Tracheitis is called inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea. This disease often occurs in a complex combination with pharyngitis, rhinitis and laryngitis.
Tracheitis disease has two varieties and can occur both in acute and in chronic form. As a rule, the cause of acute illness is the spread of a viral infection in the body. Streptococci and staphylococci can be much less common pathogens.
Inhaling too dry and cold air with dust particles can also cause tracheitis.
Symptoms and treatment of tracheitis depend on its type. The main symptom that makes it possible to suspect the development of acute tracheitis is a dry cough, which intensifies at night and in the morning. Often attacks of debilitating coughing can occur with deep inhalation, as well as during laughter. Coughing with a disease such as tracheitis causes bruising pain. That is why people suffering from this disease, try as much as possible to restrict respiratory movements. If laryngitis is attached to the disease, then hoarseness of the voice may occur.
In most cases, the patient’s body temperature rises slightly - rise usually occurs in the evening. However, in children the symptoms and treatment of tracheitis have their own characteristics. In young children, the disease is more acute and is characterized by much more pronounced symptoms.
From the first day of the disease, sputum discharge is observed, initially insignificant. After a few days, sputum becomes mucopurulent and begins to separate more easily, so the pain during coughing attacks weakens.
In some cases, the inflammatory process can spread from the mucous membrane of the trachea to the large bronchi, which can lead to the appearance of complicated bronchitis.
It is worth remembering that the symptoms and treatment of tracheitis should be determined in a medical institution: a qualified specialist should determine the correct diagnosis and determine the treatment strategy. When making a diagnosis, the symptoms are taken into account and the trachea is examined using a laryngoscope.
Acute disease in certain circumstances can turn into chronic. The chronic form of this disease often occurs in smokers and alcohol abusers. Chronic diseases of the nasal cavity and sinuses also often lead to the development of chronic tracheitis.
Symptoms and treatment of tracheitis in a chronic form have their own distinctive features: inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea can be either atrophic or hypertrophic.
With atrophic phenomena, the mucosa becomes thinner and acquires an ashy shade. With hypertrophic tracheitis, a marked expansion of blood vessels and swelling of the mucous membrane, as well as strong sputum production, are observed.
In order to learn how to cure tracheitis, you need to see a doctor - a competent specialist will select the optimal treatment that takes into account the particular course of the disease in a particular patient.
As a rule, mustard plasters are prescribed for the chest area, as well as antibiotics and sulfonamide preparations in the form of aerosols. If the patient is tormented by a debilitating cough, then drugs such as libexin or codeine are prescribed. For improved sputum discharge, alkaline inhalations and expectorants are used to speed up the healing process.
In chronic tracheitis, the use of oil-alkaline inhalations is preferable.
In most cases, recovery from tracheitis occurs within two weeks.