Sometimes, feeling a strong malaise, we come to the clinic or call a doctor at the house, and he, having carefully asked about the symptoms, makes us an incomprehensible diagnosis - ARI. What it is is incomprehensible. This article is devoted to a detailed explanation of this issue.
Acute respiratory infection, or acute respiratory infections
If a person has a cold, he has a cough, a sore throat and sore throat, a nose is flowing, a fever rises, this means that his respiratory system is affected by an acute respiratory infection, and accordingly, he has an acute respiratory disease, in short - ARI. This concept contains a fairly wide range of diseases caused by a huge circle of various 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 ARI. What it is will become even more clear after reading a list of the most common symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections (acute respiratory viral diseases).
Symptoms of Acute Respiratory Infection
The symptomatology of various colds is similar in many respects, which sometimes complicates an accurate diagnosis - which infection is rampant in the patient’s body. But there are differences, of course.
1. Influenza The disease develops very quickly, although its incubation period can reach three days. The onset is characterized by general poor health, muscle aches, headache and a rapid increase in temperature, which can reach very high levels. If ARI is without fever, then this is most likely not 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 proceeds against the background of subfebrile temperature (37-38 ° C).
4. Rotavirus infection (intestinal or stomach flu) has a sufficiently long incubation period - up to six days. The onset of the disease is acute: vomiting, diarrhea, fever. Most often, intestinal flu is observed in children.
5. Respiratory syncytial infection is characterized by the onset of bronchitis and pneumonia, ie, 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 difficult in children. It affects the upper respiratory tract. The main symptoms: inflammation of the larynx, runny nose, sometimes the lymph nodes may increase. The temperature may be in the region of subfebrile values.
ARI has a synonym - ARI, or acute respiratory infection. In common people, acute respiratory infections are usually denoted by the more familiar word "cold." Also, in connection with a cold and flu disease, you can often hear the acronym ARVI.
ARI and ARVI - the difference in what?
Many believe that ARI and ARVI are identical concepts. But it is not so. Now we will try to explain to you what the difference is.
The fact is that the term ARI refers to the entire wide group of acute diseases of the respiratory tract caused by any microbes - bacteria or viruses. But SARS is a narrower and more accurate concept, which determines that the disease has a viral nature. Here they are - ARI and ARVI. The difference, we hope, has become clear to you.
The need for a more accurate diagnosis arises in a number of cases due to the fact that the treatment of diseases of a viral or bacterial origin may be fundamentally different, but not always.
In the process of developing an acute respiratory viral infection, a bacterial factor may also join it. That is, for example, the person is first affected by the influenza virus, and after a few days the situation is complicated by bronchitis or pneumonia.
Diagnostic difficulties
Due to the similarity of different acute respiratory infections to each other, the doctor can sometimes make a mistake and make the wrong 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 influenza at an early stage of the disease in order to prescribe the necessary drugs and prevent the development of complications. In order to help the doctor, the patient should identify all the symptoms he has as accurately as possible. It should be remembered that influenza is rarely associated with the common cold, while most other acute respiratory infections (especially those of a bacterial nature) begin after hypothermia, just like a cold.
Another important point about influenza (ARI): you can get it most often only during the epidemic, while other ARIs are active year-round. There are other differences between influenza and other acute respiratory infections.
Attention - the flu!
This disease always has a very acute onset. In just a couple of hours, a person from a healthy person turns into an absolutely sick person. The temperature rises quickly to the highest values (usually above 38.5 degrees), and symptoms such as:
- headache;
- muscle pain in the arms and legs, cramps;
- pain in the eyeballs;
- severe chills;
- complete weakness and weakness.
For other acute respiratory infections, a gradual increase in painful processes, with a peak on the second or third day of the disease, is characteristic. If you feel bad and are trying to determine whether you have the flu or ARI (what these “sores” are, we already know), remember what you just read, and if all the signs indicate that you have the flu then go to bed immediately and call a doctor at the house.
How does acute respiratory infection occur?
Microorganisms that cause colds and flu are transmitted mainly by airborne droplets. Consider ARI. What is it, how does it affect the body of a healthy person?
During a conversation, and especially when coughing and sneezing, the person who is ill, unwillingly, 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 the citizens who meet him the way.
ARD pathogens can live not only in the air, but also on various objects: on dishes, clothes, on door handles, etc. This is why during periods of epidemic it is recommended not only to refrain from visiting public places, but also to wash hands more often with soap .
In order for a person to become infected, it is enough for microbes to get on the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx and oral cavity. From there, they quickly and freely penetrate the respiratory tract and begin to multiply rapidly, releasing toxins into the blood. Therefore, with acute respiratory infections, there is always intoxication of the human body to one degree or another.
ARI treatment
It is good if the medicine for ARI is prescribed by a qualified therapist who has determined exactly what 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 perceive the information presented in this chapter as a guide to action. Here we do not give recommendations on how to treat acute respiratory infections. This is only an introductory overview, which can not replace the advice and appointment of a doctor.
General principles of treatment, funds for ARI:
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 an incomplete list of such drugs:
- "Paracetamol";
- "Aspirin";
- Efferalgan;
- Ibuprofen
- Nurofen
- Panadol
- "Anapirin";
- Tylenol;
- Kalpol;
- Ibusan
- Fervex and many other similar drugs.
An important addition: antipyretic drugs are primarily intended for symptomatic and complex therapy. They lower the temperature, soothe 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 infections are almost always accompanied by severe intoxication of the body, the patient needs to drink more. Of the drinks most suitable for the sick are:
- weak warm tea with a slice of lemon;
- cranberry juice;
- mineral water (better if it is without gas);
- juices (preferably natural freshly squeezed, not from packages).
4. Respiratory diseases can be cured much more efficiently and quickly if a person, at the first signs of the disease, starts taking vitamins such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and rutin (vitamin P). Both components are included in the excellent vitamin complex "Ascorutin".
5. In some cases, doctors consider it necessary to prescribe antihistamines.
6. In case of active inflammatory processes in the bronchi, lungs and larynx with the formation of sputum, broncho-secretolytic drugs are prescribed:
- "Broncholitin";
- Ambroxol;
- "ACC";
- "Bromhexine";
- Ambrobene
- marshmallow root syrup;
- Ambrohexal;
- "Bronchicum";
- Gedelix;
- "Lazolvan";
- Mukodin;
- Mucosol;
- Tussin et al.
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 shortness of breath, it is recommended to use aerosols and drops for the nose:
- Sanorin
- Xymelin;
- "Tizin";
- "Nazol";
- "Rinostop";
- "Nazivin" and others.
10. For the treatment of sore throat, the following lozenges and sprays are used:
- Hexoral;
- Strepsils
- "Cameton";
- "Faringosept";
- "Proposol";
- Ingalipt et al.
About antibiotics
We consider it worthwhile to recall that antibiotics for acute respiratory infections, as, indeed, for any other ailments, should not be prescribed on your own! These are potent drugs that can defeat the infection where other drugs can be completely powerless. But at the same time, they have a lot of side effects and contraindications. Taking advantage of the fact that today many potent drugs can be purchased at a pharmacy without a prescription, people begin to take powerful pills in order to recover quickly 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 patient with influenza, 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 strength and reserves to fight dangerous viruses.
If you have signs of acute respiratory infections, do not rush to resort to antibiotics without good reason and without a doctor’s appointment! Here are some of the side effects that one of the most powerful and popular antibiotics of the last generation, Sumamed, which belongs to the macrolide group, is capable of causing:
- dysbiosis (a violation of the natural microflora in the intestine);
- candidiasis and other fungal infections;
- various allergic reactions;
- arthralgia (joint pain):
- many other troubles.
When the baby got sick
And now a little parenting consultation. ARI in children is especially difficult. Here, as a rule, there is a high temperature, and wild pain in the neck, and a runny nose. The child is suffering greatly, how can he be helped as soon as possible? Of course, first of all, you need to call a doctor and give the baby those 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 plant a small patient on the bed several times a day by tucking pillows under the back so that the baby can sit comfortably. The baby must be carried in her arms, clutching herself so that his body is in an upright position.
- Sick, children often refuse to eat. No need to force them to eat food, it is better to give the child more tasty drink in the form of warm cranberry juice.
- In the child's room you need to carry out daily cleaning (wet). It is recommended to throw a terry towel on the heating battery, which must be periodically moistened - this will help to moisturize the air. Remember that the microbes that cause respiratory illness are most comfortable in dry air.
- The room needs to be ventilated several times a day, as a small patient needs clean fresh air. At this time (5-10 minutes), the child is best transferred to another room.
Errors in the treatment of acute respiratory infections
If the ARI is treated incorrectly, complications will not take long. Here are a number of common mistakes that people who catch a cold often make:
1. Until the last, while there is at least some strength, they try to stand on their feet, go to work, women bustle around the house, run to shops, etc., and yet the disease develops. It is necessary to protect not only yourself, but also those around you (for example, your colleagues), because they also run the risk of getting sick if an infected person is next to them.
2. Do not trust the doctor’s recommendations, do not drink the drugs that he prescribed. It often happens that a doctor considers it necessary for a patient to undergo 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 drug to cope with a bacterial infection that can quietly turn into a chronic form.
3. Take antipyretic drugs without special need. Remember that by raising the temperature, the body fights the infection, and if the thermometer shows no more than 38.5 degrees, then you do not need to stuff yourself with tablets.
Folk recipes
How to treat ARI folk methods? Well, there are a lot of recipes! Here are just a small portion of them:
1. Various teas (with honey, linden, raspberries) help to quickly bring down the temperature. It is recommended that after giving the patient such antipyretic tea, wrap it up warmer and allow it to sweat properly. After the heat subsides, and sweating stops, you need to change the bedding and underwear of the sick person and let the person sleep.
2. If a catarrhal disease occurs in a mild form without an increase in temperature, then you can do foot baths with mustard before bedtime. In simple terms, soar your feet. Important note: you can not do this even at a small subfebrile temperature - hot water can cause its further increase.
3. From inflammation of the tonsils gargling very well helps with warm decoctions of herbs such as sage, chamomile and calendula.
4. In the room where the sick person is lying, it is good to put fresh pine branches in the water. The needles emit useful phytoncides, which have the ability to destroy microbes.
5. Everyone knows how potent antiviral the onion is. You can drink the patient with onion milk and honey. For its preparation, milk is poured into a small bucket, and the onion is cut into several parts. 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 the patient is given all this to drink. Such milk has anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, soothing properties, helps to fall asleep.
Talk about 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 the hope of chance often make us ignore the basic rules of behavior in the season of epidemiological danger and pay for our negligence with illness and suffering. We advise you to 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! A person with strong immunity does not take a cold. To do this, you need:
- engage in recreational sports (running, skiing, skating, swimming, etc.);
- tempered, for example, doused with cool water in the morning;
- make sure that all vitamins are present in the diet in sufficient quantities, ascorbine is especially important - it is not synthesized in our body and can be ingested only with food.
2. During an acute respiratory infection epidemic, before going out, it is recommended to lubricate the nasal mucosa with oxolin ointment.
3. When the flu is rampant, do not tempt fate - refrain from visiting crowded places.
Conclusion
Now you know a lot about ARI - what it is, how to be treated, how to avoid infection, and more. We tried to convey quite complex and extensive information in a simple and concise form, most understandable to most people. We hope that our article was useful to our readers. We wish you to always remain healthy, let the diseases pass you by!