Tracheitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the trachea. It is manifested by swelling, swelling, excessive production of mucus, reddening of the mucosa of the trachea, as a result of which it becomes extremely sensitive to various irritating factors( for example, sputum, sharply inhaled air), which leads to bouts of painful coughing.
Every person can face the diagnosis of tracheitis, regardless of age, sex and type of activity. But do not worry about it, because this disease quickly gives in to treatment.
However, people often have questions about what tracheitis is, the symptoms in adults differ from the signs of illness in children, how to deal with tracheitis at home. To answer all the relevant questions, this article will help.
Causes of
Why does a tracheitis occur, and what is it? Tracheitis is a disease in which the trachea is inflamed. Trachea is a tube composed of cartilaginous unclosed rings, connected by muscles and ligaments. Inside this tube is covered with a mucous membrane, with the defeat of which the tracheitis develops. This disease can be of 3 kinds depending on the pathogen. In the event that the pathogen is a virus or microbes, you can talk about viral or bacterial tracheitis, respectively. In addition, the ailment can also be allergic.
Acute tracheitis almost never flows independently, it usually occurs in conjunction with other respiratory diseases, such as laryngitis, pharyngitis, rhinitis, bronchitis.
Causes of acute tracheitis :
- ARVI, influenza and other viral infections of the respiratory tract;
- bacterial infections of the respiratory tract( streptococcus, staphylococcus, hemophilia, etc.);
- subcooling;
- dry, cold or contaminated air.
Chronic tracheitis is a complication of the acute form of the disease. If you do not treat the disease and do not rule out the effects of harmful factors, the tracheitis will most likely become chronic and will flow into the acute phase with the slightest negative impact.
The predisposing factors of for chronic tracheitis include:
- hypothermia;
- inhalation of dry or cold air;
- inhalation of gases, dust and vapors of chemicals irritating the mucosa of the trachea;
- smoking;
- alcohol abuse;
- chronic lung or heart disease;
- inflammatory processes in the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, pharynx.
Allergy tracheitis is an allergic reaction that develops in response to the inhalation of various allergens: domestic, industrial or library dust, plant pollen, animal microparticles, chemical compounds contained in the air in the production facilities of the chemical, pharmaceutical and perfume industries.
Symptoms of tracheitis
In the case of tracheitis, the main symptom in adults is a severe paroxysmal cough. First dry, then with the separation of a small amount of phlegm. The most intense cough at night and early in the morning, intensifies with laughter, crying, loud conversation, a sharp inhalation of air, especially cold.
With this the following features of can be noted:
- coughing attacks - are fickle and strong only in the morning. The rest of the time, a person needs to take a deep breath in order to provoke spasmodic reactions;
- cough accompanied by sputum, as well as severe pain in the throat and behind the sternum, which remain after the end of the attack.
With the involvement of bronchi with the development of tracheobronchitis, the condition of patients becomes more severe( high body temperature, cough becomes permanent and more painful, chest pain increases).
Treatment of tracheitis in adults
The disease is not considered a life threat, therefore it can be treated on an outpatient basis. But the treatment of tracheitis at home is aimed at complying with all prescriptions and recommendations of the doctor. He must necessarily inform that the patient needs a bed rest for 5-10 days, depending on the severity of the ailment.
No less important rule is that the treatment of tracheitis at home should be carried out in a constantly ventilated room. Every day you need to perform a wet cleaning of the room where the patient is, as the humidity of the air affects the character of the cough.
The main treatment for adult trachea is aimed at preventing the spread of infection to the lower respiratory tract. Otherwise, it can lead to acute bronchitis or pneumonia. Than to treat a tracheitis at the adult person?
For treatment, is used:
- antibiotics;
- sulfonamide drugs;
- expectorants;
- antiviral, anti-inflammatory drugs.
Objectives of treatment :
- revealing and eliminating the etiological factor - allergen, viruses, bacteria;
- relief of symptoms of the disease;
- prevents the development of complications or transition to a chronic form.
As well as treatment tools, inhalations, massage and exercise therapy, and many herbal supplements, which help to relieve tracheitis symptoms, are used.
Drawing up a treatment regimen, the duration of therapy, the choice of drugs and their dosages in each specific case is determined strictly individually and depends on the patient's age, the cause and form of the disease, the severity of the symptoms, and the possible presence of concomitant pathologies aggravating the course of tracheitis.
The prognosis of treatment is almost always characterized as favorable. The duration of the acute form of the disease in question is 10-14 days, if the course is without complications. The chronic form does not lend itself to a prediction on the timing. But with the right treatment and normal immunity for recovery takes about 30 days.
Controlling a cough
With a dry, unproductive cough "like a barrel", the therapist can prescribe medications that suppress the cough center. Thanks to them, irritation is eliminated, which allows the patient to relatively quietly spend the night. To such means it is possible to attribute Stoptussin, Sinekod, Falimint.
When the sputum begins to go away, the doctor prescribes expectorants - Lazolvan, Gedelix, Bronchipret. At the same time if the attacks of a night cough continue to torment the patient, at night everyone is also taken suppressive cough medications.
Folk remedies
Therapy prescribed by a doctor can be combined with folk methods of tracheitis treatment:
- steam inhalation also helps to improve the sputum discharge - with the decoctions of the above mentioned herbs, hot potatoes, mineral water. However, it should be remembered that at elevated temperature, thermal procedures are contraindicated.
- Fly the legs, using a hot bath .To do this, collect the maximum hot water in any convenient container for you, but do not gently burn the skin and add there two or three tablespoons of mustard. In general, this procedure should take you a half an hour. Do not forget to add hot water constantly, as the previous one cools.
- With tracheitis, folk medicine offers to use compresses .For the night, put a woolen cloth impregnated with vinegar with olive oil or camphor, or grate the horseradish and attach it to the back to the neck.
- Mitigation of inflammatory throat changes with butter .To prepare the medicine, you should add a spoonful of butter to a glass of warm tea. To taste, add ginger powder, 2 tablespoons of sugar. After stirring, drink a drink in large sips. Ginger relieves cough, butter eliminates inflammation. You can add the remedy to warm milk.
It should be remembered that folk remedies will not help you cure tracheitis, they can alleviate the symptoms of the ongoing illness. For complete recovery, you should seek medical help from a doctor. According to the reviews, adequate and timely treatment of tracheitis guarantees recovery in 1-2 weeks.
Prevention
Compliance with the following rules will help to avoid exacerbation of the disease:
- hardening of the body;
- quitting;
- change of place of work, if this is a harmful production;
- the maximum restriction of contact with the allergen, on which the allergic reaction develops;
- avoiding hypothermia and being in rooms with a large accumulation of people in the autumn-winter period.
In general, for the prevention of tracheitis, it is recommended to strengthen immunity, especially to people prone to upper respiratory tract diseases.