When Sinusitis Or Bronchitis Strike After A Cold
Sinus infections and bronchitis both frequently accompany or follow a viral cold and involve inflammation of tissues and a high production of mucus. And all of that extra mucus has to go somewhere.
In the case of sinusitis, mucus often drains down the back of the throat leading to the dreaded symptom of post-nasal drip which can also make your throat sore and cause a persistent cough.
If you develop bronchitis, mucus collects in swollen bronchial tubes which makes you cough — a lot.
Symptoms commonly associated with bronchitis
- Cough that lasts 1-3 weeks
- Recent cold symptoms such as headache, nasal congestion or sore throat
- Mild shortness of breath or wheezing
How Is Allergic Rhinitis Treated In Children
Some corticosteroid nasal sprays can be used in children as young as 2 years.
Antihistamine tablets can be used for children with mild allergic rhinitis or young children who will not tolerate nasal sprays. Some can be taken by children as young as 12 months. Only newer antihistamines, which cause less sleepiness, should be given to children.
Montelukast tablets are effective for some children.
Your doctor may recommend other medicines.
Treatment Of Allergic Bronchitis: Basic Medications
Treatment of allergic bronchitis must necessarily include the definition of a disease-causing allergen and maximum limitation of contact with it.
Drug therapeutic agents should, on the one hand, reduce the intensity of the allergic reaction, and these are antihistamines. On the other hand, it is necessary to reduce coughing and ease breathing, for which expectorant and bronchodilator drugs are prescribed.
Such drugs as suprastin, diazolin and tavegil reduce the manifestation of allergy. The most well-known and frequently used medicine suprastin is prescribed to adults and children over 14 years old, one tablet 3 times a day, and for intramuscular administration – 1-2 ml. Children up to 14 years prescribed 0.5 tablets three times a day. The daily dose should not exceed 100 mg. Side effects of suprastin expressed in weakness, lethargy and dizziness. Among the contraindications – gastric ulcer, glaucoma, prostate adenoma, an attack of bronchial asthma. During pregnancy and lactation, suprastin is strictly contraindicated.
The antihistamine tavegil is available in the form of a solution for injection, syrup and tablets, its effect after ingestion reaches a maximum after 7 hours and lasts for 10-12 hours. It is not prescribed to children under one year old, pregnant and lactating women, with diseases of the lower respiratory tract, prostate, thyrotoxicosis, heart failure and high blood pressure.
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What Is Allergic Bronchitis
Do you suffer from a nagging cough that just wont go away? While these days most of us are first inclined to associate a cough with COVID-19, many other conditions can cause chronic coughing.
One common condition is allergic bronchitis or chronic bronchitis. Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes that carry air into your lungs. When you have bronchitis your airways produce too much mucus, making it difficult to breathe.
Unlike acute bronchitis, which usually resolves in a few days or weeks, chronic bronchitis lasts for several months and comes back two or more years in a row.
What Is The Treatment
Treatments for allergic and asthmatic bronchitis are generally similar and may include:
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilators are drugs that relax the muscles around the airways. As the muscles relax, the airways open or widen, which often makes breathing easier. People take bronchodilators with a metered dose inhaler. Both short-acting and long-acting bronchodilators are available. Short-acting bronchodilators act quickly to reduce symptoms, but their effect is not long lasting. Long-acting bronchodilators do not relieve symptoms as quickly but control symptoms for longer.
Steroids
Steroids can also be used to treat allergic bronchitis. Steroids reduce inflammation in the bronchi. This action reduces coughing and can aid air flow in the lungs. Although steroids can be an intravenous or oral medication, a doctor will often administer them through an inhaler in cases of bronchitis. This allows the drugs to be delivered to the area requiring treatment faster and more effectively.
Mucolytics
A mucolytic drug is a drug that makes mucus thinner and less sticky. This makes it easier to cough up the mucus from the lungs. People can take mucolytics by mouth or through a nebulizer. A nebulizer is a device that converts a liquid medicine into aerosol. A person can then breathe this aerosol.
Oxygen therapy
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Think You Have A Sinus Infection
Sinus infections can be viral or bacterial in nature. If your symptoms arent improving after 10 days or are getting worse, your infection could be bacterial. A healthcare provider can prescribe antibiotics to clear up the infection.
How do you know if you have a sinus infection and not just a bad head cold? It can be tricky to tell. In general, if youve had a cold for more than a week that wont go away or seems like its getting worse, you could be dealing with a sinus infection.
Common sinus infection symptoms
How Do You Find Out If Allergy Is Playing A Role In Your Asthma
After taking your medical history, your doctor may perform skin prick tests or blood tests for allergen specific IgE to demonstrate the presence of antibodies to one or several allergens. These tests are medically and scientifically proven. Your doctor may decide to refer you to a clinical immunology/allergy specialist for testing, particularly in the case of suspected severe allergies, including those to foods, medicines or insects.
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What Is The Difference Between Asthma And Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an obstructive lung disorder thats similar to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although bronchitis and asthma are both related and are both lung disorders, they have different causes.
People who develop bronchitis do so because of a respiratory infection or an underlying health condition, such as an autoimmune disorder or cystic fibrosis.
Asthma and bronchitis are also different on a cellular level. Asthma is linked to cells that are related to inflammation, whereas bronchitis is linked to cells involved in fighting infection.
The symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, and asthmatic bronchitis are generally very similar. Because of this, it can be difficult to tell the conditions apart without an official diagnosis.
These symptoms may include:
- difficulty breathing
- a low-grade fever
You may not be able to tell if you have bronchitis or an asthma flare-up without specialized lung function tests from your doctor. You should seek medical treatment if:
- your condition worsens
- your condition doesnt improve with the use of your asthma inhaler
- you develop a fever of about 102°F or higher
Your doctor will do more specific testing to determine if your symptoms are being caused by asthma or bronchitis. If youre coughing up any sputum, you may have bronchitis.
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Can A Cold Turn Into Pnuemonia Or Bronchitis
Unfortunately, some cold and flu illnesses can develop into more severe conditions including bronchitis, pneumonia, or sinus/ear infections. Bronchitis is of particular concern as it can develop into pneumonia or the increasingly common Chronic Obstructive PulmonaryChronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
A group of progressive lung disorders characterized by increasing breathlessness.
Know Your Pollen Triggers
You can be allergic to more than one kind of pollen across the year. Different pollens are released at different times, but our changeable weather makes it hard to predict exactly when. If you have hay fever symptoms all year round you might have non-allergic rhinitis.
- If you regularly get hay fever and take , start taking them up to four weeks before you normally get symptoms. Starting them early means that when pollen starts being released, the medication has already built up in your bloodstream so you may be less likely to react.
- If you usually use a steroid nasal spray, it can take up to two weeks to start working, so again, start using it before your personal pollen trigger is released.
Use our pollen calendar
To work out which pollen sets off your hay fever, note the days when your symptoms are bad. Use our pollen calendar to see which pollen could be your trigger, and when its likely to be released.
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What Is Acute Bronchitis
Bronchitis is inflammation of the breathing tubes. These airways are called bronchi. This inflammation causes increased mucus production and other changes. Although there are several different types of bronchitis, the most common are acute and chronic. Acute bronchitis may also be called a chest cold.
Most symptoms of acute bronchitis last for up to 2 weeks. The cough can last for up to 8 weeks in some people. Chronic bronchitis lasts a long time. It is more common among smokers.
Food Allergies And Asthma: What Is The Connection
Previously, the doctors were only aware of airborne allergies that can cause asthma.
But today, it has been recognized that food allergies can also trigger the asthma attack for patients suffering from respiratory disorders.
While it is true that having food allergies does not always cause asthma, but in many cases coexistence of asthma and food allergy is evident.
Studies reveal that in case asthma and food allergy exist at the same time, the symptoms of the asthma attack can be severe and life-threatening.
How Does Food Trigger Asthma Attacks?
When your body gets in contact with a particular allergy-causing food, the immune system of the body overreacts to release histamine chemical. This chemical is the major factor which is responsible for showing the symptoms of an allergic reaction.
These symptoms may include sneezing, sore throat, itchy and watery eyes, itchiness of the skin, etc.
Now, if you are suffering from asthma, this food allergy can also trigger symptoms like coughing, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, chest tightness, etc.
These asthma symptoms which are mainly triggered due to food allergy, often makes it confusing for people to understand whether it is a usual asthma attack or asthma triggered due to an allergic reaction.
To get the confirmation, it is best to check with your asthma doctor. After a few tests, they can let you know exactly about the causes of the allergic reactions and the type of food allergen you are suspecting to do them harm.
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Treatment For Acute Bronchitis
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Antibiotics usually arenât helpful because acute bronchitis is almost always caused by a virus, which will not respond to antibiotics. Antibiotics are usually only needed if your doctor diagnoses you with whooping cough or pneumonia.
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Medications called bronchodilators are used to open tight air passages in the lungs. Your doctor may prescribe this type of medicine if you are wheezing.
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Your doctor will tell you to drink more fluids to help thin mucus in the lungs, rest and soothe your airways by increasing humidity in the air with a cool mist humidifier.
Symptoms will usually go away within seven to 14 days if you donât have chronic pulmonary disease. However, in some people it may take much longer for the cough to go away.
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Cold Vs Allergies: Timing Is Everything
Respiratory allergies, such as allergic rhinitis , often look a lot like a cold. Begin by checking your kids temperature: if they have a fever, its not an allergy. Hay fever also comes with considerable itchiness of the eyes, nose, and roof of the mouth.
However,the most telling sign of an allergy is its duration and the timing of the symptoms.Most people recover from a cold after 10-15 days at the most, and theirsymptoms improve during that time. If your childs symptoms persist after twoweeks, look into it. You should also investigate further: do other kids atschool have similar symptoms? Most likely, its a viral cold. Do the symptomsget worse at specific times of the day? After spending time outdoors doingsports? The culprit is probably an allergy.
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Foods That Can Trigger Asthma Attack
People who suffer from asthma are often allergic to certain foods as well. Coming into contact with these food allergies can lead to severe allergic reactions. Signs and symptoms of asthma such as wheezing, difficulties breathing, coughing, etc., will get worse. Certain foods can cause a greater risk for a severe and life threatening asthma attack. For this reason, it is very important to avoid the foods that you are allergic to. Good news is that only few people who suffer with asthma need a special diet.
Can Allergies Turn Into Bronchitis
Since allergies affect our airways, can they turn into bronchitis? Allergic reactions cause inflammation of the airways, which results in problems breathing. While irritating the respiratory tract, this inflammation also increases mucus production. This then makes it even harder to breathe.
Bronchitis is by definition inflammation of the bronchial tubes. Bronchi are organs that carry air into the lungs. When a person takes a breath through the nose or mouth, air travels to the larynx, then the trachea, and to the bronchi.
There are two bronchi, left and right. The bronchi branch off smaller and smaller as they get into the lung tissues. The smaller bronchi, known as bronchioles, carry air to tiny sacs, or alveoli. This is where gas exchange takes place. Oxygen moves into the blood while carbon dioxide goes into the alveoli and exhaled.
There are a few ways someone may develop bronchitis, and allergies are one of them. Allergic bronchitis is the name of it. Meanwhile, asthma may cause asthmatic bronchitis. Infections could also cause the illness.
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How Do You Know If You Are Having An Asthma Attack
An asthma attack happens when the body is exposed to a triggerlike pollen or smokethat causes the airways to become inflamed and swollen.
Asthma attacks are uncomfortable to experience and can be frightening, especially for children. If you or someone you know is having any of the following symptoms, they may be having an asthma attack:
- Difficulty breathing
- Chest tightness or pain
- Coughing or wheezing
An asthma attack may go away after a few minutes with proper treatment, but symptoms can last longer and become life-threatening if untreated. Seek medical attention immediately if you or someone you know is having a severe asthma attack with one or more of the following symptoms:
- A feeling of panic about the asthma attack
- Pale and sweaty face
How Is Acute Bronchitis Treated
Acute bronchitis is usually mild and does not cause complications. The symptoms often resolve on their own and lung function goes back to normal.
In most cases, antibiotics are not needed to treat acute bronchitis. Thats because most of the infections are caused by viruses. Antibiotics are not effective against viruses. If it has progressed to pneumonia, then antibiotics may be necessary.
Treatment is aimed at treating the symptoms, and may include:
- Avoiding exposure to secondhand smoke
- Cough medicine
- Pain relievers and fever reducers, such as acetaminophen
- Quitting smoking
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
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What Is The Outlook For People With Bronchitis
People who have acute bronchitis generally have very few problems with their recovery as long as they get the treatment they need. You can expect to stay home from work or school for a few days while you are recovering.
Although chronic bronchitis/COPD cannot be cured, its symptoms can be treated and your quality of life can be improved. Your prognosis, or outlook, for the future will depend on how well your lungs are functioning and your symptoms. It will also depend on how well you respond to and follow your treatment plan.
Can Allergic Rhinitis Make Asthma Worse
Hay fever can make asthma harder to control. People with asthma who also have allergic rhinitis have more visits to hospital or emergency departments and more time off work or school than other people with asthma.
Some people find that the things that trigger their asthma will also make their allergic rhinitis worse. These could include things they are allergic to or cold air, cigarette smoke or other irritating fumes.
Effective treatment for allergic rhinitis may reduce the chance of severe asthma attacks, and make the lungs work better.
People with allergic rhinitis who are allergic to grass pollens can have asthma attacks caused by springtime thunderstorms. These mainly occur in October-November, in places where there is a lot of grass pollen . Very severe asthma attacks triggered by thunderstorms are more likely in people who have asthma as well as allergic rhinitis especially if their asthma is not well controlled, or they are not taking regular preventer medication for their asthma.
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Causes Of Allergic Bronchitis
Allergy is so many-sided that some people show sneezing and a runny nose during flowering plants, others have watery eyes, for example, detergent . Skin rash may appear when you use a product or after using a cosmetic. A lot of those who, without any cold or other obvious reason, entertain coughing fits.
That is, the main cause of allergic bronchitis is allergens that, with inhaled air, enter the human body and settle on the bronchial mucosa. The list of “inveterate” allergens includes plants , wool , bird feather, and detergents, and even ordinary dust in a city apartment. Experts note that a single product, drug or allergen of bacterial etiology is capable of provoking allergic bronchitis.
In any case, allergic bronchitis in adults is not the result of a cold, but an allergic reaction. However, doctors treat this disease as one of the variants of the chronic form of inflammation of the bronchi, since the main symptoms of these diseases are absolutely identical.
If you promptly resort to the help of doctors, you can avoid the progression of allergic bronchitis, which in the absence of adequate treatment will inevitably turn into allergic obstructive bronchitis or bronchial asthma.
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