subject: Upper Respiratory Infection Pathophysiology - Diagnosis And Cure [print this page] Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) is a typical ailment, popularly termed as 'common cold'. In general, it occurs through infiltration of bacteria or virus into the human respiratory region.
Pathophysiology:
In common cold, the mucous membrane is assailed upon. It happens through being close to an affected person by virtue of his extracts, or by particles of phlegm disposed during gentle coughs. It is therefore advisable to keep your mouth under wraps while coughing, or keeping your face away during sneezing. This obviates the splay of URI to gentry.
With the passage of time, when the pathogen becomes a body guest, it needs to get over with certain barriers before it causes the ailment. These barriers mostly comprise of:
- Nose hair
- Mucus
- Cells with cilia located in the lower part of the respiratory tract
- Stomach acids
The purpose of these barriers is to trap the foreign invaders to reduce your chances of getting a cold or the flu. The cells in the lower respiratory tract have cilia that capture and bring pathogens to the pharynx, where they can be swallowed and taken to the stomach where they can be destroyed by digestive juices in the stomach.
Your adenoids and tonsils:
The adenoids and tonsils help to defend against disease causing pathogens due to their immune cells that respond to foreign invaders. These cells include: Macrophages, Monocytes, Neutrophils and Eosinophils.
The general scope of nasopharyngeal passage that comprises of staph and strept even defend from pathogens. People with defective immunity, like AIDS, are in grave danger of contagion factor as their immunity is found grossly deficient.
In return, pathogens are equipped to struggle. Through genesis of toxins and proteases, and by creating capsules, they manage to keep choking of phagocytic cells at bay.
Warming periods are different for different sort of pathogens. Nasal viruses and common cold may take about 5 days to warm up. Pertussis is a serious kind which may eat up 10 to 21 days before manifesting itself. Epstein-Barr warming time may be around 42 days.
What kinds of symptoms are witnessed during upper respiratory infection?
For those who have never had the pleasure, symptoms of an upper respiratory infection (a cold) include:
- Runny nose
- Head congestion - Feels like there is a hug cork jammed into the middle of your face
- Nasal congestion - Caused by swollen nasal passages that have slammed completely shut
- Chest congestion - Bronchial airways clogged with mucus
- Coughing
- Sneezing
- Sore, scratchy throat
- Hoarseness
- Fever
Treatment:
The way to cure URI is to bring about a reduction in the symptoms. Colds are generally affected by virus, which antibiotics cannot counter. These medicines are effective against bacterium problems only. If you suffer from URI, you may take recourse to OTC medicines for cough, nasal flow, constriction, high temperature to mitigate manifestations and allow patients to breathe easy.
