Under the diagnosis of acute respiratory disease (ARI) is meant a wide range of diseases of the respiratory area, which can be caused by:
- microbial pathogens (some types of pneumococcus, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Legionella, etc.);
- viral pathogens (adenoviruses, enteroviruses, influenza viruses, coronoviruses, etc.);
- mixed pathogens (viral-microbial).
Recent studies in the field of the onset of diseases have established that sometimes intracellular parasites such as chlamydia and mycoplasmas can provoke a frequent disease of ARI, and also cause it.
Signs and symptoms of the disease
The first signs of ARI appear, most often, on the third or fourth day after infection. Sometimes the incubation period of the disease increases to 10-12 days. In adults, the symptoms of acute respiratory infections manifest themselves smoothly, with a gradual increase:
- a runny nose, stuffy nose and sneezing is the most frequent and vivid symptom;
- lacrimation - present in most cases of the disease;
- Perspiration in the throat and its redness, sometimes a white coating is possible;
- chills and feverish conditions;
- enlargement of lymph nodes located on the neck and under the jaws.
In addition to these, the main signs, ARI in adults can have such manifestations:
- The rise in temperature, despite the chills, is most often not observed or is small (37-37.5 degrees).
- Headache, general weakness, lethargy, aches in muscles and joints - all these characteristic signs of an organism intoxication during ARI are weakly expressed at the very beginning of the disease.
- Cough with acute respiratory disease occurs, in most cases, at the very beginning it is dry and jerky. With the course of the disease, most often, cough becomes more moist and may continue for some time after the disappearance of other symptoms.
- When infected with adenovirus, there may be symptoms of ARI such as abdominal pain and redness of the eyes.
As a rule, acute respiratory disease lasts for 6-8 days and passes without consequences. Possible complications of ARI can be:
- laryngitis ;
- bronchitis;
- pharyngitis;
- pneumonia.
Symptoms of influenza
One type of acute respiratory disease is influenza. Manifestations of the disease with this virus are strikingly different from other ARI. For the flu is characterized by a sharp onset of the disease with such symptoms:
- high temperature (up to 39-40 degrees), persisting for 3-4 days;
- resists and pain in the eyes;
- intoxication of the body (eye reaction to light, sweating, weakness, dizziness);
- easy stuffiness of the nose, sneezing.
From the side of the nasopharynx, in the first days of the disease, it is possible to observe hyperemia of the palate and the posterior pharyngeal wall without reddening. White plaque, as a rule, is absent, and its appearance may indicate the accession of another infection or disease with angina, rather than influenza.
Cough may be absent or occur on day 2-3 of the disease and be accompanied by pain in the thoracic region, which is explained by the inflammation in the trachea.
Also, the distinguishing feature of this type of acute respiratory disease is the absence of enlarged lymph nodes.
After recovery, for some time, approximately 10-15 days, symptoms of asthenic syndrome may persist:
- fast fatiguability;
- weakness;
- headache.
Complications after a flu can be quite severe. In addition to exacerbation of chronic diseases, influenza can cause secondary bacterial infections. It:
- otitis media;
- eustachiitis ;
- sinusitis;
- bacterial pneumonia.
For the elderly, the flu can cause disorders in the cardiovascular system.