Why does tracheitis occur?
In most cases, the cause is respiratory viruses that damage the mucous membrane and make it sensitive to any irritation. Less commonly, a bacterial infection occurs, usually after several days of illness, when the condition worsens again. A separate group of causes are non-infectious irritants: tobacco smoke, dry dusty air, fumes from household chemicals, extreme cold. A lingering cough, similar to tracheitis, is often supported by the reflux of acidic stomach contents into the esophagus, postnasal drip of mucus from the nose, or taking certain blood pressure medications.
- Respiratory viruses
- Attachment of a bacterial infection
- Tobacco smoke and active smoking
- Dry, dusty or frosty air
- Vapors from household chemicals and paint
- Gastroesophageal reflux
- Drip of mucus down the back of the throat
Symptoms
Typical tracheitis begins with a sore throat and hoarseness, and then a characteristic cough appears. It is dry, paroxysmal, begins with a tickling behind the sternum and can last for several minutes at a time, causing tears and pain in the chest and abdominal muscles. Attacks are provoked by deep breathing, talking, laughter, cold air and a horizontal position, so the cough is more painful at night. The temperature is usually low, health suffers moderately. After 3–5 days, sputum appears, the cough becomes more productive and gradually subsides.
- Dry paroxysmal cough
- Burning and rawness behind the sternum
- Worsening cough at night and in the cold
- Hoarseness of voice
- Low fever and weakness
- The appearance of sputum after a few days
How is it different from bronchitis and laryngitis?
With laryngitis, the main complaint is hoarseness or loss of voice, and in young children a barking cough with noisy inhalation is possible - this is a sign of narrowing of the larynx, requiring urgent help. With bronchitis, the cough is often wet, the doctor listens for wheezing in the lungs, and the sensation of scratching behind the sternum is less pronounced. Isolated tracheitis gives characteristic pain precisely behind the sternum with intact lungs. In practice, these conditions often transform into one another, and the doctor evaluates the whole picture, and not a single symptom.
- Laryngitis: hoarseness, barking cough
- Croup in children: noisy inhalation, requires 103
- Bronchitis: wet cough, wheezing in the lungs
- Tracheitis: burning behind the sternum, dry cough
- Pneumonia: high fever, shortness of breath, side pain
Survey
With a typical picture and short duration of the disease, no special examination is required: examination, assessment of the throat and listening to the lungs is sufficient. The doctor pays attention to signs that do not fit into a viral infection: high fever for more than several days, shortness of breath, asymmetry of breathing, blood in the sputum. In these cases, a chest x-ray and blood tests are prescribed. If the cough lasts longer than three weeks, the examination is expanded: whooping cough, bronchial asthma, reflux, tuberculosis and side effects of medications are excluded.
- Examination by an ENT doctor and therapist
- Auscultation of the lungs
- Chest X-ray for suspected pneumonia
- Complete blood count and C-reactive protein
- Spirometry for persistent cough
- Examination for whooping cough and tuberculosis according to indications
Treatment
For viral tracheitis, antibiotics are useless: they do not affect viruses, but have side effects. The main task is to moisturize the mucous membrane and reduce irritation. Drinking plenty of warm water, cool, moist air in the room, quitting smoking, including passive smoking, and vocal rest for hoarseness help. As prescribed by the doctor, cough suppressants are used, and if sputum appears, drugs are used to facilitate its removal. Cough suppressants and expectorants should not be given at the same time. An antibiotic is prescribed by a doctor for a confirmed bacterial infection or complications.
- Drink plenty of warm drinks throughout the day
- Moist cool air, regular ventilation
- Complete cessation of smoking and smoke indoors
- Rinsing the nose for a runny nose
- Inhalation with saline solution as prescribed
- Cough medicines only on doctor's recommendation
- Do not combine antitussives and expectorants
- Antibiotic - only as prescribed for bacterial infection
