence or insufficient treatment of nasopharyngeal problems. In particular, pharyngitis, laryngitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, sinusitis. Also, viral bronchitis becomes a complication in acute respiratory diseases or influenza.
The patient quickly turns into the main spreader of the infection. You can get infected not only when he coughs or sneezes, but also just by being in the same room. The incubation period of the virus is three to seven days.
Symptoms
Before starting the treatment of viral bronchitis, it is important to understand the etiology of this disease. In itself, bronchitis in most cases is a secondary disease. It occurs when viruses or bacteria travel from the upper respiratory tract to the lower respiratory tract. Therefore, it is important to know how to distinguish whether a patient has viral or bacterial bronchitis.
The viral variant is more common. A bacterial infection is more severe, often leading to the formation of purulent secretions that exit from the bronchi. They are called purulent sputum. Bacteria that can cause bronchial disease are: staphylococcus, streptococcus, chlamydia, mycoplasma, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae.
With bacterial bronchitis, the temperature rises above 38.5 degrees, keeps forthree days. Other classic symptoms to note include:
- severe cough that torments the patient around the clock;
- sweating at night;
- sputum discharge with pus and blood;
- shortness of breath even with little exertion;
- symptoms of general intoxication with headache, chills, photophobia, weakness, malaise.
Symptoms of viral bronchitis will immediately allow you to recognize this disease. As soon as the virus enters the bronchi, inflammation and swelling of the internal mucosa begins. Because of this, the lumen of the bronchi narrows significantly. The situation is aggravated by the active production of mucus, as a result, the body begins to facilitate breathing with a cough. The main symptoms of viral bronchitis are as follows:
- chills, fever up to 38 degrees;
- cough with difficult mucus flow;
- feeling tired, short of breath;
- characteristic wheezing that can be heard with a stethoscope.
The severity of the disease depends on the state of the patient's immune system. Since the process of recovery of the bronchi after inflammation is quite long, the cough in the form of a residual phenomenon remains for some time even after the disease has been defeated.
Guidelines
When treating viral bronchitis in adults, you need to pay attention to two important points. The type of disease (chronic or acute) and the form of the disease help determine the tactics of treatment.
It is important that the treatment of viral bronchitis should always be comprehensive. As a rule, medication alone will not be enough.
Lifestyle and routine
One of the main conditions for recovery will be the creation of the most favorable environment for the natural restoration of the respiratory system.
In the room where the patient is, there should be moist air. In addition, it must be provided with plenty of fluids. You can drink everything except soda. These two factors alone will create a favorable atmosphere so that the process of sputum separation begins and dry cough is overcome.
In addition, in the first three days, physical activity is contraindicated for the patient, he must observe bed rest. You should completely quit smoking. Short walks are possible only after a few days, when there is an improvement.
Taking antibiotics
The use of antibiotics for viral bronchitis in adults is still a lively debate. Most doctors are of the opinion that their use is justified only if bronchitis is accompanied by a bacterial infection or develops with complications.
In this case, it is recommended to take cephalosporins, penicillin, macrolides. But with viral bronchitis, in most cases, the use of antibiotics does not bring any effect. Moreover, they can cause broncho-obstructive syndrome, when bronchial obstruction occurs due to mucosal edema.
A symptom of bronchitis that indicatesthe need for antibiotics is sputum interspersed with pus. In this case, the doctor prescribes an additional study, the results of which can write a prescription. It is strictly forbidden to take antibiotics on your own.
Antivirals
The main drug for this disease is antiviral drugs. With viral bronchitis, they are prescribed most often, although some doctors believe that there are no drugs of this type with proven effectiveness, and you can overcome the disease by creating optimal conditions for the body to recover.
First of all, antiviral drugs are used to treat chronic bronchitis, which in most cases is accompanied by hospitalization of the patient.
Eufillin
An example of a powerful drug - "Eufillin" in ampoules. In the instructions for use of the drug, it is noted that its action is due to the content of theophylline. An important feature of the active substance is the possibility of dissolution in water and intravenous administration. It reduces the resistance of blood vessels, relaxes the muscles of the bronchi, reduces pressure in the pulmonary artery, which ensures renal blood flow. The drug inhibits the adhesion of platelets, inhibits the activity of phosphodiesterase, reduces the level of ionized calcium in smooth muscle cells.
Instructions for the use of "Euphyllin" in ampoules advises using it for chronic obstructive bronchitis, as well as forbronchial asthma, Cheyne-Stokes syndrome, pulmonary hypertension, cerebrovascular accident, migraine.
In emergencies, adults are given loading doses intravenously at a rate of 5.6 mg/kg. If the patient has previously taken "Theophylline", the dose can be reduced, but not more than twice.
For adults, the drug is administered one to three times a day. The maximum allowable dose depends on body weight, ranging from 400 to 800 mg (based on 10 mg / kg). For the first time, it is allowed to enter no more than 200-250 mg. For children aged 6 to 17 years, the daily dose should not exceed 16 mg / kg, and for babies under six years old - no more than 13 mg / kg. It is also desirable to divide the entire volume of the drug into several doses.
In this case, the doctor must control blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. The duration of the course of therapy can be from several days to two weeks.
Viferon
"Viferon" in bronchitis is used as an immunomodulatory antiviral drug, which has an indirect antibacterial effect. In addition, it has a number of completely unique pharmacological properties.
It is available in three dosage forms (as an ointment, rectal suppositories and gel). Each of them is able to provide a non-invasive and as simple as possible method of administration and application, which is especially relevant in pediatrics and neonatology, as well as when self-treatment is required at home.
"Viferon" is taken during complex therapy for all kinds of infectious and inflammatory diseases, which include bronchitis. Especially often it is prescribed for viral bronchitis in children.
Expectorants
At the very beginning, bronchitis is always accompanied by a dry and violent cough. Therefore, the only group of drugs that is indispensable for this disease is expectorants. There are two types of such drugs: to thin sputum and stimulate expectoration.
Drugs to stimulate expectoration have a directed effect on irritation of the gastric mucosa. Due to this, increased work of the vomiting and cough centers of the brain is provoked. The consequence is an increase in the production of liquid secretions in the bronchi and an increase in cough reflexes.
Medications that thin sputum are also called mucolytics. They achieve the effect by breaking disulfide bonds in acidic mucopolysaccharides. A key prerequisite for their use is viscous sputum, which is produced in diseases of the respiratory tract, including during bronchitis. The most popular means of this type include Bromhexine, Ambroxol, Trypsin, Doctor Mom.
Physiotherapy
In the fight against viral bronchitis, the use of various physiotherapy procedures is of great importance. For example, inhalations. The main thing is to prevent burns of the mucous membranes.
For bronchitis, inhalations using soda and saline are considered effectivesolutions, essential oils of mint, pine, eucalyptus tree, preparations "Ambrobene", "Lazolvan".
Breathing exercises
There are many breathing exercises for such pathologies. Your doctor will help you choose the right one.
Any set of exercises prioritizes transformations in the activity of organs due to the impact on the respiratory system, contributes to the growth of the reserves of the organs of the respiratory system. The most important thing in such cases is to remember that it is imperative to conduct classes in the fresh air, which in itself will already have a positive effect on the state of the respiratory system.
