1. what are the factors that influence the etiology and course of respiratory infections?

Symptoms

Etiology: Causative agents of lower respiratory infections are viral or bacterial. Viruses cause most cases of bronchitis and bronchiolitis. In community-acquired pneumonias, the most common bacterial agent is Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Causes

Smoking is a common risk factor for URI Immunocompromised individuals including those with cystic fibrosis, HIV, use of corticosteroids, transplantation, and post-splenectomy are at high risk for URI Anatomical anomalies including facial dysmorphic changes or nasal polyposis also increase the risk of URI Epidemiology

Prevention

Infectious agents gain access to the lower respiratory tract by the inhalation of aerosolized material, by aspiration of upper airway flora, or by hematogenous seeding. Pneumonia occurs when lung defense mechanisms are diminished or overwhelmed.

Complications

Common Agents of Respiratory Infections. Pathogenesis: Organisms gain entry to the respiratory tract by inhalation of droplets and invade the mucosa. Epithelial destruction may ensue, along with redness, edema, hemorrhage and sometimes an exudate.

What are the causes of lower respiratory tract infections?

What are the risk factors for upper respiratory tract infections?

How do infectious agents gain access to the lower respiratory tract?

What is the pathogenesis of respiratory infection?

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What are the different factors that causes infection to the respiratory system?

You get an upper respiratory infection when a virus (or bacteria) enters your respiratory system. For example, you might touch an infected surface or shake hands with a person who's sick. You then touch your mouth, nose or eyes. The germs from your hands enter and infect your body.

What is the most common etiology for infections of the upper respiratory tract?

The most common virus is rhinovirus. Other viruses include the influenza virus, adenovirus, enterovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Bacteria may cause roughly 15% of sudden onset pharyngitis presentations.

What is the leading cause of infections and respiratory disease?

Respiratory illness is a common problem in the United States. Many times, people are genetically more likely to get respiratory conditions, but your work place or environmental exposures could also play a big role. One thing is for sure, smoking is the most common cause of respiratory disease.

What are 4 types of respiratory infections?

Differences Between the Most Common Respiratory Infections. Four of the most common types of respiratory infections are COVID-19, the flu, pneumococcal disease, and colds.

What are the five most common respiratory infections?

Acute upper respiratory infections (URI) include the common cold, pharyngitis, epiglottitis, and laryngotracheitis (Fig. 93-1). These infections are usually benign, transitory and self-limited, altho ugh epiglottitis and laryngotracheitis can be serious diseases in children and young infants.

What are respiratory infections?

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are infections of parts of the body involved in breathing, such as the sinuses, throat, airways or lungs. Most RTIs get better without treatment, but sometimes you may need to see a GP.

Why are respiratory infections so common?

You may get repeated infections because of things in your environment and lifestyle like: Contact with other infected people (especially those who are coughing or sneezing) Pollen and other irritants. Smoking and secondhand smoke.

What are the common symptoms and causes of the respiratory diseases discussed?

Here are six common signs.Difficulty Breathing. While it's common to feel a shortness of breath during exercise, if it doesn't go away—or is present when you aren't exerting yourself—you should be concerned. ... Stubborn Cough. ... Breathing Noisily. ... Lingering Chest Pain. ... Chronic Mucus. ... Coughing Up Blood. ... Asthma. ... Pneumonia.More items...•

What are the most common respiratory diseases?

Some of the most common are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, occupational lung diseases and pulmonary hypertension. In addition to tobacco smoke, other risk factors include air pollution, occupational chemicals and dusts, and frequent lower respiratory infections during childhood.

What bacteria cause respiratory infections?

Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis are the most common bacterial pathogens in upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

When are respiratory infections more common?

Respiratory infections are more common in the fall and winter when school starts and indoor crowding facilitates transmission.Figure 93-1Upper and lower respiratory tract infections. Infections of the respiratory tract are grouped according to their symptomatology and anatomic involvement.

What are the etiologic agents associated with URI?

Etiologic agents associated with URI include viruses, bacteria, mycoplasma and fungi (Table 93-1). Respiratory infections are more common in the fall and winter when school starts and indoor crowding facilitates transmission.Figure 93-1Upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

What is a URI?

Acute upper respiratory infections (URI) include the common cold, pharyngitis, epiglottitis, and laryngotracheitis (Fig. 93-1). These infections are usually benign, transitory and self-limited, altho ugh epiglottitis and laryngotracheitis can be serious diseases in children and young infants.

What is an upper respiratory infection?

Upper respiratory tract infections can be defined as self-limited irritation and swelling of the upper airways with associated cough with no proof of pneumonia, lacking a separate condition to account for the patient symptoms, or with no history of COPD/emphysema/chronic bronchitis. [1]  Upper respiratory tract infections involve the nose, ...

How many days of school are missed due to respiratory tract infections?

Upper respiratory tract infections are accountable for greater than 20 million missed days of school and greater than 20 million days of work lost, thus generating a large economic burden. [6] Pathophysiology. A URTI usually involves direct invasion of the upper airway mucosa by the organism.

What is the most common virus in the world?

Common cold continues to be a large burden on society, economically and socially. The most common virus is rhinovirus. Other viruses include the influenza virus, adenovirus, enterovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Bacteria may cause roughly 15% of sudden onset pharyngitis presentations.

What are the parts of the upper respiratory tract?

Upper respiratory tract infections involve the nose, sinuses, pharynx, larynx, and large air ways. This activity examines when an upper respiratory tract infections should be considered on differential diagnosis and how to properly evaluate it.

What are the common diseases that are associated with URIs?

These cause a variety of patient diseases including acute bronchitis, the common cold, influenza, and respiratory distress syndromes. Defining most of these patient diseases is difficult because the presentations connected with upper respiratory tract infections (URIs) commonly overlap and their causes are similar.

How many times a year do you get a cold?

Adults obtain a common cold around two to three times yearly whereas pediatrics can have up to eight cases yearly. [3],[4],[5]  Fall months see a peak in incidence of common cold caused by the rhinovirus.

When testing for influenza, what is the best specimen to obtain?

When testing for influenza, obtain specimens as close to symptom onset as possible. Nasal aspirates and swabs are the best specimens to obtain when testing infants and young children. For older children and adults, swabs and aspirates from the nasopharynx are preferred.

What are the three respiratory problems?

Respiratory problems can be divided into three categories: Infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract’ such as the common cold, sinusitis, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. Chronic obstructive lung diseases, such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema. And occupational/environmental-related lung conditions, such as hypersensitivity ...

What causes emphysema to be a chronic disease?

The destruction of lung tissue that results from emphysema may be caused by a hereditary enzyme deficiency as well as excessive smoking.

What is the respiratory tree?

The idea of the respiratory tree explains the similarity of many respiratory diseases to one another. We can visualize the respiratory system as the upside-down tree, with roots as the sinuses, the trunk as the trachea or windpipe, the two main branches as the bronchi of the lungs, and the many smaller internal branches as the bronchioles of the lungs. These small internal branches bear the ‘leaves’ or alveoli, which are little air sacs where oxygen diffuses into the blood, and carbon dioxide diffuses out. In the normal adult, the total surface area of the lungs is huge: some 50 to 100 square meters, or about the floor area of a 25-foot by 30-foot room.

How many times do we breathe in and out?

Each minute, usually unconsciously, we breathe in and out between ten and fifteen times. We move enough air through our lungs to blow up several thousand balloons every day. In this way, the body extracts the oxygen it needs from the air, and discharges waste carbon dioxide from the blood. The vital job of delivering oxygen fuel to the body and removing carbon dioxide waste involves a close partnership between the Respiratory Diseases and circulatory systems. The actual point of contact between the two lies deep within the lungs, where airways and tiny blood vessels meet.

What diseases were prevalent in the nineteenth and early twentieth century?

In the nineteenth and early twentieth century’s, respiratory diseases provided one of the main exit scenarios for both old and young alike. People frequently died of pneumonia, tuberculosis, and influenza, all of which have been largely conquered.

What causes silicosis in the lung?

And occupational/environmental-related lung conditions, such as hypersensitivity to work-site substances and air-pollution, or inhalation of particulate foreign matter, such as asbestos, fibers, coal dust, and stone dust (which causes silicosis). Chronic obstructive diseases have multiple causes.

Which organ is responsible for propelling blood into the lungs?

Driving the system is the heart – a muscular, double-sided pump whose rhythmic contractions propel blood into the lungs and, through the aorta, to the rest of the body. Arteries continually carry blood away from the heart, and veins return to spent blood back to begin the cycle anew.