Respiratory chlamydia: causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Both adults and children occasionally have to deal with various infections that cause respiratory tract damage. Some of them flow easily, others - painfully, for a long time, with specific symptoms.

So, for example, a disease such as respiratory chlamydia is quite common, the causative agent of which is a dangerous microorganism - chlamydia. It affects the respiratory system and can cause a number of serious complications. Therefore, it is very important to know the transmission of this infection, its symptoms, methods of prevention and treatment. This will be discussed in this article.

Disease concept

The second name for the disease is pulmonary chlamydia. A characteristic symptom is a very strong, painful, dry cough. First of all, chlamydia affects the throat, then the mucous membrane of the bronchi and can cause bronchial asthma, as well as obstruction. Then the blow falls on the lungs.

The main carrier of this infection is sick birds. Therefore, at risk are residents of rural areas, workers of zoos and poultry farms.

Pathogen

According to microbiology, respiratory chlamydia can be caused by three types of chlamydia, which are dangerous for the human body:

1. Chlamydia trachomatis is a causative agent of sexually transmitted chlamydia.
2. Chlamydia pneumoniae is a causative agent of chlamydia of the lungs.
3. Chlamydia psittaci is the main cause of ornithosis, which occurs in the form of pneumonia.
   

Forms of the disease

Respiratory chlamydia can pass 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 an inactive bacterium is located outside the cells of the body. However, such a person is contagious to other people, although he himself may not even suspect it.
• Active form. In this case, the bacterium that causes respiratory chlamydia is located inside the cell, where it multiplies, grows, causing inflammation and tissue damage.

Transmission ways

Studying this disease and its nature, you first need to know how they can become infected in order to be as careful as possible.

So, there are several ways to transmit infections:

1. Airborne droplets (sneezing, coughing, kissing). 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 healthy one. That is why it is enough just to talk with a charged person to get sick with respiratory chlamydia. Outbreaks of the disease are quite common in kindergarten groups or in elementary school classes, when the children are still small and have imperfect immunity.
2. Contact household (through unwashed hands or household items). For example, it is easy to become infected with this disease using dishes or a towel shared with a sick person.
3. Sexual (through unprotected condom sexual intercourse). Of course, with this transmission method, the organs of the genitourinary system are primarily affected, and only then all the others. However, there are cases when the symptoms of upper respiratory tract damage were more pronounced.
4. The vertical route of transmission (from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby). In this case, infection can occur through the placenta, when passing through the birth canal or when the amniotic fluid is swallowed. As a result, a child is born with pneumonia 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 a common cold:

• throat redness
• pain when swallowing
• nasal congestion,
• cough,
• weakness,
• lack of appetite,
• fever.

The difference from ordinary ARI will be that standard treatment procedures do not bring any relief, and the patient's condition continues to deteriorate.

At the second stage, a person begins to experience a strong, dry cough. Sometimes it is so pronounced that a person is literally tormented by this. Vomiting may even occur.

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 vague, and it is impossible to detect respiratory chlamydia in the initial stages. In the absence of timely and correctly selected therapy, complications in the form of obstructive bronchitis and chlamydial pneumonia may develop. Therefore, it is always important to consult a doctor on time and not to self-medicate.

The manifestation of the disease in children

Due to the imperfection of their immune system, children become infected with this infection more often than adults, and its course is more severe.

Another reason that young children are at risk is their habit of dragging all objects of interest to their mouths and tasting them. And this is a great way to transmit chlamydia.

Symptoms of respiratory chlamydia in children, as a rule, have three possible manifestations.

1. Chlamydial conjunctivitis. A disease in which both eyes of a child become red, inflamed and fester. In addition, with a palpation of the lymph nodes that are behind the ears, the child feels pain. At the same time, the patient's well-being and body temperature remain within normal limits. This form is the easiest manifestation of chlamydia and lasts for two to three weeks.
2. Other things, chlamydial bronchitis. Most often, it occurs in the second - fourth month of the life of a newborn. With this pathology, the mucous membranes of the bronchi are affected. One of the most striking signs is a dry, paroxysmal cough, which becomes moist on the 5-7th day of the course of the disease. With the provision of timely medical care, the baby fully recovers after two weeks.
3. However, if the therapy was chosen incorrectly, then it is likely that a complication such as chlamydial pneumonia will develop. This is a disease in which chlamydia inhabit the lungs of the body, causing severe inflammation. In addition to coughing, there are also signs such as:
   bluishness of the skin, fever, shortness of breath, the baby may grunt, as it is difficult for him to breathe.

On the chest x-ray, there are all signs of pneumonia, and the child’s condition is rarely assessed as severe.

A characteristic feature for any chlamydial infection is an increase in some internal organs. For example, the spleen.

The 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 the disease with an ordinary cold. Most often, chlamydia affects the bronchi of an adult, therefore, first of all, the patient complains of coughing and breathing difficulties.

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 rises rarely, there is a slight weakness in the body.

Disease detection

It is important to know what methods for diagnosing respiratory chlamydia exist. 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.

1. Diagnosis begins with a standard appointment with a pediatrician, therapist, or ENT specialist. The doctor listens to the patient’s complaints, asks clarifying questions, and then examines the throat and nasal cavity, listens for breathing, and measures body temperature.
2. If chlamydia is suspected, scraping is taken from the mucous membrane of the oral cavity and culture is done on a nutrient medium in order to search for chlamydia. Usually this examination lasts 3-5 days, because bacteria need time to grow. If a microbiologist observes the growth of chlamydia on a Petri dish, then the diagnosis is confirmed.
3. A blood test is required, in which the presence of antibodies of immunoglobulin A and M is determined. With their growth, there is reason to confirm the presence of chlamydia in the body.

Disease treatment

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, general practitioner, pulmonologist or ENT specialist). It consists of prescribing prescription antimicrobials and antibiotics. The exact treatment regimen depends on many factors:

• patient age;
• his gender;
• body weight;
• clinical picture;
• form of chlamydia;
• the presence of chronic diseases and much more.

Of the antibiotics, the following groups of drugs are most often prescribed:

• Macrolides (preparations based on azithromycin: Sumamed and so on).
• Fluoroquinolones (ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin. However, it is preferable to use third-generation drugs based on levofloxacin.)
• Tetracyclines. (Medicines, the active substance of which is doxycycline or oxytetracycline).

In case of prolonged or severe course of the disease, in addition to them, an antimicrobial preparation based on co-trimaxazole - "Biseptolum" is prescribed.

The duration of the course can be different 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, injectable forms are preferred.

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 the side effects of taking antibiotics, probiotics (Hilak forte, Linex and others) should be used. They inhabit 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 temper regularly. In this case, the body will be as resistant to pathogenic microorganisms as possible.
• Observe good hygiene practices. For example, wash your hands after the street, going to the toilet, as well as before each meal.

• Pregnant women must be required to regularly and timely pass all the necessary tests.
• Limiting contact with sick people or those who have recently been ill.
• Those who are already sick should undergo a 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 occurs rarely, 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 to avoid a lot of trouble.