Live Life Team
Respiratory tract is divided into two parts in human beings known as upper as well as lower. Nose, throat and voice box come under upper part and bronchi, bronchioles fall under the lower part. The major function of respiratory tract is to breathe in as well as breathe out air from the lungs. Air that human beings breathe is full of germs. When we breathe in and out, an infection can happen in the upper as well as lower part of respiratory tract.
Symptoms
Infection occurred in upper part is less serious. Cough is one of the symptoms of infection caused in the upper part of respiratory tract. Cough will take two to three weeks to get completely cleared out. The condition can also go and affect nose and block it making it an uneasy feeling during the infection, to breathe. Babies have seen more problems while they are fed or while they breathe, since they can not express their condition. While the lower tract gets affected, the symptoms are similar but severe. The patient may see building of phlegm and also pain in the chest area. The condition also calls for fever and in most of the cases, is recommended to consult a doctor.
Causes
The basic cause behind the condition is the viruses affecting the body. The body needs to be tough against these viruses and when it is not able to show enough resistance towards it, the virus takes over and affects the body. Also there are severe outcomes in situations where the bacterium gets into the respiratory system also.
Diagnosis
In most of the cases, the diagnosis would be fairy obvious with the type of symptoms shown by the patient. The type of coughing and also the common cold would be enough to explain the infection. In case of the lower respiration system being affected by the condition, it may not be so clear cut to understand and diagnose the condition. The doctor should be consulted for the proper diagnosis. They may want to listen to the breathing in the chest with the help of a stethoscope. A proper treatment would follow the diagnosis. In case, one does not respond to the treatment, they may want to take x-rays and also tests of blood to diagnose further on the exact cause. In some cases, they may also want to test the phlegm for identifying the bacteria affecting the condition.
Treatment
Normally the treatment for basic infection or common cold is quite easy and can be tackled with over the counter available medicines. The patient may also be asked to take paracetamols to relieve the feverish condition induced by the common cold. Also another medicine for easing the cough would be given in conjunction to the paracetamol tablets. In case of the infection being in the lower tract, the cure would be similar and also would try to clear the bacteria affecting the condition. In case of chronic patients, antibiotics would also be required to be consumed for some time. Smoking could be a major factor which affects the breathing heavily, so it would be most recommended to quit smoking.
