Resp infections

Question 1

what causes the symptoms of a cold

Answer 1

bradykinin causes a sore throat, it also causes nasal congestion due to vasodilation.

sneezing is mediated by stimulation of the trigeminal sensory nerves-histamine mediated

the nasal discharge changes colour due to increased neutrophils.

cough is mediated by the vagus nerve- inflammation has to extend to the larynx to trigger this,

cytokines are responsible for systemic symptoms such as fever.

Question 2

telling the difference between a cold and flu

Answer 2

cold: appears gradually, affects mainly your nose and throat, makes you feel unwell but your okay to function as normal and normally no fever.
flu: appears quickly within a few hours, affects more than just your nose and throat, makes you feel exhausted and too unwell to function as normal, high fevers and may have low resp tract features

Question 3

Influenza- what are the two types and how long does uncomplicated influenza last for.

Answer 3

Caused by A or B virus and uncomplicated influenza lasts 1-4 days.

Question 4

What are the risk factors for influenza complications

Answer 4

immunosuppression or chronic medical conditions,
pregnancy or 2 weeks postpartum
age: <2y or >65y, BMI>40

Question 5

Outline the basic surface structure of influenza

Answer 5

The surface has haemagglutinin surface protein which allows influenza to enter cells and it has neuraminidase on the surface as well which allows the virus to escape.

Question 6

streptococcus pneumoniae

Answer 6

gram positive cocci, acquired via nasopharynx, RF: alcoholics, resp disease, smokers etc prevention: vaccine and treatment: peniciilin

Question 7

mycoplasma pneumoniae

Answer 7

resistant to penicillins, diagnosis via PCR of throat swabs and treatments: macrolides or tetracylines

Question 8

legionella pneumophila

Answer 8

uncommon, can cause severe life threatening infection, treatment: macrolides or quinolones. RF: smoking and CLD.