Bronchitis is an inflammatory process in the tissues of the bronchial mucosa. Like most diseases, bronchitis can be of two forms - acute and chronic. As a rule, it is associated with diseases of the upper respiratory tract, but there is also a group of bronchitis that accompany chronic pathological processes that occur in the lungs (chronic bronchopneumonia, infiltrative processes, tubercular bronchoadenitis). There are also bronchitis associated more with the general state of the body, and not with the condition of the lungs (for example, allergic bronchitis in bronchial asthma). Often, bronchitis occurs against the background of the general weakness of the body - with rickets, metabolic disorders, problems with digestion or nutrition, with gross non-observance of the daily regimen and hygiene standards. More often bronchitis is accompanied by additional diseases of the respiratory tract - laryngitis, rhinopharyngitis, tracheitis, tonsillitis, etc. The main methods of treatment are: removal of the edema of the lung tissue and reducing inflammation. In this article, we will consider in detail the symptoms of various types of bronchitis and talk about how to determine the bronchitis in a child.
Acute bronchitis in children: symptoms
The first signs of bronchitis in children are:
- changes in behavior. The child becomes capricious, irritable, loses appetite, sleeps badly;
- increased body temperature;
- dry wheezing (or coughing) and "hard" breathing in the early days of the illness;
- a few days later the cough becomes wet, the general condition of the child improves. Coughing attacks are most often at night.
With a mild, uncomplicated form of acute bronchitis, treatment lasts an average of one to two weeks.
Chronic bronchitis in children
Chronic bronchitis in children has similar symptoms, but they are expressed slightly less strongly than in the acute form of the disease. Bronchitis, which has passed into a chronic form, is difficult to treat, parents and children should always follow the doctor's recommendations regarding the regime of the day, nutrition and preventive measures. In the home medicine chest should always be funds for emergency removal of edema, special inhalers. Without timely and adequate treatment, bronchitis passes into bronchial asthma. Attacks of recurrent bronchitis, as a rule, are associated with sources of chronic inflammation (in children it can be chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis, adenoiditis, rhinopharyngitis, etc.).
Recurrent bronchitis in children
Unlike chronic bronchitis, which lasts for many years, recurrent bronchitis usually is a recurrence of periodic within 1-2 years. Repetition of recurrent bronchitis in children is observed 2-4 times a year (more often in the off-season and during unfavorable epidemiological periods). In this case, the exacerbation can take place without spasmodic bronchi.
Obstructive bronchitis in children: symptoms
Obstructive bronchitis is characterized by the presence of bronchospasm, therefore one of the most important areas of treatment is its withdrawal. Diagnosis and treatment are made only by a doctor. Do not try to cure bronchitis yourself. In obstructive bronchitis in children, it is important to distinguish the disease from bronchial asthma and pneumonia.
Allergic bronchitis in children: symptoms
Allergic bronchitis in children can be quite difficult to distinguish from bronchial asthma. Symptoms of these diseases are similar, the difference is only periodic attacks of suffocation. It is these difficulties that cause frequent confusion when, based on the medical history, doctors treat bronchitis when a child has asthma and vice versa.
So, the symptoms of asthmatic bronchitis in children are as follows:
- difficulty breathing;
- shortness of breath while exhaling;
- dry scattered rales in the lungs;
- a direct connection of exacerbations and contacts with an allergen. At the same time, after limiting such contact, the disease quickly passes into the stage of remission;
- on the X-ray, inflammation of the bronchi (of an allergic nature) without deformation of the walls and other significant changes in the lung tissue is seen.
Asthmatic bronchitis
Asthmatic bronchitis in children has the following symptoms:
- nocturnal coughing attacks;
- behavior change (irritability, lethargy, sleep disturbance);
- possibly a rise in body temperature;
- in the blood the content of histamine and immunoglobulins A and E is increased;
- Attacks of suffocation are not observed (in contrast to asthma).
If these symptoms occur in your child, contact your doctor immediately. Bronchitis, left without timely and proper treatment can cause serious complications, and even go into bronchial asthma.