Symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection

Symptoms of an Upper Respiratory Infection

If you come up with a list of illnesses, infections and conditions that lead to the most doctor visits as well as absence from school and work every year in the U.S and probably all over the world, you are like to find that upper respiratory infection, also known as the common cold, is at the top of that particular list. According to the fact and figures, people in the U.S suffer over one billion colds within the space of one year alone, which is big number to say the very least and definitely an astonishing statistic. The upper respiratory tract, one of the two parts of the respiratory tract along with the lower respiratory tract, consists of moth, nose, sinus, throat, larynx also known as the voice box as well as the trachea also known as the windpipe. The upper respiratory infection, also known as the common cold is usually caused by a viral infection which leads to the inflammation of the membranes of the nose and throat. Given that it is a viral infection; treatment of upper respiratory infections involves managing of symptoms while the body’s immune system fights off the infection. Most people usually fail to differentiate between an upper respiratory infection and seasonal flu and as such it is important to now the symptoms associated with the former. That is where this article will come in handy as it will look to highlight the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection.

When looking at the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, otherwise known as the common cold, it is important to note that symptoms vary with age with adults, infants and older children all having varying symptoms. to begin with we shall take a look at the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection that are associated with adults. Stuffiness, which is basically nasal congestion is one of the key symptoms as far as the common cold is concerned. Other additional symptoms include a runny nose, low grade fever, cough and a post-nasal drip. The cough associated with an upper respiratory infection is usually dry as opposed to the one associated with a lower respiratory infection such as pneumonia which usually comes with phlegm or sputum. As far as the post-nasal drip is concerned, this is basically when a cough brings up some of the nasal secretion such as mucus that may have dripped into the back of the throat. Other symptoms to look out for include fullness in the face, pain and fever as well as increased nasal drainage as per the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com.

As mentioned above, infants may have additional symptoms only specific to them that may indicate that they may be suffering from an upper respiratory infection. this includes an inability to sleep like they normally do, fussiness and irritability with the infant being inconsolable sometimes when they begin to cry. Other additional symptoms include congestion in the nose as well as a fever. There are also cases where an infant with an upper respiratory infection may begin to suffer from vomiting and diarrhea. As a rule of thumb, and as is recommended by the subject matter experts over at frontlineer.com, any illness or condition affecting an infant should be taken very seriously given their age and the fact that their immune system is not yet fully developed, with cases of upper respiratory infections being no exception. It is also important to note that in infants, croup may ensue, which is the inflammation of the upper airways. This leads to the upper airways and the larynx in particular to become inflamed with the result being a croupy or barking cough.

As far as older children are concerned, some of the symptoms to look out for include a stuffy, runny nose, a scratchy and tickly throat, sneezing, watery eyes, chills, mild hacking cough, sore throat, low grade fever, headaches as well as congestion and aching in muscles and bones. Other additional symptoms to look out for in older children as far as an upper respiratory infection is concerned include cases of mild fatigue as well watery discharge from the nose that begins to thicken once it is discharged and turns green or yellow in color. There are other additional symptoms for both children and adults, that although may not be very common, it is important to be aware of them just in case. These include bad breath, itchy eyes as well as cases of hyposmia which is the loss of sense of smell, with all of these symptoms having been covered in detail over at frontlineer.com by the subject matter experts over there. While in most cases symptoms of upper respiratory infections resolve themselves with time, there are instances that require one to seek medical attention such as in cases of infants who are less than three months old and have fevers, folks with a compromised immunity, pregnant women, those with an underlying illness such as asthma among others.

Hopefully, this article will be of great help when looking to find out some of the symptoms of an upper respiratory infection with more on this and other related topics to be found over at the ever reliable frontlineer.com.

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