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Respiratory diseases can be classified as upper respiratory infections (nasopharyngitis, laryngitis, epiglottitis, sinusitis, otitis) or lower respiratory infections. Its main clinical manifestations are:
- Cough;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Sore throat;
- Nasal congestion;
- Rhinorrhea and otalgia.
Acute upper respiratory infection (URTI) is the most common disease in children and can occur, on average, five episodes during the first year of life. The vast majority are viral and can trigger bacterial infections through the local production of inflammatory mediators.
Viral infection causes inflammation of the rhinopharynx and auditory tube and increased colonization and adherence of pathogens to the local mucosa. Tubal dysfunction/obstruction and the negative pressure generated facilitate the entry of pathogens from the nasopharynx into the middle ear, causing acute otitis media. Some viruses disrupt the microtubules of hair cells, leading to an increase in mucus viscosity and hindering mucociliary transport, promoting the accumulation of secretion in the paranasal sinuses: rhinosinusitis.
Thus, the prevention of these diseases is based both on reducing the incidence of upper airway infections and on reducing nasopharyngeal colonization by their pathogens.
Among the prevention measures we can highlight:
1. Hand hygiene
Viral transmission through hand-to-hand contact appears to be highly efficient. Individuals can also become infected through contact with a hand contaminated with nasal secretion. Therefore, interrupting direct contact in viral transmission presents a potent target for intervention.
2. Environmental hygiene
Children exposed to dust in their homes have a higher number of upper respiratory tract infections.
3. Intranasal saline solutions
Nasal washing helps cleanse nasal mucus and pathological secretions. It also promotes improved mucociliary function and increases mucosal aeration, reducing local inflammation.
4. Non-exposure to smoke
It is believed that cigarette smoke causes damage to mucociliary function, altering the immunological competence of the respiratory tract. Exposure to smoke increases the risk of otitis media by 277% and 166% when in the presence of an urban location and allergy, respectively. The number of recurrences of otitis media is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked by parents.
5. Breastfeeding
Exclusive breastfeeding for at least three months reduces the incidence of otitis by 13% and for six months by 50%, thus providing a protective measure throughout the first year of life. Feeding as close as possible to the sitting position is an attempt to reduce reflux, preventing otitis.
6. Not using pacifiers
The use of devices such as pacifiers induces harmful pressure in the nasopharynx, increasing the reflux of secretions into the auditory tube, which is associated with a greater risk of otitis.
Pediatricians play a fundamental role in preventing respiratory diseases by providing guidance to parents regarding risk factors, encouraging breastfeeding and vaccination in accordance with the current immunization schedule.
Written by Dr. José Roberto Lutti Filho.
Specialist in Pediatrics and Neonatology
(CRM: 108147- SP)
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Respiratory diseases can be classified as upper respiratory infections (nasopharyngitis, laryngitis, epiglottitis, sinusitis, otitis) or lower respiratory infections.
Its main clinical manifestations are:
- Cough;
- Difficulty for Breathing;
- sore throat;
- Nasal congestion;
- Rhinorrhea and otalgia.
Acute upper airway infection (URI) is the most common disease in children, with an average of five episodes occurring during the first year of life. Most are viral and can trigger bacterial infections through the local production of inflammatory mediators.
Viral infection causes inflammation of the rhinopharynx and Eustachian tube and increased colonization and adherence of pathogens to the local mucosa. The tube dysfunction/obstruction and the negative pressure generated facilitate the entry of nasopharyngeal pathogens into the middle ear, causing acute otitis media. Some viruses break the microtubules of hair cells, leading to an increase in mucus viscosity and making mucociliary transport difficult, promoting the accumulation of secretion in the paranasal sinuses: rhinosinusitis.
Thus, the prevention of these diseases is based both on reducing the incidence of upper airway infections and on reducing nasopharyngeal colonization by their pathogens.
Among the preventive measures we can highlight:
1. Hand hygiene
Viral transmission by hand-to-hand contact appears to be highly efficient. Individuals can also become infected from hand contact contaminated with nasal secretion. Therefore, the interruption of direct contact in viral transmission presents a potential target for intervention.
2. Environmental hygiene
Children exposed to dust in their homes have a higher number of upper respiratory infections.
3. Intranasal saline solutions
Nasal lavage promotes cleaning of nasal mucus and pathological secretions. It also promotes the improvement of mucociliary function and increases mucosal aeration, decreasing local inflammation.
4. No smoke exposure
It is assumed that cigarette smoke causes damage to mucociliary function, altering the immunological competence of the respiratory tract. Exposure to smoke increases the risk of otitis media by 277% and 166% when in the presence, respectively, of urban location and allergy. The number of otitis media recurrence is directly related to the amount of cigarettes smoked by parents.
5. Breast-feeding
Exclusive breastfeeding for at least three months reduces the incidence of otitis by 13% and for six months by 50%, thus providing a protective measure throughout the first year of life. Feeding as close as possible to the sitting position is an attempt to reduce reflux, preventing otitis.
6. Do not use pacifiers
The use of devices such as a pacifier induces harmful pressure on the nasopharynx, increasing the reflux of its secretions into the Eustachian tube, which is associated with an increased risk of otitis.
Pediatricians play a key role in the prevention of respiratory diseases by advising parents on risk factors, encouraging breastfeeding and vaccination according to the current immunization schedule.
Written by Dr. José Roberto Lutti Filho.
Specialist in Pediatrics and Neonatology.
(CRM: 108147- SP)
Translated by Unstoppable Team.
(For questions or suggestions contact by email lifestyleunstoppable@gmail.com )
Check it out our “Catalog,” to buy your vitamins, and follow us on Instagram @lifestyle_unstoppable for more healthy daily tips.
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Respiratory diseases can be classified into infections of the upper respiratory tract (nasopharyngitis, laryngitis, epiglottitis, sinusitis, otitis) or infections of the lower respiratory tract. Its main clinical manifestations are:
- Toss;
- Difficulty breathing;
- Sore throat;
- Nasal congestion;
- Rhinorrhea and otalgia.
The acute infection of the upper respiratory tract (URI) is the most common illness in children, with an average of five episodes during the first year of life. Most are viral and can trigger bacterial infections through the local production of inflammatory mediators.
Viral infection causes inflammation of the rhinopharynx and Eustachian tube and increases the colonization and adherence of pathogens to the local mucosa. Tube dysfunction/obstruction and generated negative pressure facilitate the entry of nasopharyngeal pathogens into the middle ear, causing acute otitis media. Some viruses disrupt the microtubules of hair cells, causing an increase in the viscosity of the mucus and hindering mucociliary transport, favoring the accumulation of secretion in the paranasal sinuses: rhinosinusitis.
Therefore, the prevention of these illnesses is based both on the reduction of the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections and on the reduction of nasopharyngeal colonization by their pathogens.
Among the preventive measures we can highlight:
1. Hand hygiene
Viral transmission through hand-to-hand contact appears to be very efficient. People can also become infected through contact with hands contaminated with nasal secretion. Therefore, interrupting direct contact in viral transmission presents a powerful objective for intervention.
2. Environmental hygiene
Children exposed to octopus in their homes have a greater number of upper respiratory tract infections.
3. Intranasal saline solutions
The nasal wash favors the cleaning of nasal mucus and pathological secretions. It also favors the improvement of mucociliary function and increases the airiness of the mucous membranes, reducing local inflammation.
4. No exposure to humour
It is assumed that cigarette smoke causes damage to mucociliary function, altering the immunological competence of the respiratory tract. Exposure to humidity increases the risk of otitis media by 277% and 166% in the presence of urban areas and allergies, respectively. The number of recurrences of otitis media is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked by priests.
5. Breastfeeding
Exclusive maternal breastfeeding for at least three months reduces the incidence of otitis by 13% and for six months by 50%, thus providing a protective measure during the first year of life. Feeding as near as possible from the sitting position is an attempt to reduce backflow, preventing otitis.
6. I don't use pacifiers
The use of devices such as a pacifier induces harmful pressure on the nasopharynx, increasing the backflow of its secretions into the Eustachian tube, which is associated with a greater risk of otitis.
Pediatricians play a key role in the prevention of respiratory illnesses by advising parents on risk factors, promoting maternal breastfeeding and vaccinating according to the current vaccination schedule.
Written by Dr. José Roberto Lutti Filho.
Specialist in Pediatrics and Neonatology
(CRM: 108147- SP)
Translated by Unstoppable Team.
(For questions or suggestions, contact by email: lifestyleunstoppable@gmail.com )
Join our “Catalog” to buy your vitamins, and follow our Instagram @lifestyle_unstoppable for more healthy tips for everyday life.
