Definition: Bronchitis is the inflammation (acute or cronic )of the trachea, bronchi. Acute bronchitis is caused by viral or bacterial infection and heal without complications. Adults that smoke develop chronic bronchitis that cannot be cured.
Description
Acute bronchitis appears mostly in the winter, more often caused by viral infection. Although the cough may persist longer acute bronchitis is solved in two weeks, acute bronchitis complication is pneumonia in children.
Demographics
Bronchitis affects predominantly pre-school and school age children, especially during winter time.
Cause and symptoms
Bronchitis begins with the symptoms of a cold, running nose, coughing, sneezing, fever of 102°F (38.8°C), greenish yellow sputum. In three to five days most of the symptoms disappear, but coughing may continue for some time. If the acute bronchitis is complicated with bacterial infection the fever and a general feeling of illness persists. The bacterial infection should be treated with antibiotics, if the cough doesn’t get away it may be asthma or pneumonia. In direct proportion with the stage of the disease acute bronchitis has those symptoms: dry, hacking, unproductive cough, runny nose, sore throat, back and other muscle pains, general malaise, headache, fever, chills.
Diagnosis
The doctor will listen to the child’s chest, if he hears moist rales, crackling, wheezing it means that the lung are inflammated and the airway is narrowing. Moist rales are caused by the fluid secretions in the bronchial tubes.
Sputum culture is indicated to be performed to put a correct diagnosis of the infection and to identify the most appropriate antibiotic. The patient is asked to spit in a cup and than the sample is grown in the laboratory to see which organisms are present. Sometimes the sputum may be collected using bronchoscopy, the patient is given a local anesthetic and the tube is passed through the airways to collect a sputum sample. Blood tests and x-rays are also recommended, the measuring of the oxygen and carbon dioxide are also important.
Treatment
Bronchitis may be treated by home care if it’s not complicated, resting, not smocking and drinking plenty of fluids, for fever you may take Tylenol, Panadol, Datril.
Cough suppressants may be used only when the cough is dry. Cough is useful because brings up extra mucus and irritants from the lungs and this way stops the mucus to accumulate in the airways and producing pneumonia bacteria. Tetracycline or ampicillin are used in the treatment of acute bronchitis, but good results have been obtained with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim or Septra) and azithromycin (Zithromax) and clarithromycin (Biaxin). In children acute bronchitis amoxicillin (Amoxil, Pentamox, Sumox, Trimox)is recommended, inhaler sprays to dilatate the bronchis and clear aut the mucus are also good. It is important to rest sufficiently, to eat well, avoid air pollution and irritants. Childrens wash their hands regularly and as a preventive measure they are artificially immunized against pneumonia.
More informations about asthmatic bronchitis or bronchitis symptoms can be found by visiting http://www.bronchitis-guide.com/
Diet in gout cases
There are many reason that can cause a gout. The main risk factor in a gout case is the levels of uric acid that one has in his/ her body. This increased levels can be cause by many factors, and diet is one of those.
Certain types of foods have in their composition purine. These compounds are known to rise the levels of uric acid. In turn, uric acid is what cause a gout. So, if you stop eating such foods, or at least try to reduce the number, then you can prevent gout attacks. Here is a list of foods that are high in purine, thus leading to gout: bouillon, brains, goose, sardines, dried vegetables, shrimp, heart, liver and many others. These are just some of the foods to avoid if suffering form a gout, or if you are one of those people susceptible to a gout. Furthermore, alcohol is also known to do a lot of damage in gout cases. Try to avoid as much as possible drinking alcohol, especially beer, if you want to lower the number of gout flares. If you can avoid the purine foods and alcohol, you will surely feel a difference in the number of gout flares, as well as in the gout signs. Levels of uric acid can also be risen by sugar and fructose. So if you want to control your gout case, then try to avoid them as well.
Cherry juice or cherries is also good for preventing gout flares. So eat at least a half pound of these fruits to better manage your gout. It does not matter what kind of cherries you eat. All cherries are beneficial in gout cases. Cherry juice is also believed to be very good in relieving some of the gout symptoms, although this has not been proven yet. So as you can see, this tiny fruit can do a world of good in your gout case. There are also some other changes that you have to make if suffering from gout. Besides the dietary modification that you should do, some lifestyle changes must be done as well.
So, as you can see, medication is not the only way to go if suffering from a gout. Some people even say that drugs are not so very useful in gout cases. Because gout is a condition that has long lasting effects, other "treatments " must be used besides medication.
If you are intersted in finding more information about gout you can click on this website http://www.gout-info-center.com. Also you will find there valuable information about gout symptoms and causes of gout.
Chicken pox in babies
Chicken pox is a children' s disese, however it is very unlikely that a child who has not yet had his/ her birthday develop chicken pox. While in the womb, the fetus will receive antibodies from his/ her mother to protect him/ her against the virus that causes chicken pox. This is the reason why, at least in his/ her first year of life, chicken pox will not develop. However, there have been cases of chicken pox even in children under one year old, but they are extremely rare. Furthermore, if babies under one will develop chicken pox, this will be a very mild condition.
At the age of one, babies will receive a vaccine against chicken pox. This vaccine will not prevent your child from ever getting chicken pox, but it will make the disease a lot milder. If your baby will get chicken pox, red, tiny, itchy bumps will be your first clue. In a couple of day' s time, there bumps will change into blisters filled with fluid, which will eventually dry and fall off. As the chicken pox progresses, new waves of blisters will appear on your child' s body. The areas that are affected by chicken pox are mostly the face, back and abdomen, but the rash may appear all over his/ her body as well. Some babies will have more than three hundred blisters on his/ her body, whereas other will only have a few. Chicken pox cases can be different from a baby to another. Furthermore, flu symptoms are some of the first signs that your baby may develop chicken pox.
When your baby has chicken pox, he/ she will be very tired and have a little fever. It is also possible that a runny nose or a cough may appear a couple of days before the chicken pox rash appears. This disease lasts about one week.
Chicken pox is very contagious, so if your baby has been near a person that suffered from this disease, then he/ she is likely to have been infected with the chicken pox virus. If your baby is healthy, then chicken pox does not pose any threats whatsoever. However, there are cases, very rare though, when babies can develop complications from chicken pox. Skin infections, encephalitis or pneumonia may be the result of chicken pox. This is the reason why you should see a doctor as soon as the first signs of chicken pox appear.
For more information about symptoms of chicken pox or even about chicken pox virus please review this page http://www.chicken-pox-center.com/