The inflammatory process on the tracheal mucosa is called tracheitis. The disease is acute or chronic and rarely occurs in isolation. Usually, the inflammation descends from the upper respiratory tract. The main symptom of tracheitis is a dry, excruciating cough. In the proposed article, we will consider in detail how this disease proceeds and will give recommendations for the competent treatment of tracheitis.
Causes
Acute and chronic inflammation have some differences in the causes. Let's take a look at some of them.
Acute tracheitis
1. Infections caused by the following microorganisms:
- Streptococci.
- Haemophilus influenzae.
- Klebsiella.
- Staphylococcus aureus.
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
- Moracella.
- Anaerobic bacteria.
- Viruses (influenza, parainfluenza and others).
2. Toxic effect on the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract of toxic substances (gasoline vapors, paints, chemicals and others).
3. Breakdown in the immune system occurs acute allergic tracheitis.
Chronic tracheitis
If acute inflammation is treated with inadequate methods (self-medication, preference for folk remedies), then there is a high probability that the process will turn into a chronic stage. Several other factors contribute to this:
- smoking, alcohol;
- prolonged exposure to toxic fumes;
- emphysema of the lungs;
- chronic adenoiditis and tonsillitis;
- diseases of the heart and kidneys.
Symptoms of tracheitis
Everyone knows a painful dry cough, especially at night. This is a typical symptom of the disease. A cough with tracheitis is often preceded by a sore throat. The sputum after a coughing fit is very scanty.
Another characteristic symptom is pain and burning sensation behind the breastbone during coughing. This symptom (especially if the patient is not treated) becomes so painful that the person begins to restrict his breathing, takes shallow breaths so as not to provoke another attack of coughing. This significantly worsens the psychosomatics of tracheitis.
Of the other symptoms that accompany tracheitis, the following can be distinguished:
- fever and general weakness as a sign of any infectious process;
- signs of respiratory failure (noisy inhalation and exhalation, retraction of the intercostal muscles during inhalation, pallor of the skin);
- symptoms of concomitant rhinopharyngitis (nasal discharge, lack of nasal breathing, sore throat);
- when involved in the process of the vocal cords - hoarseness of the voice or its complete loss.
If tracheitis is the result of an exclusively viral process, then the sputum separated when coughing has a transparent mucous appearance. Thick gray-yellow sputum indicates the development of purulent tracheitis. This symptom is very important to consider when prescribing specific therapy.
Symptoms of chronic tracheitis do not differ from acute, only periods of exacerbations are replaced by relative health. The disease lasts for a long time. Chronic tracheitis is treated for a long time and not always successfully, since it is often impossible to get rid of the provoking factor (smoking, smog and exhaust fumes). The causative agents are often opportunistic bacteria that are present in the body in small quantities and in normal conditions. These pathogens are resistant to antibiotics and exist, in particular, inside the cells of the tracheal mucosa.
Tracheitis is of particular concern to some patients. Tracheitis during pregnancy delivers many exciting moments for expectant mothers. What drugs are best for treatment, is tracheitis contagious for a baby, and so on. Any infectious disease in a pregnant woman (including tracheitis) is more severe and requires more care and proper treatment. The causative agent of tracheitis can penetrate the placenta and infect the fetus, the process can quickly "descend" into the bronchi and lungs. Therefore, pregnant women at the first sign of tracheitis should immediately consult a doctor.
The question of how dangerous tracheitis is for a child always worries parents. In children, inflammation spreads faster to adjacent parts of the respiratory tube. Acute inflammation of the larynx may develop - false croup (with attacks of suffocation, life-threatening) or bronchopneumonia.
The symptomatology of the disease in children is the same as in adults. The difference is in the severity of the general condition. In a child, the temperature rises to higher numbers, the symptoms of intoxication are more pronounced. Coughing fits disrupt sleep, make children moody. Younger patients are more likely to develop signs of respiratory distress.
The disease in adults has a relatively favorable course. With proper therapy, after a few days, the cough becomes moist, the general condition improves and the patient recovers without any particular consequences. The exception is patients with bad habits (smoking, alcohol) or constantly in unfavorable conditions (in gas-polluted places, in smoky stuffy rooms). In such cases, the acute process is more difficult to treat, often leads to complications and becomes a chronic process.
Diagnostics
The diagnosis of tracheitis is usually made on the basis of a detailed analysis of complaints and examination of the patient. Diagnostic search is aimed mainly at determining the type and cause of the inflammatory process. Here are some tests that are prescribed for a patient with suspected tracheal inflammation:
- general blood test - allows you to immediately determine the viral or bacterial nature of the disease;
- a swab from the throat and nose - detects the pathogen and its sensitivity to antibacterial drugs;
- collection of sputum and its examination for mycobacterium tuberculosis;
- laryngotracheoscopy - allows you to timely detect the transition of an acute process into a chronic one for a specific type of tracheal mucosa;
- consultation with an allergist and an allergy test (if there is a suspicion of an appropriate cause of tracheitis);
When diagnosing, one should remember about other diseases that are accompanied by a dry, debilitating cough: pulmonary tuberculosis, whooping cough, diphtheria, stenosing laryngitis, foreign body, lung cancer.
Diagnosis in children
When examining children, much attention is paid to the data of an objective examination. The child often cannot describe his complaints, so the doctor will conduct a more thorough examination.
On auscultation of the chest, hard breathing is heard. Wheezing is not typical for tracheitis (if they are found in a child, then they indicate the development of bronchitis or pneumonia).
In children, an X-ray of the lungs is more often prescribed, since there is a greater likelihood of "lowering" the process into the bronchi and lungs.
Examination of the larynx with a laryngoscope allows timely diagnosis of the spread of edema to the vocal cords and avoids a formidable complication for the child - false croup.
Diagnosis in adults
The disease in adult patients is determined on the basis of specific complaints. With the help of additional instrumental studies in adults, the stage of the process is determined - acute or chronic.
Complications
We have already mentioned some of the dangerous complications of tracheitis. Let's dwell on them in more detail:
- Development of bronchial tracheitis and pneumonia. A frequent complication of incorrect, untimely therapy and in patients with a weakened immune system. The difference between tracheitis and bronchitis is as follows: the general condition of the patient worsens, intoxication, shortness of breath and other signs of respiratory failure increase, a creak appears in the lung after tracheitis. This complication requires immediate hospitalization of the patient.
- False croup in children. Due to the anatomical narrowness of the glottis in a child, the spread of edema to the mucous membrane of the larynx leads to acute attacks of suffocation. Such a complication is the reason for an immediate call to an ambulance.
- Bronchial asthma is a severe complication of allergic tracheitis.
Treatment of tracheitis
Treatment of acute and chronic tracheitis is a complex process that requires the appointment of specific medications depending on the cause of the disease, the stage of the process, the presence of complications and concomitant diseases. This task is successfully coped with in the medical center "Clinic K + 31".
In our center, the patient undergoes comprehensive diagnostics, which allows prescribing exactly those drugs that will affect the immediate cause of the disease. Competent doctors must take into account the individual characteristics of the patient (the presence of concomitant diseases, individual drug intolerance, possible side effects).
This approach allows you to quickly get rid of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease and prevent the transition of tracheitis into a chronic process.
Prevention of tracheitis
In the prevention of tracheitis, a healthy lifestyle and a careful attitude to one's health are of great importance. Patients are advised to spend more time outdoors, ventilate the premises, and get rid of bad habits.
