Spring is bright, everything is recovering, everything is thriving, people can't help but feel good, but in this beautiful spring, some people are still troubled by respiratory diseases, why are respiratory diseases always recurring and old is not good? Is it not as simple as the common cold? Today we will take a look at the mixed infection of the respiratory tract.
01- What is a respiratory co-infection?
Respiratory co-infection refers to the simultaneous infection of multiple pathogenic microorganisms in the respiratory tract, causing acute upper respiratory tract infection, bronchitis or pneumonia and other diseases. Patients have two or more viral infections at the same time, or two or more pathogenic infections such as bacteria, mycoplasma, fungi, etc.
Common respiratory tract infection pathogens include: influenza virus, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, rhinovirus, adenovirus, human metapneumovirus, parainfluenza virus, hemolytic streptococcus, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, etc. The recent high incidence of pertussis, herpangina, hand, foot and mouth disease is also caused by respiratory pathogens such as pertussis bacillus and coxsackievirus.
The rapid change of temperature and the increase of outdoor interaction in spring are easy to cause cross-infection, which is the reason for the high incidence of respiratory tract infectious diseases. This year, there has been an increase in respiratory co-infections in various places, especially patients with co-infections such as influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Influenza virus combined with Mycoplasma pneumoniae and Streptococcus pneumoniae is also common. In addition, there are cases of influenza combined with new coronavirus infection.
02-What are the similarities and differences between respiratory co-infection and common cold symptoms?
Symptoms of respiratory tract mixed infection: the main manifestations are fever, runny nose, sore throat, earache, cough, sputum and other symptoms, and some patients have chest pain, dyspnea, and blood in the sputum. Patients with influenza often have symptoms such as fatigue, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. If symptoms are severe and prolonged, be alert for pneumonia.
Respiratory co-infection is the simultaneous infection of two or more pathogens, and the symptoms of co-infection are often more severe than those of the common cold, often with recurrent high fever, severe cough, dry cough, or yellow sputum, sometimes accompanied by blood in the sputum. Some patients have systemic symptoms such as dyspnea, chest pain, fatigue, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, and poor mental status.
A small number of cases may occur severe pneumonia, acute respiratory failure, shock, etc., so it is necessary to focus on high-risk groups, such as the elderly over 65 years old, infants and young children, pregnant women, patients with autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases and other underlying diseases, these patients should be treated in time according to their physical conditions.
03-How to treat respiratory co-infections?
Patients should seek medical attention if they have symptoms of respiratory co-infection that cannot be relieved by self-medication. Doctors usually order biochemical tests such as blood count, and in severe cases, a chest CT scan is done to determine whether the patient is infected with viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma, or a mixture of infections.
If it is a mixed infection, according to the type of pathogen, the doctor will give corresponding drugs for treatment, and the patient needs to follow the doctor's instructions, take it on time, rest at home, drink plenty of water, and the condition can be relieved within 1 to 2 weeks.