Quite often, parents hear from a doctor the diagnosis of acute respiratory infections. But only a few know what the pediatrician means when he makes such a "verdict" and how this disease differs from the flu or ARVI, which is more understandable to the masses. The famous doctor Yevgeny Komarovsky tells what this mysterious abbreviation is and what parents should do if a child is diagnosed with this.
What it is?
ARI stands for quite simply - acute respiratory disease. This is a rather broad term, in which, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, doctors include viral respiratory infections (ARVI), respiratory tract infections by bacteria, and allergic ailments. Moreover, ARI implies both acute and chronic diseases.
Most often, a runny nose and cough in a child are caused by viruses. If the baby is then peterized, he has a cough, his nose does not breathe and snot pours out, many mistakenly believe that the little one has a cold. A cold is hypothermia, and it has nothing to do with a viral lesion. Although hypothermia really acts as an excellent "background" for the development of symptoms of a viral disease... But without the virus from cold alone, the disease does not occur.
Viruses enter the body most often through the nose. The body, in response, activates the production of nasal mucus, from which snot originates. If the virus has penetrated further, then a cough also appears.
Bacterial lesions of the upper and lower respiratory systems usually occur as a complication of a viral infection. If the snot has become thick, it means that the mucus can no longer cope with the virus, moreover, bacteria can multiply perfectly in it, which is what happens. Less commonly, a bacterial respiratory disease occurs as a primary, independent one.
With allergies, when the child's body cannot absorb and process any protein-antigen, respiratory symptoms also often occur - a runny nose and cough. This is especially true for children who are sensitive to blooms, pollen, house dust, household chemicals, some medicines, etc.
It is optimal if the doctor, to whom the child was brought with a runny nose and cough, will be able to make an accurate diagnosis and determine which pathogen "tried" - a virus, bacteria, fungus or allergen. But, unfortunately, modern pediatricians have very little time, and sometimes knowledge of their specialty, but there are a lot of calls and patients in the corridor of the clinic. And therefore, when the doctor cannot accurately formulate what caused the respiratory symptoms, or he does not have time to understand this issue, the same mysterious record appears in the child's medical record - ARI.
Thus, ARIs include:
- Rhinitis (including chronic and allergic.
- Pharyngitis.
- Nasopharyngitis.
- Tonsillitis.
- Laryngitis.
- Tracheitis.
- Bronchitis (all its forms).
- Bronchiolitis.
Of course, the record of "ARI" in the card should not satisfy sane parents, they should insist and clarify what kind of respiratory disease we are talking about - this is very important, first of all, for choosing treatment tactics.
Treatment according to Komarovsky
Viral diseases of a respiratory nature (90% of all cases of acute respiratory infections refer specifically to them) usually do not require any special treatment. The task of parents is to prevent thickening of mucus in the nose, so as to prevent bacteria from complicating the child's condition. Therefore, the baby needs to drink more warm liquid, saline solution should be instilled into the nose as often as possible so that the mucus remains liquid. While it is flowing from the nose, this is a normal process for the local immunity to fight invading viruses. If the flow stops, then a mistake has been made and the treatment will have to be reviewed.
Drying of mucus in the nose, as well as in the bronchi, which causes serious complications in the form of bronchitis, bronchiolitis and even pneumonia, is also facilitated by the conditions in which the sick child is.
The risks grow exponentially if a caring grandmother or mother wrapped the baby in five blankets and put an electric heater next to it. It is very bad if at the same time they gave the child antibiotics, which are not effective against viruses, and increase the likelihood of complications by 3-4 times.
Favorable conditions are when the room is no more than 18-20 degrees Celsius, and the relative humidity is in the range of 50-70%.
It is undesirable to knock down the temperature in case of viral acute respiratory infections, since it is an important element of the immune response, since interferons are produced faster during it. The main thing is to make sure that the child actively gives off excess heat, does not save it, so that there is no overheating. This requires plenty of drink and cool air. But heating pads with ice and cold rubbing, according to Komarovsky, are extremely dangerous for a child. They can cause vasospasm and an increase in the temperature of internal organs.
If the child is small, and the temperature is high (above 39.0), and he tolerates it very hard, then it is advisable, according to Evgeny Komarovsky, to give antipyretic drugs. "Paracetamol" and "Ibuprofen" are well suited for children.
It is not necessary to fight a runny nose if it is liquid. And everything must be done to make it runny if the nose is dry. For this, washings, saline irrigation of the nasal cavity are used.
The same approach is required for cough. It must be accepted as an important defense mechanism that allows the child to recover. You should not give antitussive drugs, since a decrease in the reflex will cause stagnation in the bronchi, and the likelihood of pneumonia from a distant theoretical possibility will turn into a near and probable future.
Too dry air and high body temperature increase the risk of drying out bronchial secretions.
If ARI is caused by allergies, you will need to find and eliminate the source of the allergens. Sometimes your doctor may recommend taking antihistamines and vasoconstrictor nasal drops. But you do not need to use medicines on your own to treat an allergic child - there is a risk of worsening his condition.
Bacterial respiratory ailments, which have arisen as an independent, primary disease, are usually quite difficult, and require treatment in a hospital with antibiotics only.
Prevention
To reduce the likelihood of contracting acute respiratory infections, you need to follow some safety measures:
- In a period of increasing mass incidence of viral infections and influenza, you should not visit places with a large presence of people with your child - mass events, supermarkets, shopping centers.
- It is advisable not to travel by public transport. If there is no car, it is helpful to walk a few stops on foot.
- In the cold season, you should not shorten your child's time for walks in the fresh air, especially in cold weather: catching the virus in such conditions is a difficult task.
- The child needs to be tempered and increase his immunity. This should be done, again, by walking, taking vitamins. It is not advisable to give antiviral and homeopathic antiviral drugs for prevention purposes. They do not have an efficacy that would be proven in a clinical setting and would satisfy the requirements of evidence-based medicine. Therefore, it is better to save money that you could spend on antiviral pills and buy fresh fruit for your child.
- A gauze mask is needed not for a healthy child, but for a sick one. Although it is not very effective in curbing the flow of viruses that are released when sneezing and coughing from a sick person, it is better than nothing.
- During the period of mass revelry of respiratory viruses, it is necessary to ventilate more thoroughly than usual, to humidify the microclimate in the room where the child lives, and also not to overheat. It is better to dress the baby warmer, but the room should be cool.
You will learn more about the treatment of acute respiratory infections in the following video.
