Upper respiratory infections are common conditions with predominant damage of respiratory tract. URI is caused by various aetiologic agents (viruses, micoplasmas, bacterias). Immune system after past diseases is strongly compound-specific to virus of influenza, parainfluenza, herpes, rhinovirus.
That is why one and the same person may get diseased with acute respiratory disease up to 7 times throughout a year. The source of infection is a diseased person with clinically showed or hiden symptoms of acute respiratory disease. Virus transmission occurs mainly via airbone. URI occurs as individual cases or epidemic outbreaks.
Symptoms and the course
URI is characterized with mild symptoms of general intoxication, damage of upper respiratory tract and benign course. Damage of respiration organs shows as rhinitis, rhinopharyngitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, bronchitis, pneumonia.
Some aetiologic agents besides manifestations mentioned above also cause another symptoms: conjunctivitis, mild symptoms of herpangina in enterovirus diseases, syndrome of catarrhal croup in parainfluenza infections. The duration of the disease without pneumonia is 2 – 8 days. In pneumonia (often caused by microplasmas, respiratory syncytial virus and adenovirus along with bacterial infection) the duration is 3 – 4 weeks and is more hardly cured.
Recognition
URI is recognized clinically – diagnosis “URI” is made and its breakdown is given (rhinitis, nasopharyngitis). Etiological diagnosis is made only after laboratory tests.
Treatment
Antibiotics and other chemotherapeutic compounds are not effective because they do not act on the virus. Antibiotics may be prescribed in acute bacterial respiratory diseases. Treatment is performed at home. In ceses when patient suffers from fever it is recommended bed regimen. Are prescribed nosotropic and fever-reducing remedies.
Preventive Measures
Vaccination is performed. In order to prevent A influenza it is recommended to use remantadin.
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