Skip to main content

Upper Respiratory Tract Infections


The Common Cold (Acute coryza)

It is an acute, usually afebrile, viral infection of the respiratory tract, with inflammation in any or all airways, including the nose, paranasal sinuses, throat, larynx, and often trachea and bronchi.

Etiology - Many viruses cause the common cold including Picornavirus (rhinoVirus), Influenza and parainfluenza viruses, Respiratory syncytial virus, Corona- and adenovirus group.

Infections may be facilitated by excessive fatigue, emotional distress, or allergic nasopharyngeal disorders and during the mid-phase of the menstrual cycle.

Symptoms and signs - onset is abrupt after a short (1 to 3 days) incubation period. Illness generally begins with nasal or throat discomfort followed by sneezing, rhinorrhea, and malaise.

The disease is afebrile and pharyngitis is usually present. Nasal secretions, watery and profuse during 1st or 2nd day of symptoms, become more mucous and purulent. Hacking cough associated with scanty sputum often lasts into the 2nd week. When no complications occur, symptoms normally resolve in 4 to 10 days.

Diagnosis- Symptoms, and signs are nonspecific. Bacterial infections, allergic rhinorrhea, and other disorders also cause upper respiratory tract symptoms at onset. Differentiation depends
on the season and the course of the Symptoms. Fever more severe symptoms usually indicate influenza.



Prophylaxis - Immunity is virus type-specific. Because of numerous types and strains of known viruses causing URT, it is difficult to produce a useful vaccine.

Treatment
• A Warm, comfortable environment and measures to prevent the direct spread of infection are recommended for all persons.

• Antipyretics and analgesics are given to control fever and malign.

• Nasal decongestants are used if patients have nasal congestion. Steam inhalation is also used in nasal congestions to help mobilize secretions and relieve chest tightness.

• Treat persistent cough with cough suppressants.

• Ascorbic acid or high doses of citrus juices have no scientific benefit.

• Antibiotics are not effective against viruses, so they are not recommended unless a specific bacterial complication develops.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts

9 Home Remedies to Lose Weight Instantly

If you are looking for an answer to lose weight instantly and to make it better in the comfort of your home using simple home remedies then you have come to the right place. The journey of losing weight is not an easy task. Many of us struggle to lose weight easily. But there is good news, you can use these simple home remedies and lose weight instantly. Before we proceed to the home remedies lets how our body burns fat and maintain our body weight. To lose weight we have to lose more than what we are taking in. Our body converts fats to usable energies by various chemical processes, those which are no converted will be stored away until we need them again. When we are using more than we take in our body uses those stored fats to make energy. You have to take into consideration that the above process varies from person o person Curry leaf: One of the home remedies include curry leaf. What makes these remedies useful in weight loss is they have natural ingredients to help in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Normal Sleep

Normal Sleep  Sleep is a universal behavior that has been demonstrated in every animal species studied, from insects to mammals. It is one of the most significant of human behaviors, occupying roughly one-third of human life. Although the exact functions of sleep are still unknown, it is clearly necessary for survival because prolonged sleep deprivation leads to severe physical and cognitive impairment and, finally, death. Sleep is particularly relevant to psychiatry because sleep disturbances occur in virtually all psychiatric illnesses and are frequently part of the diagnostic criteria for specific disorders. The ancient Greeks ascribed the need for sleep to the god Hypnos (sleep) and his son Morpheus, also a creature of the night, who brought dreams in human forms. Dreams have played an important role in psychoanalysis. Freud believed dreams to be the “royal road to the unconscious.” Electrophysiology Of Sleep Sleep is made up of two physiological states: ◦non-rapid eye movement...
Post a Comment
Read more