Today, inflammation of the respiratory tract, both upper and lower, is diagnosed in every fourth inhabitant of the planet. Such diseases include tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, laryngitis and pharyngitis. Most often, diseases begin to develop in the autumn-winter period, since it is then that flu or ARVI diseases become widespread. According to statistics, every adult is sick three times a year, diseases in children are diagnosed up to ten times a year.
Description of the human respiratory system
The respiratory system is a set of organs interconnected and providing oxygen, the removal of carbon dioxide and the process of gas exchange in the blood. This system consists of the upper and lower respiratory tract and lungs.
The respiratory system performs the following functions:
- participates in the thermoregulation of the body;
- provides the ability to reproduce speech and distinguish odors;
- participates in metabolic processes;
- humidifies the air inhaled by the person;
- provides additional body protection from environmental influences.
When air is inhaled, it first enters the nose, where it is cleaned with the help of villi, warmed up thanks to the network of blood vessels. After this, air enters the pharyngeal plane, which has several sections, then it passes through the pharynx into the lower respiratory tract.
Today, airway inflammation is a common occurrence. One of the very first and fairly common signs of pathology is cough and runny nose. Diseases that affect the respiratory tract include tonsillitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, rhinitis and laryngitis, tracheitis and acute respiratory infections.
Causes of the development of the disease
Inflammation of the upper and lower respiratory tract occurs for several reasons:
- Viruses: influenza, rotovirus, adenovirus, measles and others - when ingested, cause an inflammation reaction.
- Bacteria: pneumococci, staphylococci, mycoplasmas, mycobacteria and others - also provoke the development of the inflammatory process.
- Mushrooms: candida, actinomyceles and others - cause local inflammation.
Many of the above microorganisms are transmitted from one person to another. Some viruses and fungi can dwell for a long time in the human body, but manifest themselves only with a decrease in immunity. Infection can occur by household or airborne droplets. Transmission can occur when talking to an infected person. At the same time, the respiratory tract becomes the first barrier to pathogenic microorganisms, as a result of which an inflammatory process develops in them.
Inflammation of the respiratory tract can occur in a person of any age, gender and nationality. Both social status and material status do not play a role in this.
Risk group
The risk group includes:
- People with frequent colds, chronic pathologies of the upper respiratory tract, which leads to a decrease in resistance to negative environmental influences.
- Persons constantly exposed to hypothermia and other negative factors of nature.
- HIV-infected people with concomitant secondary diseases.
- Children's and senile age.
Symptoms and signs of the disease
Symptoms of airway inflammation are similar to each other in different diseases, they differ only in the localization of pain and discomfort. It is possible to identify the location of the inflammatory process according to the symptoms of pathology, but only an experienced doctor can conduct an accurate diagnosis and identify the pathogen after a comprehensive examination.
All diseases have an incubation period of two to ten days, it all depends on the causative agent of the disease. For example, with flu, signs of pathology appear quickly, a person’s body temperature rises strongly, which does not drop for about three days. When parainfluenza enters the body, the patient develops laryngitis. In the form of tonsillitis and pharyngitis, an adenovirus infection occurs.
Rhinitis and Sinusitis
Rhinitis (runny nose) - inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose. A person develops a runny nose, which abundantly exits when the pathogenic microorganisms multiply. As the infection spreads rapidly, both sinuses are affected. In some cases, airway inflammation, the symptoms and treatment of which are discussed in this article, leads to the development of not a runny nose, but nasal congestion. Sometimes the exudate is separated in the form of green pus or a clear liquid.
Inflammation of the sinuses of the nose, accompanied by shortness of breath and severe congestion, is called sinusitis. In this case, swelling of the nasal sinuses leads to the development of a headache, impaired vision and smell. A pain in the nose bridge indicates an advanced inflammatory process, pus may begin to leave the nose. All this is accompanied by an increase in temperature, fever and malaise.
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils. In this case, the person has the following signs of the disease:
- pain during swallowing;
- increase in body temperature;
- swelling of the tonsils;
- the appearance of plaque on tonsils;
- muscle weakness.
Tonsillitis develops as a result of a virus or pathogenic bacteria entering the body. In some cases, pus may appear in the form of yellow overlays on the mucous membrane of the throat. If the pathology is caused by fungi, then the coating will have a white color and a curdled consistency.
Pharyngitis, laryngitis and tracheitis
In this case, inflammation of the airways is manifested by perspiration and dry cough, periodic difficulty breathing. Body temperature increased intermittently. Pharyngitis usually develops as a complication of influenza or SARS.
Laryngitis, or inflammation of the larynx and vocal cords, also acts as a complication of flu, whooping cough, or measles. In this case, a person has hoarseness and cough, swelling of the larynx and difficulty breathing. In the absence of therapy, the disease can provoke a muscle spasm.
Tracheitis is an inflammation of the trachea, which is accompanied by a prolonged dry cough.
Bronchitis and pneumonia
Going lower, pathogens cause inflammation of the lower respiratory tract. A person develops bronchitis. The disease is caused by a dry cough or sputum discharge. A person experiences signs of intoxication and malaise. If untreated, the infection spreads to the lungs, causing pneumonia. In this case, the patient complains of a sharp increase in body temperature, intoxication, chills, cough. If the disease is caused not by infection, but by other reasons, the symptoms may not appear, a person will only feel signs of a cold.
In severe cases, pathology leads to impaired consciousness, the development of seizures and even death. It is very important to timely prevent the development of severe complications. In this case, it is recommended to pay attention to the non-specific manifestations of cough, it is impossible to treat it yourself.
Diagnostic measures
Antibiotics are usually prescribed for airway inflammation. But before that, the doctor must make an accurate diagnosis in order to choose the most suitable drug. Diagnosis begins with a history, examination and questioning of the patient. Further laboratory tests are prescribed. It is important in this case to distinguish between viral and bacterial diseases of the respiratory tract.
Laboratory research methods include:
- A blood and urine test, which will make it possible to determine the nature of the disease.
- A study of mucus from the nose and pharynx in order to determine the causative agent of the infection, as well as the choice of the drug to which it is sensitive.
- Bacteriological culture of pharyngeal mucus on the causative agent of diphtheria.
- PCR and ELISA for suspected specific infections.
Instrumental diagnostic methods include:
- Laryngoscopy to determine the nature of the inflammatory process.
- Bronchoscopy.
- X-ray of the lungs to determine the extent of the spread of inflammation.
Based on the results of a comprehensive examination, a final diagnosis is made and appropriate treatment is prescribed.
Disease therapy
In medicine, four types of therapy are used:
- Etiotropic treatment aimed at stopping the reproduction of the pathogen and spreading it throughout the body. If the pathology is caused by viruses, the doctor prescribes antiviral drugs, such as Kagocel or Arbidol. Antibiotics are prescribed for inflammation of the lower respiratory tract, as well as the upper, when the disease is caused by pathogenic bacteria. The choice of means in this case depends on the localization of the pathological process, the patient's age and the severity of the disease. For example, with angina, macrolides are often prescribed.
- Pathogenetic therapy is aimed at stopping the inflammatory process, as well as shortening the recovery period. In this case, the treatment of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, as well as the lower, is performed with the use of immunomodulators, anti-inflammatory combined drugs, NSAIDs.
- Symptomatic treatment, the purpose of which is to alleviate the patient's condition, improve his quality of life. The doctor prescribes drops in the nose to eliminate congestion, throat sprays, expectorant and antitussive drugs. These drugs must be taken with antibiotics for inflammation of the upper respiratory tract and lower including.
- Inhalation treatment allows you to quickly get rid of cough and inflammatory processes. For this, steam inhalations, nebulizers are used.
As you can see, the treatment of airway inflammation should be comprehensive. In the absence of therapy, serious complications can develop that sometimes cause death.
Forecast
With timely access to a medical institution, the prognosis is usually favorable, subject to all prescriptions and recommendations of the doctor. Often, diseases provoke the development of serious negative consequences. Diseases such as flu, sore throat, and pneumonia can trigger complications that are difficult to treat.
Prevention
Preventive measures include, first of all, vaccination for some infections. In the autumn-winter period, it is recommended to use special preparations. Alternative medicine can also be used, which helps to increase the body's defenses. In this case, you can include onion and garlic, honey, linden broth in the diet. People who are at risk should avoid the factors provoking the disease. It is impossible to allow hypothermia. It is recommended to get rid of addictions.
With inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, doctors recommend:
- Refuse cough drops, as they will not help cure sore throat.
- In addition to gargling, you also need to take medications that the doctor should prescribe. In some cases, rinsing with soda solution is contraindicated, as this only exacerbates the course of the disease.
- Vasoconstrictive drops can be used for no more than five days, otherwise drug addiction occurs.