Both adults and children periodically have to deal with various infections that cause damage to the respiratory tract. Some of them are easy, others are painful, long, with specific symptoms.
So, for example, such a disease as respiratory chlamydia, the causative agent of which is a dangerous microorganism - chlamydia, is quite common. It affects the respiratory system and can cause a number of serious complications. Therefore, it is very important to know the ways of transmission of this infection, its symptoms, methods of prevention and treatment. This will be discussed in this article.
Disease concept
The second name of the disease is pulmonary chlamydia. A characteristic symptom is a very strong, painful, dry cough. First of all, chlamydia affects the throat, then the bronchial mucosa and can cause bronchial asthma, as well as obstruction. After that, the blow falls on the lungs.
The main carrier of this infection is sick birds. Therefore, rural residents, zoo workers and poultry farmers are at risk.
Pathogen
According toAccording to microbiology, respiratory chlamydia can be caused by three types of chlamydia that are dangerous to the human body:
- Chlamydia trachomatis is the causative agent of venereal chlamydia.
- Chlamydia pneumoniae is the causative agent of chlamydia in the lungs.
- Chlamydia psittaci is the main cause of psittacosis, which occurs in the form of pneumonia.
Disease forms
Respiratory chlamydia can progress in different ways. Therefore, there are two forms of the course of the disease:
- Inactive form. In this case, the person is only a carrier. Since the inactive bacterium is outside the cells of the body. However, such a person is contagious to other people, although he himself may not even be aware of it.
- Active form. In this case, the bacterium that causes respiratory chlamydia is inside a cell where it multiplies, grows, causing inflammation and tissue damage.
Transmission routes
Studying this disease and its nature, you first need to know how you can get infected in order to be as careful as possible.
So, there are several ways of transmitting infections:
- Airborne (sneeze, cough, kiss). It is the main route of transmission of this disease. Chlamydia feels great in a normal air environment and can easily move from a sick person to a he althy one. That is why it is enough just to communicate with a charged person to get sick with respiratory chlamydia. Oftenthere are outbreaks of the disease in kindergarten groups or in elementary school classes, when children are still small and have imperfect immunity.
- Contact household (through unwashed hands or household items). For example, it is easy to catch this disease by sharing dishes or a towel with a sick person.
- Sexual (through unprotected sexual intercourse). Of course, with this route of transmission, the organs of the genitourinary system are first affected, and only then all the others. However, there are cases when the symptoms of lesions of the upper respiratory tract were more pronounced.
- Vertical transmission (from a pregnant woman to her unborn child). In this case, infection can occur through the placenta, when passing through the birth canal, or when amniotic fluid is swallowed. As a result, the baby is born with inflammation of the lungs and other organs.
Symptoms
Respiratory chlamydia has a very short incubation period - two days after infection, the first signs that a person is sick appear.
At first, the manifestation of the disease is similar to the common cold:
- throat redness,
- pain when swallowing,
- nasal congestion,
- cough,
- weakness,
- lack of appetite,
- increased body temperature.
The difference from ordinary acute respiratory infections will be that the standard treatment procedures do not bring any relief, and the patient's condition continues to deteriorate.
OnIn the second stage, the person begins to experience a strong, dry cough. Sometimes it is so pronounced that a person literally suffers from it. You may even vomit.
It happens that the disease is so acute that the patient's consciousness becomes cloudy, and the skin color changes to earthy.
It often happens that the signs of infection are unclear, and it is impossible to detect respiratory chlamydia in the initial stages. In the absence of timely and properly selected therapy, complications may develop in the form of obstructive bronchitis and chlamydia pneumonia. Therefore, it is so important to always consult a doctor on time and not self-medicate.
Manifestation of disease in children
Due to the imperfection of their immune system, children become infected with this infection more often than adults, while its course is more severe.
Another reason that young children are at risk is their habit of dragging all the objects they are interested in into their mouths, tasting them. And this is a great way to transmit chlamydia.
Symptoms of respiratory chlamydia in children usually have three possible manifestations.
- Chlamydia conjunctivitis. A disease in which both eyes of a child become red, inflamed and fester. In addition, with the fingers of the lymph nodes that are behind the ears, the child feels pain. At the same time, the state of he alth and body temperature of the patient remain within the normal range. This form is the mildest manifestation of chlamydia and resolves within two to three weeks.
- Another thing, chlamydial bronchitis. Most often it occursin the second - fourth month of a newborn's life. With this pathology, the mucous membranes of the bronchi are affected. One of the most striking signs is a dry, paroxysmal cough, which becomes wet on the 5-7th day of the course of the disease. With timely medical care, the baby fully recovers after two weeks.
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However, if the therapy was chosen incorrectly, then the development of such a complication as chlamydial pneumonia is quite likely. This is a disease in which chlamydia inhabit the lungs of the body, causing severe inflammation. In addition to coughing, there are other symptoms such as:
blueness of the skin, fever, difficulty breathing, the baby may grunt as it is difficult for him to breathe.
Chest x-ray shows all the signs of pneumonia, and the child's condition is rarely assessed as serious.
A characteristic feature of any chlamydial infection is the enlargement of certain internal organs. For example, the spleen.
Manifestation of the disease in the adult population
Respiratory chlamydia in adults is much easier and faster than in children.
It happens that a person confuses an illness with an ordinary cold. Most often, chlamydia affects the bronchi of an adult, therefore, first of all, the patient complains of coughing and difficulty breathing.
In the absence of timely treatment of respiratory chlamydia, the condition may worsen. However, the general well-being of the patient does not suffer very much. The temperature rarely rises, there is a slight weakness in the body.
Disease detection
It is important to know what methods are available for diagnosing respiratory chlamydia. After all, with their help, you can identify a dangerous disease and begin the necessary treatment at an early stage, preventing the development of complications.
- Diagnosis begins with a standard appointment with a pediatrician, therapist or ENT. The doctor listens to the patient's complaints, asks clarifying questions, and then examines the throat, nasal cavity, listens to breathing, and measures body temperature.
- When chlamydia is suspected, a scraping is taken from the oral mucosa and cultured on a nutrient medium in order to search for chlamydia. Usually this examination lasts 3-5 days, because the bacteria need time to grow. If a microbiologist observes the growth of chlamydia on a Petri dish, then the diagnosis is confirmed.
- Be sure to take a blood test, which determines the presence of antibodies of immunoglobulin A and M. With their growth, there is a reason to confirm the presence of chlamydia in the body.
Treatment of disease
Drug therapy should be started immediately after the patient has confirmed the diagnosis of respiratory chlamydia. Treatment can only be prescribed by the attending physician (pediatrician, internist, pulmonologist or otorhinolaryngologist). It consists of prescribing prescription antimicrobials and antibiotics. The exact treatment regimen depends on many factors:
- age of patient;
- hisgender;
- body weight;
- clinical picture;
- a form of chlamydia;
- presence of chronic diseases and more.
Of antibiotics, the following groups of drugs are most often prescribed:
- Macrolides (drugs based on azithromycin: "Sumamed" and so on).
- Fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin. However, it is preferable to use third-generation drugs based on levofloxacin.)
- Tetracyclines. (Medicines containing doxycycline or oxytetracycline as the active ingredient.)
In case of a prolonged or severe course of the disease, in addition to them, an antimicrobial drug based on co-trimaxazole - "Biseptol" is prescribed.
The duration of the course varies and can range from 10 days to three weeks. In case of symptoms of eye damage, ophthalmic antimicrobial agents (drops, ointments) should be used. In chlamydial pneumonia, the use of injectable forms is preferable.
As an additional therapy, the patient may be shown the use of vitamins and agents that promote sputum discharge (tablets and syrups based on fenspiride - Erespal, Siresp, and the like). In addition, they are able to reduce inflammation in the respiratory system.
In order to prevent or mitigate side effects from taking antibiotics, you should use probiotics ("Hilak forte", "Lineks" and others). They areinhabit the intestinal microflora with beneficial bacteria, preventing the development of dyspeptic disorders in the form of diarrhea.
Prevention
Absolutely any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. This also applies to respiratory chlamydia, the prevention of which is as follows:
- First of all, you need to pay attention to your immune system. In order to increase its stability, it is necessary to harden regularly. In this case, the body will be maximally resistant to the effects of pathogenic microorganisms.
- Observe the rules of hygiene. For example, wash your hands after going outside, going to the toilet, and before every meal.
- Pregnant women should definitely take all the necessary tests regularly and in a timely manner.
- Limiting contact with sick people or those who have recently been ill.
- Those who are already ill should take the full course of treatment so as not to pose a danger to others.
Conclusion
Respiratory chlamydia is a disease that can affect both children and adults. And although a strong deterioration in well-being with this infection is rare, the likelihood of developing dangerous complications is high. This is the insidiousness of the disease.
Therefore, it is so important to know the first signs of chlamydia and, when they appear, do not self-medicate, but seek medical help. This will help avoid a lot of trouble.
