How to Recover from Acute Respiratory Infection

Maybe you’re wondering what acute respiratory infection is all about. You should know that respiratory infection is broad as it greatly interferes with the normal breathing process.

Let’s look at all you need to know about acute respiratory infection¹ and how to recover from it.

1. What is Acute Respiratory Infection?

The type of infection that truncates the normal kind of breathing is referred to as acute respiratory infection. Initially, it starts from a nose or lung infection which when neglected, spreads to all parts of the respiratory system.

This infection can be dangerous to health and lead to death if not taken care of because it prevents the body from receiving an adequate amount of oxygen.

You should know that acute respiratory infections can be passed on from one person to another. Older adults, children, and those with immune system disorders are prone to this disease.

2. Symptoms of Acute Respiratory Infections

The symptoms of this infection vary according to where is affected. It can either be an upper or lower respiratory infection.²

These symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Running nose
• Body aches
• Congestion in the lungs or nasal sinuses
• Cough

More advanced symptoms of acute respiratory infections that require medical attention include:

• High fever
• Loss of consciousness
• Dizziness
• Difficulty in breathing
• Reduced blood oxygen level

3. Types of Respiratory Infections

There are different types of this respiratory infections. They include the following:

3.1. Tonsillitis:

This type of infection occurs when there is redness of the tonsils located at the back of your throat. This can be because of a bacterium or virus infection.

3.2. Rhinitis:

This is also known as the common cold. It is the swelling of the lining in your rhinal cavity. Rhinitis³ is of two types: nonallergic rhinitis and allergic rhinitis. Nonallergic rhinitis happens after there is direct exposure to a virus while allergic rhinitis is activated by an allergen.

3.3. Laryngitis:

This type of infection is called the swelling of your voice box or larynx. Although this infection can be caused by viruses or bacteria, it is usually caused by viruses.

3.4. Pharyngitis:

This is the redness or swelling of the pharynx. It can also be called sore throat. You should know that pharyngitis is mostly caused by a virus.

4. What are the Causes of Acute Respiratory Infection?

The causes of this infection are under two categories: upper respiratory infection and lower respiratory infection

For the upper respiratory infection, these are the causes:

• Common cold
• Laryngitis
• Acute pharyngitis
• Sinusitis
• Acute ear infection
• Pharyngitis
• Epiglottitis

For the lower respiratory infection, the causes include the following:

• Bronchiolitis
• Pneumonia
• Bronchitis
• Chest infection

5. What are Upper Respiratory Tract Infections?

Upper respiratory tract infections are known to be very common and infectious. Very good examples of these infections include epiglottitis, ear infections, rhinitis, tonsillopharyngitis, and laryngitis.

You should know that the majority of these infections have a viral etiology. They are more complicated than infectious.

5.1. Acute Ear Infection

This type of infection happens within 30% of Upper respiratory infections. In a country where there are no sufficient medical care and attention, this can lead to persistent ear discharge and punctured eardrums.

This can also lead to deafness or hearing impairment. Research has shown that in developing countries, about 6% of children are affected by acute ear infections. This can lead to hearing loss that may affect their learning in school.

5.2. Acute Pharyngitis

This infection mostly occurs in young children and is caused by viruses. Some of the symptoms are swelling, tonsil enlargement, and pharyngeal redness. You should know that this infection is most common in older children.

6. What are Low Respiratory Tract Infections?

These kinds of infections are usually common in children. They include bronchiolitis and pneumonia. To identify children with this infection, you should watch out for those that are breathing and coughing really fast.

You should know that these infections are seasonal, unlike other infections.

6.1. Influenza

This infection is mainly common in adults and is one of the major causes of lower respiratory infections in children. It doesn’t really occur in developing countries but can occur seasonally.

In recent research, it was discovered that influenza⁴ was the cause of death where children were involved in some Asian countries.

6.2. Pneumonia

You should be aware that pneumonia is caused by viruses and bacteria. This infection affects the lungs and can be transferred from one person to another. Simply put, pneumonia is contagious.

A type of pneumonia⁵ that cannot be transferred from one person to the other is fungal pneumonia. This can be contacted by the environment.

Some symptoms of pneumonia include the following:

• headaches
• fever
• loss of appetite
• chest pain
• vomiting
• sweating
• fatigue
• shortness of breath

7. Diagnosis of Respiratory Infections

To get diagnosed, the doctor will have to focus on your breathing to inspect for inflammation and fluids in the lungs. This is done by paying keen attention to the sounds in your lungs as you breathe.

If after the inspection it is discovered that the infection is in the lower respiratory tract, you will need to undergo an x-ray. This will help you know about the condition of your lungs and how badly affected it has been.

Another method for this diagnosis is the doctor taking a swab from your mouth or nose. The doctor can also ask you to cough out mucus for inspection. They will run tests that will show if the infection is a bacteria or virus disease.

8. Complications of Acute Respiratory Infection

The complications of this infection can be really serious and may even result in loss of life. The various complications include the following:

• Congestive heart failure
• Respiratory arrest: This arrest happens when the lungs cease to function.
• Respiratory failure: This occurs as a result of an increase of carbon dioxide in your blood which causes your lungs to malfunction.

9. How to Recover from Acute Respiratory Infection

There are different ways you can recover from these infections. You can start by indulging in the following:

1. You have to drink plenty of water to help ease the flow of mucus and make coughing easier

2. You can make use of painkillers to tone down the fever, muscle pain, and headaches

3. Intake of warm salty water can help with your sore throat

4. Using honey and hot lemon drinks to help with coughing can be very effective.

5. Children under the age of 16 should be given aspirin.

6. Smoking would only help worsen your symptoms. You should try to avoid smoking at all costs.

10. Who is Prone to Acute Upper Respiratory Infection?

Since this infection can be transferred from one person to another, some people are most at risk of the disease:

• Those with a medical condition like allergic rhinitis or asthma
• Those with a weak immune system
• Those who have HIV and fibrosis
• Those who are heavy smokers
• Those who make use of corticosteroids
• Being in an enclosed area like hospitals and schools with people who have this condition
• People who have heart disease or lungs problems
• Children who refuse to regularly wash their hands

11. Treatment of Acute Respiratory Infection

Treatment of these infections can be done in different ways. While some can use zinc, expectorant, vitamin C, and cough suppressants to reduce the symptoms, others can use the following:

1. Gargling with salt water and inhaling steam is one common way to be relieved from the symptoms of this infection

2. The use of nasal decongestants will help lessen symptoms like congestion and cough. They can also be combined with antihistamines for more relief.

3. The use of nonsteroidal drugs will help reduce body pain, headaches, and fever.

12. Prevention of Acute Respiratory Infection

There are different ways you can prevent this respiratory infection. The very first step is to practice good hygiene by indulging in the following:

1. Avoiding touching your face before washing your hands to prevent gems from entering your system

2. Washing your hands regularly after being in a public or enclosed area

3. Sneezing into tissue at all times to prevent the spread of the disease.

13. Best Medicine for Respiratory Infection

If you are looking for the best medication for respiratory viruses, you should know that there are different medicines you can take. For starters, you should:

• Get enough sleep and rest.
• The use of sore throat spray can help lessen the symptoms of sore throat
• Regular intake of water
• Gargling the mouth with warm salt water can also help

For the various symptoms, there are medications you can take like:

Nasal and sinus congestion

• nasal spray
• antihistamine
• pseudoephedrine

Cough and chest congestion

• Guaifenesin
• Dextromethorphan
• Robitussin OM and Mucinex

Body aches and fever

• ibuprofen
• acetaminophen

14. When to Seek Medical Help

You should quickly seek medical attention when you experience the following:

• Severe vomiting
• High fever for over three days
• Shortness of breath
• Difficulty in breathing
• Severe chest pain
• Severe headache
• Dizziness

15. What is Common Cold?

This a respiratory contagious cold that basically affects your throat, windpipe, nose, and sinuses. You should know that over 100 different viruses can cause a common cold. Rhinovirus is known as the most predominant common cold virus.

16. Symptoms of Common Cold

The symptoms of the common cold can be in different stages: early, active and late-stage

16.1. Early Stage

This is usually within the first three days of catching the cold. These are some of the symptoms you will experience:

• Cough
• Sneezing
• Stuffy nose
• Hoarseness
• Runny nose

16.2. Active Stage

The symptoms you experience during this stage are worse than that of the early stage:

• Fatigue
• Body aches
• Runny nose
• Fever
• Headache

16.3. Late Stage

At this stage, the cold might have begun to wind down. Although, you may still experience some symptoms. If your symptoms persist, you should seek professional medical attention.

17. Diagnosis of Common Cold

If you want to get checked for a common cold, your doctor will check for the following signs:

• Clear lungs
• A stuffy nose
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Swelling in your nose
• Irritated throat

18. Medications for Common Cold

There are different types of medications you can use to help relieve your common cold symptoms. These medications include the following:

• Cough suppressants
• Decongestants
• Antihistamines
• Expectorants
• Pain relievers

19. In the End

The fact that you can treat acute respiratory infections on your own does not mean you shouldn’t visit a doctor when symptoms persist. You can help prevent the spread of this disease by practicing good hygiene. You should learn to avoid any activity that can help introduce gems to your system.

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2. Jain, Neemisha, R. Lodha, and S. K. Kabra. “Upper respiratory tract infections.” The Indian Journal of Pediatrics 68 (2001): 1135-1138. ↩︎
3. Greiner, A. N., Hellings, P. W., Rotiroti, G., & Scadding, G. K. (2011). Allergic rhinitis. The Lancet, 378(9809), 2112-2122. ↩︎
4. Kilbourne, E. D. (2012). Influenza. Springer Science & Business Media. ↩︎
5. Ruuskanen, Olli, et al. “Viral pneumonia.” The Lancet 377.9773 (2011): 1264-1275. ↩︎