Lower Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults Flashcards
What is acute bronchitis?
Inflammation of bronchi
What is chronic bronchitis defined as?
COPD
What are the symptoms of bronchitis?
- productive cough (yellow-grey mucus)
- sore throat
- wheezing
- SOB
- high temp
- runny nose
What symptoms are shown due to an exacerbation of COPD?
- change in colour of sputum
- fevers
- increased breathlessness
- wheeze
- cough
What is the treatment for an exacerbation of COPD?
- steroids
- antibiotics (amoxicillin, doxycycline, co-trimoxazole, clarithromycin)
- +/- nebulisers
What are risk factors for pneumonia?
- smoking, alcohol XS
- extremes of age
- preceding viral illness
- pre-existing lung disease
- chronic illness
- immunocompromised
- hospitalisation
- IVDU
What are the symptoms of pneumonia?
- fever
- rigors
- myalgia
- productive cough
- chest pain (pleuritic)
- dyspnoea (SOB)
- haemoptysis
What are different signs of pneumonia?
- tachypnoea
- tachycardia
- reduced expansion
- dull percussion
- bronchial breathing
- crepitations
- vocal resonance
What community investigations should be done for pneumonia?
- maybe none !!!
- CXR if diagnosis in doubt
What hospital investigations should be done for pneumonia?
- bloods (serum biochemistry, FBC, CRP)
- blood cultures
- CXR
- sputum culture
- viral throat swab
- legionella urinary antigen
What differential diagnosis’ are associated with pneumonia?
- tuberculosis
- lung cancer
- pulmonary embolism
- pulmonary oedema
- pulmonary vasculitis (wegners granulomatosis)
What is the pneumonia severity scoring system and what does it stand for?
CURB 65
C - confusion
U - blood urea > 7mmol/L
R - resp rate > or equal to 30/min
B - systolic BP < 90mmHg, diastolic blood pressure < 60mmHg
65 - age > or equal to 65
What do the different scores of CURB 65 mean?
0-1 low risk - could be treated in community
2 moderate risk - hospital treatment usually required
3-5 high risk of death and need for ITU
What are possible complications of pneumonia?
- sepsis
- acute kidney injury
- adult resp distress syndrome
- parapneumonic effusion
- empyema
- lung abscess
- disseminated infection
What is bronchiectasis?
Long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become abnormally widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that can make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.
