Sometimes, feeling very unwell, we come to the clinic or call a doctor at home, and he, having carefully asked about the symptoms, makes us an incomprehensible diagnosis - acute respiratory infections. What it is is unclear. This article is devoted to a detailed explanation of this issue.
Acute respiratory infection, or ARI
If a person has a cold, he starts coughing, itchy and sore throat, runs from the nose, the temperature rises, it means that his respiratory organs are affected by an acute respiratory infection, respectively, he is sick with an acute respiratory disease, abbreviated as ARI. This concept includes a fairly large range of diseases caused by a huge range of different bacteria and viruses: streptococci, meningococci, staphylococci, influenza viruses A, B and C, parainfluenza viruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses, etc.
All these countless harmful microorganisms, getting inside the human body, can cause acute respiratory infections. What it is - it will become even more clear after reading the list of the most common symptomsARI (acute respiratory viral diseases).
Symptoms of an acute respiratory infection
The symptoms of various colds are similar in many respects, which sometimes makes it difficult to make an accurate diagnosis - which infection is raging in the patient's body. But of course there are differences.
1. Flu. The disease develops very quickly, although its incubation period can be up to three days. The onset is characterized by general malaise, muscle aches, headache, and a rapid rise in temperature, which can reach very high values. If ARI without fever, then it is most likely not the flu.
2. Parainfluenza. The incubation period is longer - four days. The onset is exactly the same as with colds and flu: high fever, sore throat, cough, etc. With parainfluenza, the larynx is affected first. Laryngitis may occur, and then bronchitis. Without assistance, the patient becomes worse: severe intoxication begins, accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
3. adenovirus infection. Symptoms are similar to rhinitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis. In some cases, conjunctivitis is observed. The temperature does not always rise. When infected with adenovirus, acute respiratory infections in adults often occur against the background of subfebrile temperature (37-38 ° C).
4. Rotavirus infection (intestinal or stomach flu) has a fairly long incubation period - up to six days. The onset of the disease is acute: vomiting, diarrhea, fever. Most often, intestinal flu occurs in children.
5. Respiratory syncytial infection is characterized by the occurrence of bronchitis and pneumonia, i.e. damage to the lower respiratory tract. At the very beginning of the disease, a person feels a general malaise, runny nose, headache. The most characteristic symptom is bouts of excruciating dry cough.
6. Coronavirus infection is most severe in children. It affects the upper respiratory tract. The main symptoms: inflammation of the larynx, runny nose, sometimes lymph nodes may increase. The temperature may be in the region of subfebrile values.
ARI has a synonym - ARI, or acute respiratory infection. In the common people, ARI is usually denoted by the more familiar word "cold". Also, in connection with the cold and flu, you can often hear the abbreviation SARS.
ORZ and ARVI - what's the difference?
Many believe that ARI and SARS are identical concepts. But it is not so. Now we will try to explain to you what is the difference.
The fact is that the term ARI refers to the whole wide group of acute respiratory diseases caused by any microbes - bacteria or viruses. But ARVI is a narrower and more precise concept, which determines that the disease is precisely of a viral nature. Here they are - ARI and SARS. We hope you understand the difference.
The need for a more accurate diagnosis arises in some cases due to the fact that the treatment of diseases that have a viral or bacterial origin may be fundamentally different, but not always.
In progressdevelopment of an acute respiratory viral infection, a bacterial factor can also join it. That is, for example, at first a person is struck by the influenza virus, and after a few days the situation is further complicated by bronchitis or pneumonia.
Difficulties with diagnosis
Due to the similarity of different acute respiratory infections to each other, the doctor can sometimes make a mistake and make an incorrect diagnosis. Especially often there is confusion with influenza and acute respiratory infections of a different etiology: parainfluenza, adenovirus, rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial infection.
Meanwhile, it is very important to identify the flu at an early stage of the disease in order to prescribe the right drugs and prevent the development of complications. In order to help the doctor, the patient must identify as accurately as possible all the symptoms he has. It should be remembered that the flu is rarely associated with a cold, while most other acute respiratory infections (especially of a bacterial nature) begin after hypothermia, just like a cold.
Another important note about influenza (ARI): you can get sick with it most often only during the epidemic, while other ARIs have year-round activity. There are other differences between the flu and other acute respiratory diseases.
Attention - flu
This disease always has a very acute onset. In just a couple of hours, a person from a he althy person turns into an absolutely sick person. The temperature quickly rises to the highest values \u200b\u200b(usually above 38.5 degrees), symptoms such as:
- headache;
- pain in the muscles of the arms andleg cramps;
- pain in the eyeballs;
- great chills;
- complete weakness and weakness.
For other acute respiratory infections, it is characteristic just a gradual increase in disease processes, reaching a peak on the second or third day of illness. If you feel unwell and are trying to determine what you have: the flu or an acute respiratory disease (we already know what kind of "sores" these are), remember what you just read, and if all the signs indicate that you have the flu, then immediately go to bed and call a doctor at home.
How an acute respiratory infection occurs
Microorganisms that cause colds and flu are transmitted mainly by airborne droplets. Let's look at the OR. What is it, how does it affect the body of a he althy person?
When talking, and especially when coughing and sneezing, a sick person unwittingly releases a huge amount of viruses and bacteria into the environment. Moreover, the patient becomes dangerous for others not only in the acute phase of the disease, but also in its erased form, when he considers himself only a little sick - he goes to work, freely communicates with others, "generously" sharing the disease with all citizens who meet on his way.
ARI pathogens can live not only in the air, but also on various objects: on dishes, clothes, on door handles, etc. That is why during periods of epidemics it is recommended not only to refrain from visiting public places, but also wash your hands often with soap.
In order for a personinfected, it is enough for microbes to get on the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and oral cavity. From there, they quickly and freely enter the respiratory tract and begin to multiply rapidly, releasing toxins into the blood. Therefore, with acute respiratory infections, intoxication of the human body always occurs to one degree or another.
ARI treatment
It's good if a medicine for acute respiratory infections is prescribed by a qualified therapist, who has precisely established which infection caused the disease. In this case, the treatment will go most successfully and quickly. But many of our compatriots simply love to be treated on their own, without wasting time visiting a clinic or calling a doctor. We want to say right away that if you, who are reading these lines now, belong to this category, then we do not urge you to take the information presented in this chapter as a guide to action. We do not give recommendations here on how to treat ARI. This is only an introductory general overview and can in no way replace the advice and appointment of a doctor.
General principles of treatment, remedies for acute respiratory infections:
1. In the acute phase of the disease, bed rest is recommended.
2. If the temperature exceeds 38.5 degrees, then this is an indication for taking any antipyretic drug. Here is a partial list of such drugs:
- "Paracetamol";
- "Aspirin";
- "Efferalgan";
- "Ibuprofen";
- "Nurofen";
- "Panadol";
- "Anapirin";
- "Tylenol";
- "Calpol";
- "Ibusan";
- Fervex and many other similar drugs.
An important addition: antipyretic drugs are intended primarily for symptomatic and complex therapy. They reduce the temperature, soothe the pain, but they cannot completely cure the underlying disease. Therefore, timely medical diagnosis and the appointment of treatment by a doctor are so important.
3. Since acute respiratory diseases are almost always accompanied by severe intoxication of the body, the patient needs to drink more. Of the drinks, the most suitable for the sick are:
- weak warm tea with a slice of lemon;
- fruit drink made from cranberries;
- mineral water (better if it is without gas);
- juices (preferably natural freshly squeezed, not from packages).
4. Respiratory diseases are cured much more effectively and quickly if a person, at the very first signs of illness, starts taking vitamins such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and rutin (vitamin P). Both components are included in the excellent Ascorutin vitamin complex.
5. In some cases, doctors consider it necessary to prescribe antihistamines.
6. With active inflammatory processes in the bronchi, lungs and larynx with the formation of sputum, broncho-secretolytic drugs are prescribed:
- "Broncholithin";
- "Ambroxol";
- "ACC";
- "Bromhexine";
- "Ambrobene";
- marshmallow root syrup;
- "Ambrohexal";
- "Bronchicum";
- "Gedelix";
- "Lazolvan";
- "Mukodyn";
- "Mukosol";
- "Tussin" and others
7. With SARS, antiviral drugs are indicated. These include the following medicines for acute respiratory infections of viral etiology:
- "Interferon";
- "Kagocel";
- "Amixin";
- "Grippferon";
- "Arbidol";
- Rimantadine and others
8. If the course of acute respiratory infections is complicated by a severe bacterial infection, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
9. With a runny nose and difficulty breathing, it is recommended to use aerosols and nasal drops:
- "Sanorin";
- "Xymelin";
- "Tizin";
- "Nazol";
- "Rinostop";
- "Nazivin" and others.
10. The following lozenges and sprays are used to treat inflammation in the throat:
- "Gexoral";
- "Strepsils";
- "Kameton";
- "Pharingosept";
- "Ambassador";
- "Ingalipt" and others.
About antibiotics
We consider it useful to remind you that antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, as, indeed, for any other ailments, should not be prescribed to yourself! These are powerful drugs that can defeat the infection where other drugs can be completelypowerless. But at the same time, they have a lot of side effects and contraindications. Taking advantage of the fact that today many powerful drugs can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription, people start taking powerful pills in order to get better as soon as possible and in some cases get the exact opposite effect.
For example, at the initial stage of the flu, taking antibiotics is not only useless (money thrown away), but even harmful. This group of drugs has no effect on viruses, they are designed to fight other microorganisms (bacteria and fungi). Once in the body of a flu patient, antibiotics destroy the beneficial bacterial microflora, thereby weakening the patient's immune system, which is already in a state of exhaustion, because the body has to use all its forces and reserves to fight dangerous viruses.
If you have signs of acute respiratory infections, do not rush to resort to antibiotics without serious reasons and without a doctor's prescription! Here are some of the side effects that one of the most powerful and popular antibiotics of the latest generation today, Sumamed, which belongs to the macrolide group, can cause:
- dysbacteriosis (violation of the natural microflora in the intestine);
- candidiasis and other fungal infections;
- various allergic reactions;
- arthralgia (joint pain):
- lots of other troubles.
When the child got sick
And now a little introductory consultation forparents. ARI is especially difficult in children. Here, as a rule, there is a high temperature, and a wild pain in the throat, and a runny nose. The child is suffering a lot, how to help him as soon as possible? Of course, first of all, you need to call a doctor and give the baby the medicines that he will prescribe. And you also need to do the following:
- In order to avoid congestion in the lungs, it is necessary to put a small patient on the bed several times a day, tucking pillows under his back so that the baby can sit comfortably. The baby must be carried in his arms, pressing him to himself so that his body is in a vertical position.
- When sick, children often refuse to eat. No need to force them to eat, it is better to give the child more tasty drink in the form of warm cranberry juice.
- Children's room should be cleaned daily (wet). It is recommended to throw a terry towel over the heating battery, which must be moistened periodically - this will help humidify the air. Remember that the germs that cause respiratory illness are most comfortable in dry air.
- The room must be ventilated several times a day, as a small patient needs clean fresh air. During this time (5-10 min.), it is best to transfer the child to another room.
Mistakes in the treatment of acute respiratory infections
If ARI is treated incorrectly, complications will not keep you waiting. Here are some common mistakes people who catch a cold often make:
1. Until the last, while there is at leastsome forces, trying to stand on their feet, go to work, women bustle around the house, run to shops, etc., and meanwhile the disease develops. It is necessary to protect not only yourself, but also those around you (for example, your colleagues), because they are also at risk of getting sick if there is an infected person next to them.
2. They do not trust the recommendations of the doctor, do not drink the drugs that he prescribed. It often happens that the doctor considers it necessary that the patient undergoes a full course of antibiotic treatment, but after drinking one or two tablets and feeling better, he stops taking the drug and thus does not allow the medicine to cope with a bacterial infection, which can quietly turn into a chronic one. form.
3. Antipyretics are taken without special need. Remember that by raising the temperature, the body fights infection, and if the thermometer shows no more than 38.5 degrees, then you do not need to stuff yourself with pills.
Folk recipes
How to treat acute respiratory infections with folk methods? Well, there are a lot of recipes here! Here are just a few of them:
1. Various teas (with honey, with linden, with raspberries) help to quickly bring down the temperature. It is recommended that after giving the patient such antipyretic tea to drink, wrap him warmer and let him sweat properly. After the fever subsides and sweating stops, you need to change the bed and underwear of the sick person and let the person sleep.
2. If a cold occurs in a mild form without an increase in temperature, then you can do foot baths with mustard before going to bed. In simple terms,soar legs. Important note: you can’t do this even with a slight subfebrile temperature - hot water can cause it to rise further.
3. For inflammation of the tonsils, gargling with warm decoctions of herbs such as sage, chamomile and calendula helps very well.
4. In the room where a sick person lies, it is good to put fresh pine branches in the water. Pine needles release useful phytoncides that have the ability to destroy microbes.
5. Everyone knows what a strong antiviral effect onions have. You can give the patient to drink onion milk with honey. To prepare it, milk is poured into a small ladle, and an onion cut into several parts is placed there. The drug needs to be boiled for several minutes (3-5 will be enough). Then the milk is poured into a cup, a spoonful of honey is put there, and all this is given to the patient to drink. Such milk has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, sedative properties, helps to fall asleep.
Let's talk prevention
Prevention of acute respiratory infections is quite simple and, in principle, has long been known to everyone. But the carelessness inherent in the human race and hope for a chance often make us ignore the elementary rules of behavior in the season of epidemiological danger and pay for our carelessness with illness and suffering. We advise you to carefully read about preventive measures to prevent acute respiratory diseases. Here they are:
1. It is necessary to take care of strengthening your body ahead of time! No cold takes a person with strong immunity. For this you need:
- do recreational sports (running, skiing, skating, swimming, etc.);
- to temper, for example, to pour cool water in the morning;
- make sure that all vitamins are present in the diet in sufficient quantities, ascorbic acid is especially important - it is not synthesized in our body and can only be ingested with food.
2. During an epidemic of acute respiratory infections, it is recommended to lubricate the nasal mucosa with oxolin ointment before going outside.
3. When the flu is rampant, do not tempt fate - refrain from visiting crowded places.
Conclusion
Now you know a lot about acute respiratory infections - what it is, how to be treated, how to avoid infection and more. We have tried to convey rather complex and extensive information in a simple and concise form that is most understandable to most people. We hope that our article was useful to our readers. We wish you to always stay he althy, let diseases bypass you!
