Respiratory tract infections Flashcards
What are the 3 main routes of transmission for respiratory tract infections ?
- Contact (touch)
- Airborne
- Droplet

Define what acute cough/ acute bronchitis is
It is an infection of the the bronchi - the large airways.
What is acute bronchitis caused by ?
- It is usually due to viral infection
- Less commonly it may be caused by bacterial infection
What are the main causative organisms of bacterial acute bronchitis ?
H.influenzae, S.pneumoniae, M.catarrhalis.
What are the main clinical features of acute bronchitis ?
- The key symptom is a productive cough
- May have a transient wheeze
- You may also develop a fever, headache, cold symptoms and aches and pains.
- Symptoms typically peak after 2-3 days and then gradually clear. However, it commonly takes 2-3 weeks for the cough to go completely after the other symptoms have gone.
In someone with acute bronchitis would you expect their chest exammination and CXR to be normal ?
Yes
What is the mainstay of the treatment of acute bronchitis ?
It is usually self-limiting in the average joe so treatment is supportive:
- Analgesia – paracetamol and ibuprofen
- Hydration.
- Time.
When may antibiotics be used in the treatment of acute bronchitis ?
- When the patient is systemically very unwell
- When the patient has symptoms and signs of serious complications
- When the patient is at high risk of serious complications due to serious co-morbidity
- When the patient is aged 65 or older
- Where community acquired pneumonia is suspected, antibiotic treatment should be commenced without delay, and assessment of the CRB-65 score is essential
When antibiotics are indicated for treatment of acute bronchitis what should be given?
- 1st line = Amoxicillin
- 2nd line = Doxycyline if penicillin allergy
Define what bronchiolitis is
Bronchiolitis is an acute viral infection of the lower respiratory tract that occurs primarily in the very young.
Who is most commonly affected by bronchiolitis ?
Most common cause of a serious lower respiratory tract infection in < 1yr olds (90% are 1-9 months)
During what part of the year do most cases of bronchiolitis occur ?
Winter
What are the causes of bronchiolitis ?
- Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the principle cause
- Others include; Mycoplasma, parainfluenza and adenoviruses
What are the typical clinical features of bronchiolitis ?
Coryzal symptoms (including mild fever) precede:
- Dry cough
- Increasing breathlessness
- Wheezing & fine inspiratory crackles (not always present)
- Intercostal recession
- Cyanosis
- Feeding difficulties
What are the main reasons for admitting someone with bronchiolitis ?
- Poor feeding
- RR > 50
- Apnoea
- Central cyanosis
- Persistent O2 sats < 92%
- Dehydration
- Severe respiratory distress, for example grunting, marked chest recession
- Patient or parental exhuastion
How is bronchiolitis diagnosed ?
By PCR on throat or pernasal swabs
What is the treatment of bronchiolitis ?
Supportive - give O2
Define what bronchiectasis is
This is where there is permanent fixed dilatation of the bronchi & bronchioles secondary to chronic infection or inflammation
List the causes of bronchiectasis
- Post-infective: tuberculosis, measles, pertussis, pneumonia
- Cystic fibrosis
- Bronchial obstruction e.g. lung cancer/foreign body
- Immune deficiency: selective IgA, hypogammaglobulinaemia
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA)
- Ciliary dyskinetic syndromes: Kartagener’s syndrome, Young’s syndrome
- Yellow nail syndrome
What are the signs/symptoms of bronchiectasis ?
- Persistent cough - with copious amounts of purulent sputum & intermittent haemoptysis
- SOB
- Finger clubbing
- Coarse inspiratory crackles
- Wheeze
- Chest pain, usually non-pleuritic
- Large airway rhonchi (low-pitched snore-like sounds)
What additional parts to a history might make you think more of bronchiectasis ?
- Young age at presentation.
- History of symptoms over many years.
- Recurrent “chest infections” and Abx prescriptions but with no response or short lived to the antibiotics
- Absence of smoking history.
What initial investigations should be done in someone with suspected bronchiectasis ?
- Sputum culture — to identify colonizing pathogens
- Chest X-ray — to exclude other pathology and to help confirm the diagnosis where disease is severe.
- Post-bronchodilator spirometry — to assess the severity of airflow obstruction.
What CXR features are suggestive of bronchiectasis?
Signet rings & tramlines
What is the gold standard test done to diagnose bronchiectasis ?
High-resolution computed tomography (HRCT)



