Acute bronchitis in children is an infectious and inflammatory process that affects the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, while lasting no more than one month. The disease should be distinguished from bronchiolitis - inflammation of the bronchioles with characteristic seasonal epidemic outbreaks, according to Pannochka, an Internet publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old.. net Acute bronchitis is a widespread pathology of childhood. According to medical statistics, about 100-200 children out of a thousand fall ill with it every year.. About half of all cases of respiratory system diseases in children in the first years of life are represented by acute bronchitis. Especially often the disease develops in children aged 1-3 years.

Acute bronchitis in a child begins with manifestations characteristic of ARVD Diagnostics, treatment and development of measures to prevent the onset of acute bronchitis are carried out by doctors of various specializations: pediatricians, pediatric allergists, pulmonologists, immunologists.

Causes and risk factors The most common cause of bronchitis in children is a viral infection (influenza, parainfluenza, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial infection). Much less often, bacterial flora (Klebsiella, E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Moraxella, Haemophilus influenzae, Pneumococcus, Streptococcus), Candida or Aspergillus fungi, intracellular infection (cytomegalovirus, mycoplasma, chlamydia) act as the causative agent of the disease. Quite often in children, bronchitis develops against the background of whooping cough, diphtheria, measles.

Severe obstructive bronchitis can cause acute respiratory failure and the formation of acute cor pulmonale.

Bronchitis can also be allergic. Its development is provoked by the entry into the bronchial tree with the current of inhaled air of various inhalation allergens (plant pollen, aerosols of household chemicals and perfumery products, house dust).

In some cases, the cause of bronchitis lies in irritation of the bronchial mucosa with gasoline vapors, tobacco smoke, gas-polluted air of megalopolises.

The contributing factors are:.

burdened perinatal background (prematurity, birth trauma, hypotrophy, asphyxia);

constitutional anomalies (exudative-catarrhal or lymphatic-hypoplastic diathesis);

congenital anomalies of the respiratory system;

frequent respiratory diseases (laryngitis, rhinitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis);

disorders of nasal breathing (curvature of the nasal septum, adenoid vegetation);

chronic purulent infection (chronic tonsillitis, sinusitis).

In epidemiological terms, seasonal outbreaks of acute respiratory viral infections, the cold season, finding a child in poor social conditions, staying in organized children's groups (nurseries, kindergartens, schools) are of primary importance.

The mechanism of development of the disease The pathogenesis of acute bronchitis is inextricably linked with a number of anatomical and physiological features of the respiratory system in childhood, the main of which are:.

looseness of submucosa;

abundant blood supply to the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.

These features create favorable conditions for the spread of inflammation from the upper respiratory tract to its lower parts..

Allergic bronchitis develops after contact of a child with a substance to which he has sensitization, that is, with an allergen.

In the process of vital activity, microbial agents produce toxins that disrupt the movement of the ciliated epithelium, promote swelling of the mucous membrane and increased secretion of viscous thick mucus. Slow flickering of cilia turns off the mechanism of cleansing the bronchi from pathogenic agents and promotes the spread of the inflammatory process, blockage (obstruction) of the bronchial secretions of small bronchi.

The main features of acute bronchitis in childhood are:.

the severity of the inflammatory response;

depth of damage to the walls of the bronchi;

significant extent of the inflammatory process.

Classification By origin, primary and secondary bronchitis are distinguished. The primary form of the disease affects only the tracheobronchial tree and initially begins in it. Secondary bronchitis is considered as a complication of another pathology of the respiratory system..

Depending on the spread of the inflammatory process, acute bronchitis is divided into the following forms:.

limited (inflammation does not go beyond one lobe of the lung);

common (two or more lobes of the lung are drawn into the pathological process);

diffuse (inflammation of the bronchi of both lungs).

By the type of inflammatory reaction, acute bronchitis is:.

catarrhal (simple bronchitis);

purulent;

purulent fibrous;

ulcerative;

hemorrhagic;

necrotic;

mixed nature.

Children usually have catarrhal, catarrhal-purulent and purulent forms of the disease..

According to the etiological factor, acute bronchitis is divided into bacterial, viral, fungal, allergic, mixed. Depending on the presence or absence of an obstructive component, they are divided respectively into obstructive and non-obstructive.

In some cases, the cause of bronchitis lies in irritation of the bronchial mucosa with gasoline vapors, tobacco smoke, gas-polluted air of megalopolises.

Symptoms of acute bronchitis in children The appearance of symptoms of bronchitis in a child is usually preceded by signs of acute respiratory viral infections:.

runny nose;

hoarseness;

dry cough;

sore throat;

conjunctivitis.

After a while, the cough intensifies, becomes obsessive. After 5-7 days, the nature of the cough changes. It becomes moist, with mucous or purulent mucous sputum secretion.

Other signs of acute bronchitis are:.

fever (temperature rise to 38-38.5 ° C);

excessive sweating;

chest pain;

general weakness;

shortness of breath (especially common in children in the first years of life).

In children under one year old, bronchiolitis often develops, that is, a disease in which inflammation mainly affects the terminal sections of the bronchial tree, bronchioles. The course of this disease is severe. It is characterized by:.

fever up to 39-39.5 ° С;

toxicosis with exicosis;

acute respiratory failure (expiratory dyspnea, tachypnea, cyanosis of the mucous membranes and skin).

Obstructive bronchitis usually develops in children over 2 years of age. Its main symptom is bronchial obstruction, which is manifested by:.

wheezing noisy breathing, often audible even from a distance;

paroxysmal cough;

prolonged exhalation;

participation in the act of breathing of auxiliary muscles;

low-grade fever (but it may be normal).

Allergic bronchitis develops after contact of a child with a substance to which he has sensitization, that is, with an allergen. For this form of the disease, the characteristic signs are:.

cough with mucous sputum;

general weakness;

sweating;

other manifestations of an allergic reaction (atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and / or conjunctivitis).

Children usually have catarrhal, catarrhal-purulent and purulent forms of the disease..

Complications Acute bronchitis in childhood usually proceeds favorably and ends with full recovery 10-15 days after the onset of the disease.

In some cases, bronchitis becomes recurrent.. With an untimely start of therapy, the disease can be complicated by the development of bronchopneumonia.

The most dangerous complications of bronchiolitis are asphyxia and respiratory arrest (apnea).

Severe obstructive bronchitis can cause acute respiratory failure and the formation of acute cor pulmonale.

Frequently recurring allergic bronchitis in a child can eventually transform into bronchial asthma..

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