Symptoms of acute respiratory infections and SARS in children and adults. Treatment

Table of contents:

Symptoms of acute respiratory infections and SARS in children and adults. Treatment
Symptoms of acute respiratory infections and SARS in children and adults. Treatment
Anonim

Every year during the cold season, millions of people around the world suffer from diseases caused by viruses. The first symptoms of acute respiratory infections - headache, weakness, nausea, fever - cause discomfort and interfere with a full life. How to properly treat acute respiratory infections? How to reduce the incidence of diseases in children? Our article will help you create the best anti-virus algorithm for yourself.

What is ARVI and ARI?

Almost 90% of infectious diseases are SARS - a group of diseases caused by acute respiratory viral infections. For example, it can be reovirus, respiratory syncytial, adenovirus, rhinovirus, parainfluenza virus, influenza. They differ from each other in their nature, the specifics of organ damage.

symptoms of acute respiratory disease
symptoms of acute respiratory disease

ARI is an acute respiratory illness caused by a virus or bacterium. Symptoms of acute respiratory infections in adults are expressed in the form of cough, runny nose, high fever, lack of appetite. This is the outer shell of the body's struggle with the disease, because we cannot see the internal processes, nor can we analyze their dynamics.

The main difference between ARI and SARS is its nature, essence. Such diseases occur due to harmful bacteria, hypothermia, while ARVI is of a purely viral origin. In addition, this term combines exacerbations of chronic infections, colds, and complications after them.

Why does an acute respiratory infection occur?

Now science knows more than 300 viruses that cause SARS. The airborne method of transmission contributes to the rapid and easy spread of the disease. Infection through common things, dirty skin of the hands is less common.

Symptoms of acute respiratory infections directly depend on the location of the inflammatory process. Depending on which part of the respiratory tract is affected by the virus, doctors diagnose:

- pharyngitis (inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx);

- rhinitis (damage to the nasal mucosa);

- laryngitis (larynx becomes inflamed);

- tonsillitis (tonsils suffer);

- bronchitis, bronchiolitis (inflammation of the bronchi, bronchioles).

Symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections in children and adults

Symptoms of acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections in children and adults are the same: fever, runny nose, cough. If you just chilled the day before and felt unwell, then you most likely have an acute respiratory disease. After all, SARS occurs only on the basis of infection with a certain virus from another person. There are many bacteria (not to be confused with viruses) on the mucous membranes of the human respiratory tract. After hypothermia, a long stay in a draft, heavy physical exertion, cold drinking, an additional burden is created on the body, which provides favorable conditions for the activation of bacteria. Symptoms of acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections may appear after a few hours or days, it all depends on the type of virus.

Algorithm of actions when the temperature rises

An increase in body temperature occurs due to the active production of special substances by the immune system that will fight the virus (interferon, antibodies). This is not the root of the problem, but an indicator of its presence. To bring down the temperature, you need to help the body lose heat, that is:

  1. Drink a lot, which will ensure normal perspiration. Compotes from berries, dried fruits, raspberry tea will be especially useful.
  2. Ensure the optimal temperature in the room (no higher than 18 degrees). Inhaling cool air will also require heat to be released, which will help bring down the temperature.

Remember! Symptoms of ARI in children should not be alleviated by methods such as a cold bath, wet sheets, ice packs. When the body feels cold, vasospasm occurs in the skin. As a result, blood flow and heat transfer slows down. The skin, of course, will become cold, but the internal organs will suffer from an even higher temperature. The only exception to this rule is the simultaneous use of antipyretic drugs with the procedure. But as self-sufficient methods of lowering the temperature, they are not only ineffective, but even dangerous.

acute respiratory infections without fever symptoms
acute respiratory infections without fever symptoms

The methods described above should be enough to provide favorable conditions for the body to fight the disease. But if the high temperature provokes convulsions, does not fall, the indicator of 39 degrees lasts for more than an hour, then taking medications is simply necessary. Remember that their effectiveness directly depends on your compliance with two main recommendations: drinking plenty of water and having cool air in the room.

ARI: symptoms and treatment

The safest and most proven antipyretic drugs most doctors consider:

- "Paracetamol" (analogues: "Panadol", "Eferalgan", "Tylenol").

- "Ibuprofen" ("Brufen", "Nurofen").

It is worth remembering that although these drugs have been tested by time and experience, they will be ineffective against strong viruses. Therefore, when the temperature rises, it makes sense to take them, but at the same time to trace the dynamics of the patient's condition. If the symptoms of acute respiratory infections do not go away for a long time, then this is no accident. Therefore, you should immediately consult a doctor for a full diagnosis.

symptoms of acute respiratory infections in adults
symptoms of acute respiratory infections in adults

ARI without fever: symptoms

As a rule, acute respiratory infections without fever are caused by rhinovirus. The reason is that the area of the nasopharynx is most open to him. We inhale cold air, over time, vasospasm occurs, the protective mucous mucus is produced less intensively, which creates favorable conditions for the introduction of viruses.

There is also an opinion that such a condition is an indicator of the good functioning of the immune system. After all, the infection is suppressed without the participation of the hypothalamus, which is responsible for the thermoregulation of the body (also during acute respiratory infections without temperature). Symptoms to look out for:

- runny nose;

- cough;

- muscle weakness.

The insidiousness of acute respiratory infections without fever is that the disease may not be given due importance and simply undertreated. And this leads to various complications, including bacterial ones (otitis media, sinusitis, laryngitis, tracheitis).

How to overcome a runny nose?

The appearance of liquid discharge from the nose is the first sign of a viral attack. As in the case of fever, a runny nose is not a problem, but an indicator of its presence in the body. Thus, our body tries to localize the source of harm in the nasal passages and not allow it to enter the respiratory tract. In addition, such hated snot contains special substances that kill the virus.

symptoms of acute respiratory infections in children
symptoms of acute respiratory infections in children

In order not to reduce their effectiveness, never let the slime dry. To do this, drink a lot and breathe cool, definitely not dry air (+22 is critical). If the nasal passages become completely dry, the person begins to breathe only through the mouth, which leads to the disappearance of mucus in the lungs and blockage of the bronchi (one of the common causes of pneumonia).

Treatment of acute respiratory infections of rhinovirus nature

Symptoms of acute respiratory infections (including the common cold) can be alleviated if available:

- cool air;

- plentiful drink;

- moisturizing the nasal passages with drops that will not allow the mucus to dry out (saline, nasal drops, etc.).

In case of a runny nose of a viral nature, in no case do not drip into the nose:

  1. Antibiotic solutions.
  2. Vasoconstrictor drops ("Nazol", "Nafthyzin", "Sanorin"). The fact is that they provoke the disappearance of mucus. At first glance, it becomes easier for a person. But the absence of discharge from the nose provokes swelling of the mucous membrane. Accordingly, you need to drip drops again to feel relief, but it will not come, and it will not fully reduce the symptoms of a runny nose.

Remember that the symptoms of acute respiratory infections in adults (including a runny nose) are a protective reaction of the body to the appearance of viruses and bacteria. It doesn't need to be targeted. The immune system will take care of the problem on its own. You just need to be able to correctly and in time to relieve the symptoms of a runny nose.

Cough: how to treat

Cough is a natural reaction of the body to an irritant (in the case of acute respiratory infections - a viral nature). It clears mucus from the lungs and helps restore normal breathing.

ORZ symptoms and treatment
ORZ symptoms and treatment

Although coughing up phlegm and pushes it out as an unsafe environment for viruses and bacteria to multiply, this does not mean that it is necessary to achieve its complete drying. Such an action, as in the case of a runny nose, will only lead to the disappearance of special enzymes with an antiviral effect and blockage of the bronchi. Therefore, the previous recommendations: cool air and plenty of fluids are also relevant in the fight against cough symptoms.

How dangerous is self-treatment?

Never prescribe your own cough medicine. Symptoms of ARI can be of a different nature. Without knowing the true cause of its occurrence, you will not be able to feel the benefits of the drug and, most likely, will only aggravate the situation. The fact is that coughing is designed to help the body fight the virus, it is not the root of the problem, but rather the opposite. Therefore, only a doctor should tell you which medicine to choose: depressing it or provoking increased expectoration!

After all, in the case when you need to get rid of excess sputum in the airways, you can, on the advice of friends, buy a cough suppressant, resulting in the following: sputum is not expectorated, the bronchi are clogged, bronchitis or pneumonia begins. And instead of a cured throat, we get a serious illness that requires a long course of antibiotic therapy.

Cough should not be removed at any cost, but to alleviate its symptoms, stop the infection in the throat and prevent it from falling lower. While waiting for the doctor, you can take Bromhexine, potassium iodide, Lazolvan. But the full treatment should be prescribed by a qualified physician after examination.

Features of the course and treatment of SARS in children

symptoms of ARVI and ARI
symptoms of ARVI and ARI

If SARS are not so terrible for adults, then the situation is different with children. Immunity is not yet formed, often weakened, and there are a lot of negative environmental factors. It is not so much the respiratory infections themselves that are dangerous, but the risk of their complications. Almost every third sick child is prone to them: from the side of the central nervous system, respiratory, cardiovascular. The younger the child, the more dangerous the complications.

In most cases, the baby begins to get very sick in the initial period of attending kindergarten. This is facilitated by the sad trend of unstable immunity. To restore it, follow a full-fledged diet, give vitamins and get vaccinated on time. These simple truths will help you reduce your incidence of illness.

Another nuance of the course of SARS in children is the occurrence of secondary immunodeficiency (or immune imbalance). It appears when, against the background of an almost receded disease, weakened immunity does not have time to recover, as a result, the body becomes very vulnerable to bacteria and viruses that successfully attack it.

acute respiratory infections without fever symptoms
acute respiratory infections without fever symptoms

Prevention of SARS will help you get sick less often and increase immunity. Try to avoid meeting with infected people, very crowded places. In winter, drink vitamins, eat well. And you will definitely feel the effect.

Symptoms of acute respiratory infections in humans are important to notice immediately and start treatment on time to avoid complications. With a sharp and high rise in temperature, be sure to consult a doctor, do not waste precious time. If a cold does not go away for 5-7 days, you need to conduct a deeper analysis of the symptoms and adjust the treatment.

Recommended: