LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASES
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic bronchitis is the inflammation of bronchia which connect the lungs to the trachea. As a result of an infection in the bronchi, the air that enters the lungs decreases and the production of phlegm increases. If production of phlegm causes coughing in the majority of days up to three months in a time span of two years, the condition is identified as chronic bronchitis. If left untreated, chronic bronchitis may cause emphysema. Smoking is the most frequent cause of chronic bronchitis. As for patients who do not smoke, air pollution, exposure to industrial dust and ashes, chronic asthma, cystic fibrosis, chronic lung infections are some of the causes of the disease.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is, the infection of lung tissue. It is first and foremost caused by bacteria and viruses, and less prevalently, by infections caused by fungi and parasites. Findings of pneumonia include phlegmy cough, fever, chills with tremor, wheezing, shortness of breath, severe and knifelike chest pain when breathing deeply and increased breath rate per minute.
Doctors may resort to physical examination findings, radiological imaging methods and laboratory tests for diagnosing pneumonia. If deemed necessary, the patient may need to be treated in hospital based on their age, comorbidities, infection factors and severity of the medical profile. Compared with other infectious diseases worldwide, pneumonia causes the most deaths.
Pneumonia caused by bacteria can be divided into two groups: community-acquired and hospital-acquired pneumonia. Risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia include advanced age, comorbidities (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / COPD, asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, renal disease, etc.), alcoholism, smoking, immune deficiency or inhibition.
In the treatment of pneumonia, medications that are appropriate to the factor causing the infection are used. Prevention of the disease includes vaccination, taking the necessary environmental measures and appropriate treatment of other health problems.
COMMON COLD AND COUGH
Cold (sniffles) is an upper respiratory tract infection usually caused by rhinoviruses. It spreads from human to human whether via the respiratory tract or infected secretions.
It heals on its own as long as there are no complications, however, it is a disease that may cause the skipping of work or school days
Patients may present with symptoms such as sneezing, nasal discharge, nasal congestion, fatigue, a sense of burning/pain in the throat (sore throat), fever, coughing.
The treatment of colds targets the alleviation of the patient's symptoms. For that purpose, analgesics / antipyretics, throat sprays / mouthwashes and drugs for nasal congestion can be used. Moreover, bedrest may also be recommended. Use of antibiotics is not recommended unless there is a bacterial infection that has developed on the viral infection.
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis B is a disease contracted with the Hepatitis B virus and causes an acute condition that can turn into a chronic disease. Following chronicization, the person can go on living without showing any symptoms as carrier but may also have to undergo continued treatment due to the destruction caused in the liver by a constant propagation of the virus. Following chronicization, conditions such as cirrhosis or liver cancer can occur.
How prevalent is it?
It is estimated that nearly 2 billion people have contracted the Hepatitis B virus, that there are approximately 400 million cases of chronic hepatitis infections and that approximately 500 to 700 thousand people lose their lives due to diseases associated with Hepatitis B. Almost half of the cases of liver cirrhosis and approximately 80% of liver cancer cases are caused by Hepatitis virus infections. The median of studies carried out in Turkey shows that the rate of positivity of the marker antigen for Hepatitis B is 5%. While this rate decreases towards western regions, it increases towards eastern regions.
How is it contracted?
Although blood-borne contagion is the most commonly known type of contagion for the disease, particularly in Turkey, contagion from mother to baby is the most important obstacle in the breaking of the cycle of the disease. Transmission via sexual interactions is a significant problem, especially in unprotected intercourse.
What should be done for protection?
There are still vaccines against Hepatitis B that are available. In Turkey, a preventive vaccination program has been implemented since 1997. Screening for Hepatitis B is especially important in pregnant women. Anyone who comes across suspicious blood should undergo screening. Again, avoiding suspicious and unprotected sexual relations is an important parameter for protection.
What are the treatment methods?
Treatment should be started in persons who are unvaccinated and who have contracted the disease by monitoring the propagation status of the virus. Treatment methods that were excruciatingly painful in older times and which consisted in using needles have today been replaced by the taking of oral tablets. Tests that monitor the propagation of the virus and that screen the state of the liver should be conducted following the taking of these medications or at periods determined by the doctor.
