Respiratory disorders Flashcards
What organisms cause most childhood respiratory infections?
Viruses cause 80-90%.
Most commonly: respiratory syncytial virus, rhinoviruses, parainfluenza, influenzas, adenoviruses
Most important bacteria: strep, pneumoniae, haemophilus influnzae
What host and environmental factors increase the risk of getting a respiratory infection?
Parental smoking, especially maternal Poor socioeconomic status - large family size, overcrowding, damp housing Poor nutrition Underlying lung disease Male gender Congenital heart disease Immunodeficiency
What are the classifications of respiratory infection according to the level of the respiratory infection?
Upper respiratory tract infection Laryngeal/tracheal infection Bronchitis Bronchiolitis Pneumonia
What does the term upper respiratory tract infection encompass (URTI)?
Common cold (coryza)
Sore throat (pharyngitis, including tonsillitis)
Acute otitis media
Sinusitis
What is the commonest presentation of an URTI?
Nasal discharge and blockage Fever Painful throat Earache Cough Difficult in feeding in infants Febrile convulsions Acute exacerbations of asthma
What is a classic feature of the common cold (coryza)?
A clear or mucopurulent nasal discharge and nasal blockage.
What are the commonest organisms that cause the common cold (coryza)?
Rhinoviruses
Coronaviruses
RSV
How do you treat the common cold (coryza)?
Fever and pain are treated with paracetamol or ibuprofen
What is pharyngitis?
The pharynx and soft palate are inflamed and local lymph nodes are enlarged and tender
What are the common pathogens that cause pharyngitis?
Adenoviruses, enteroviruses and rhinoviruses. In the older child, group A beta-haemolytic streptococcus is a common pathogen
What is tonsillitis?
A form of pharyngitis, where there is intense inflammation of the tonsils, often with a purulent exudate.
What are the common pathogens that cause tonsillitis?
Group A strep, EBV
What are some symptoms associated with bacterial tonsillitis?
Marked constitutional disturbances, such as headache, apathy and abdominal pain, white tonsillar exudate and cervical lymphadenopathy is more common with bacterial infection
How would you treat tonsillitis?
Often penicillin or erythromycin, in severe cases children may require admission for IV fluid and analgesia if they are unable to swallow solids or liquids
What would you NOT use to treat tonsillitis?
Amoxicillin is best avoided as it may cause a widespread maculopapular rash if the tonsillitis is due to infectious mononucleosis
What age is acute otitis media most common?
At 6-12 months old
What are infants and young children at increased risk of acute otitis media?
Their Eustachian tubes are short, horizontal and function poorly.
How does acute otitis media present?
Pain in the ear and fever. The tympanic membrane is seen to be bright and red and bulging with loss of the normal light reflection.
What pathogens cause acute otitis media?
Viruses, especially RSV and rhinovirus and bacteria including pneumococcus, H.influenzae.
How would you treat acute otitis media?
Pain should be treated with paracetamol or ibuprofen. Most cases resolve spontaneously. Amoxicillin is widely used.
What can recurrent ear infections lead to and what does this look like?
Otitis media with effusion. The eardrum is seen to be dull and retracted, often with a fluid level visible.
In what age is otitis media with effusion very common?
Between the ages of 2 and 7 years old, with a peak incidence between 2.5 and 5 years.
How do you treat otitis media with effusion?
It is usually self-resolving, but it can cause hearing loss, in which case insertion of ventilation tubes (grommets) or adenoidectomy can be beneficial.
How can you diagnose otitis media with effusion?
Flat tract on tympanometry, in conjunction with evidence of a conductive loss on pure tone audiometry or reduced hearing on a hearing test.
What is sinusitis?
Infection of the paranasal sinuses that may occur with URTI
How do you treat sinusitis?
Antibiotics and analgesia are used for acute sinusitis in addition to topical decongestants
What are some differential diagnoses of acute upper airways obstruction?
COMMON: croup
Uncommon: epiglottitis, bacterial tracheitis, inhalation of smoke and hot air in fires, trauma
What are the complications of laryngeal and tracheal infections?
The mucosal inflammation and swelling produced by laryngeal and tracheal infections can rapidly cause life-threatening obstruction of the airway in young children.
What are the characteristic acute upper airway obstruction signs and symptoms?
Stridor (rasping sound on inspiration)
Hoarseness due to inflammation of the vocal cords
A barking cough
A variable degree of dyspnoea
How do you assess the severity of upper airway obstruction?
Clinically: the degree of chest retraction (none, only on crying, at rest) and agree of stridor (none, only on crying, at rest of biphasic)
What are the signs of severe upper airway obstruction?
Increasing respiratory rate, heart rate and agitation. Central cyanosis or drowsiness indicates sever hypoxaemia and the need for urgent intervention.
What is the basic management of acute upper airways obstruction?
DO NOT EXAMINE THROAT
Reduce anxiety, be calm, confident and well organised
Observe signs of hypoxia or deterioration
If severe, administer nebulised adrenaline and contact anaesthetist
If respiratory failure, urgent tracheal intubation
Why do you not examine the throat in acute upper airways obstruction?
Total obstruction of the upper airway may be precipitated by examination of the throat using a spatula.
What is croup/laryngotracheobronchitis and why is it serious?
Mucosal inflammation and increased secretions affecting the airway, but it is the oedema of the subglottic area that is potentially dangerous in young children because it may result in critical narrowing of the trachea
What are the organisms that cause croup?
> 95% are viral. Parainfluenza viruses are the commonest causes.
What age and seaon is croup most common?
It occurs from 6 months to 6 years of age but the peak incidence is in the second year of life. Most common in autumn
What are the typical features of croup?
Barking cough, harsh stridor and hoarseness, usually preceded by fever and coryza. The symptoms often start, and are worse, at night
How do you treat croup?
Oral dexamethasone, oral prednisolone and nebulised steroids reduce the severity and duration of croup, and the need for admission. In severe cases, nebulised adrenaline with oxygen is needed.
Why do you need to monitor croup after the administration of adrenaline?
Due to the risk of rebound symptoms once the effects of the adrenaline diminish after about 2 hours
What is bacterial tracheitis?
Similar to croup except that the child has a high fever, appears toxic and had rapidly progressive airways obstruction with copious thick airway secretions
How do you treat bacterial tracheitis?
IV antibiotics and intubation and ventilation if required
What is acute epiglottitis?
A life threatening emergency due to high risk of respiratory obstruction. Intense swelling of the epiglottis and surrounding tissues associated with septicaemia
At what age is acute epiglottitis most common?
In children aged 1-6 years old
What are the clinical features of epiglottitis?
High fever in an ill, toxic-looking child.
An intensely painful throat that prevents the child from speaking or swallowing, saliva drools down the chin
Soft inspiratory stridor and rapidly increasing respiratory difficulty over hours
The child sitting, immobile, upright with an open mouth to optimise the airway.
Minimal cough
How would you treat epiglottitis?
Urgent admission and referral ITU with anaesthetist, paediatrician and ENT surgeon. Child should be intubated. After airway is secured blood should be taken and IV antibiotics started.
What are the main symptoms of acute bronchitis in children?
Cough and fever are the main symptoms
How does whooping cough (pertussis) present?
After a week of coryza, there is a characteristic paroxysmal or spasmodic cough followed by a characteristic inspiratory whoop (paroxysmal phase). During a paroxysm, the child goes red or blood in the face, and mucus flows from the nose and mouth.
When is whooping cough worse?
The spasms of cough are often worse at night and may culminate in vomiting. Epistaxis and subconjunctival haemorrhages can occur after vigorous coughing
How long may the symptoms of whooping cough last?
The paroxysmal phase lasts for 3-6 weeks. The symptoms gradually decrease (convalescent phase) but may persist for many months
What are the complications of whooping cough?
Pneumonia, convulsions and bronchiectasis.
How would you treat whooping cough?
Erythromycin eradicates the organism but only decreases symptoms if given in the coryza phase. Close contacts should receive erythromycin prophylaxis
In what age is bronchiolitis most common?
90% are aged 1-9 months, rare after 1 year