Upper respiratory infection: causes, symptoms, and treatment

Acute Upper Respiratory Infection
Introduction
An acute upper respiratory infection (URI) is also referred to as the common cold. It normally affects the nasal passages and throat. The upper respiratory tract consists of the nose, pharynx, throat, bronchi, and larynx. Treatment for acute URI is usually simple not unless one has a chronic respiratory condition like asthma. This is one of the most common illnesses that leads to more doctor visits and absenteeism from work and school than any other illness every year. During a one-year period, it is estimated that people in the United States will suffer one billion colds (Santee et al., 2016). Acute URI is mostly caused by a virus, however, there are others that might be caused by bacteria. The virus will inflame the membranes in the lining of the nose and throat. There are more than 200 different viruses that can cause colds. The virus that causes the majority of colds is the rhinoviruses. While the common cold is the most known URI there are others like sinusitis, epiglottitis, pharyngitis, and tracheobronchitis. It should be noted that influenza is not a URI because it is a systemic illness. An acute URI is normally harmless, although it might not feel harmless. Children who are younger than six years are the greatest risk of suffering from colds. Healthy adults can expect to have about two or three colds annually. A common cold will clear in a week or 10 days. Smokers are likely to experience symptoms for longer periods. If the symptoms do not improve as the days pass one should see a doctor.
The cold virus enters a person's body through their mouth, nose, or eyes. The virus can spread through droplets in the air after a person who is sick coughs, talks, or sneezes. The virus can also be spread by hand-to-hand contact with an infected person. Sharing contaminated objects like utensils, toys, telephones, or towels. When a person touches their nose, mouth, or eyes after contact with an infected person they are likely to catch a cold. Children younger than six years are at a greater risk of getting colds especially if they are in child-care settings. These children do not have a strong immune system. Since children tend to touch their eyes, mouth, and nose quite often they are most likely to get or spread the virus.
Prescriptive Drug Therapies
There is not medicine or prescription that can cure an acute URI. The goal of medication is to ease the symptoms and reduce the discomfort that is caused by the symptoms of URI. Silverman et al. (2017) posits people should avoid taking antibiotics when they have acute URI. This is because antibiotics cannot cure viruses and they are only used for treating bacterial infections. There is a tendency for people to purchase antibiotics when they have acute URI and this causes the body to have antibiotic resistance.
To ease the discomfort of acute URI one should consider using the following medications. Analgesics are used for reducing pain and fever. The preferred Analgesic is acetaminophen. However, one should not take more than one drug that has acetaminophen as too much acetaminophen can damage their liver. Aspirin should be avoided as it might cause a person to develop Reye's Syndrome. Antihistamines can be used to dry out the nose. When taking antihistamines, one should avoid driving or performing complex tasks since the drugs do cause drowsiness. While there are non-drowsy alternatives, they might not be as effective as the other antihistamines when it comes to relieving the symptoms. Decongestants can be used to relieve a clogged, stuffy nose. One should try an oral decongestant like pseudoephedrine. However, there is a likelihood of nervousness, insomnia, and irritability occurring when taking decongestants. If you have uncontrolled high blood pressure or pregnant, you should avoid pseudoephedrine products.
Nasal steroids are used for the relief of a runny nose or sinus pressure. Antihistamines can also assist in relieving runny nose and sinus pressure. However, using specific nasal steroids like fluticasone or mometasone would be more effective in relieving the symptoms (Aglipay et al., 2017). Fluticasone can be purchased without a prescription, but mometasone needs a prescription. To assist in blowing the nose or to loosen mucus production one should use expectorants. The medications assist to thin the thick drainage coming out of the nose. This is helpful especially for children who will find it hard to blow their noses as hard as adults would. With thinning of the discharge, it becomes easy for it to be blown and reduces the congestion felt in the nose. Throat lozenges can be used to relieve a sore throat.
Other ways of treating acute URI are using prescription anti-flu medicines and flu vaccine. Prescription anti-flu medicines will not cure the flu. However, they will make the symptoms milder and makes one feel better more quickly. These drugs are only effective if they are used within the first 48 hours of a person developing flu-like symptoms. The medicines include rimantadine, zanamivir, amantadine, and oseltamivir. The drugs are not necessary for healthy people who get acute URI. These drugs are reserved for people who are quite sick with the flu or people who are at risk of complication from the flu.
The flu vaccine can either be by nasal spray or by a shot. It should be noted that there is no vaccine against the common cold, but there is a vaccine for preventing the flu. The vaccine works by exposing the immune system to the viruses. The body will respond by building antibodies against the flu.
Non-Prescriptive Drug Therapies
The medications one takes are for fighting or reliving the symptoms they do not cure acute URI. One should aim to make them self as comfortable as possible. Drinking plenty of fluids is highly recommended. This is aimed at ensuring that one does not get dehydrated. However, one should not overdo it with the fluids. Taking enough is all that is required. Keeping yourself hydrated is the goal here. You do secrete more fluids from the nose and one might also have a fever that can lead to additional loss of fluids (Lee & Cohen, 2015). It is for this reason that it is recommended that one takes plenty of fluids. Fluids that can lead or cause dehydration should be avoided. These include drinks with caffeine and alcohol. Warm fluids should be encouraged. warm fluids can soothe and loosen congestion. A stuffy nose can also be relieved by taking warm fluids. This way the symptoms will be reduced and one will feel much better. Consuming soups is encouraged as they give the body the required nutrients. When one has a cold, they might lose their appetite or find it hard to chew and swallow solid foods. Therefore, soups offer a better alternative for ensuring that one has all the required nutrients. Resting is highly recommended. If it is possible one should stay at home from school or work. This is because one might be drowsy after taking medications. Resting will also ensure that one does not spread the virus to others. Trying to work when not feeling well consumes lots of energy and one ends up feeling even worse. This is why it is recommended that one does take enough rest.
To ease a sore throat, one can try a saltwater gargle. The correct measurements are 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 4 to 8-ounce glass of warm water. This can temporarily relieve a sore throat. One can gargle as many times as they feel in order to relieve a sore throat or scratchy throat. The room should be kept warm at all times. Adjusting the temperature of the room will ensure that one is comfortable and they are not exposing them self to cold. However, one should not overheat the room. In case the air in the room is dry, a cool-mist humidifier can be used to moisten the air and assist to ease congestion and coughing. The humidifiers should be kept clean to prevent bacteria and molds from growing.
The best advice to Mr. Smith and the child is that the cold will clear after a week. Since they are planning on traveling, they should ensure that they keep the child warm at all times. Mr. Smith has requested for an antibiotic for the child. This should not be prescribed as it will not be effective in relieving the symptoms the child has (Silverman et al., 2017). The acute URI is viral and an antibiotic will not cure the virus. It might also lead to the child's body having antibiotic resistance and they will not be able to fight off infections that can be cured by antibiotics. The child should be prescribed medications that can assist in relieving the symptoms and help to make their travel less stressful. Mr. Smith should also be advised to postpone the travel if possible. This way the child will get enough rest and there is no chance of spreading the virus to others. Traveling means that they will meet and interact with different people along the journey. It might also be stressful for the child to experience different climates and zones when they are unwell.


References
Aglipay, M., Birken, C. S., Parkin, P. C., Loeb, M. B., Thorpe, K., Chen, Y., . . . Hoch, J. S. (2017). Effect of high-dose vs standard-dose wintertime vitamin D supplementation on viral upper respiratory tract infections in young healthy children. JAMA, 318(3), 245-254.
Lee, R. J., & Cohen, N. A. (2015). Role of the bitter taste receptor T2R38 in upper respiratory infection and chronic rhinosinusitis. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 15(1), 14.
Santee, C. A., Nagalingam, N. A., Faruqi, A. A., DeMuri, G. P., Gern, J. E., Wald, E. R., & Lynch, S. V. (2016). Nasopharyngeal microbiota composition of children is related to the frequency of upper respiratory infection and acute sinusitis. Microbiome, 4(1), 34.
Silverman, M., Povitz, M., Sontrop, J. M., Li, L., Richard, L., Cejic, S., & Shariff, S. Z. (2017). Antibiotic prescribing for nonbacterial acute upper respiratory infections in elderly persons. Annals of Internal Medicine, 166(11), 765-774.