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Antibiotics for Colds

How many words to talk about antibiotics, many articles written, how many television programs produced, and that count them there is no way. How many times told the world that antibiotics for colds is not used, and things are there.

Many concerned patients seeking to quickly deal with SARS, not missing a single working day, stormed the pharmacy during the flu epidemic. They are burdened by one desire: to find a cure, which, as if by magic, at once stop their suffering and return to good spirits. And often this drug popular at idle opinion are antibiotics.

But, frankly, obsession confusion in the minds of the consumer has a logical explanation. The fact is that the respiratory viral infections - SARS - may be complicated by bacterial. antibiotic not only can drink With such cold: it just needs. In memory of the person who has ever encountered a bacterial co-infection (infection attached, which had to be treated with antibiotics, the scheme will remain cold = antimicrobial forever. When he gets sick again cold, this information is required to "pop up".

And now another pharmacy client asks him to sell the most effective antibiotic that had once saved him from SARS. Now let's understand the difference between a cold complicated from uncomplicated, and when all the same time to connect the anti-bacterial agents.

The Common Cold is Normal: When an Antibiotic is not Needed?

And first let us consider the elementary situation, when cold, which does not require the use of antibiotics, occurs "by all the rules." SARS, she ARI, she's cold - a respiratory viral disease, the most common infection in the world. "Catch" respiratory virus, the number of which reached record levels and hundreds, easy. Moreover, the common cold - is the norm. Potentially healthy adults can get sick up to six times a year, and children - up to ten or even slightly more. At the same time complain about the bad immune system is still too early: this disease is quite natural.

So, caught in the dank autumn evening (as well as at any other time of day and year) should grow cold about one and the same scenario.

The patient sequentially passes through several stages of SARS, which look something like this: sudden fatigue and fatigue, runny nose, cough, sore throat, a gradual normalization of the state of recovery.

As a rule, from the beginning to the end of a cold presentation held 7-10 days. Remember the popular wisdom about the treated and untreated cold? So: it is not without reason. No matter how you try, no matter what modern medicine is not swallowed, likely sooner than seven days will be able to recover fully. But after the allotted time, the respiratory viruses, they die, and we are recovering.

After a close acquaintance with respiratory viruses temporary immunity is formed in the body. Its duration depends on the type of virus and ranges from several months to several years. However, protection is valid only in respect of the variety of viruses, which cause disease. A species of each of the respiratory viruses tens or even hundreds. Therefore, we are sick of SARS is often so thick.

Colds Complicated when an Antibiotic is Needed?

And now describe the scheme of the common cold is not easy, and complicated by a bacterial infection. SARS begins this standard: fatigue, low-grade fever (in children is possible and fever), then all the same cough, runny nose, sore throat and so on. That is, first all goes according to plan. But after a week, when the norm has yet to go on the mend, nothing is going nowhere. The cough becomes deeper, the throat may be ill or is still intense and the temperature could easily crawl up. And here is the first bells that it is important not to miss.

So, to the warning signs that may indicate a complication of a cold or flu and the need for antibiotics include:

  • Dramatic deterioration of health in the background has begun recovery;
  • The appearance of deep wet cough for 4-5 days ARI;
  • A sharp rise in temperature to 38 ° C or above 4-5 day illness.

In general, if you feel relatively normal, aching cold already 2-3 days, and then suddenly the state began to deteriorate, it is necessary to tighten. As an adult, let alone a child, the patient cold, there are signs that we have described, it is necessary to sound the alarm and possibly start to drink antibiotics. But the situation is non-standard, and it develops not always. Why does the common cold suddenly turns into a bacterial infection?

Colds, Turning into Pneumonia

Complicated cold - an exception to the rules established by a healthy immune system. And in his fall, as a rule, people are at risk, which immunity can not cope with its main task - protection against harmful microorganisms.

Thus, the greatest chance of a cold complicated at which antibiotics are shown, in immunonekompetentnyh patients. These include:

  • Small children. Their immune system is imperfect. In addition, they have never met before with the majority of viruses and bacteria, which means that they acquired immunity either. Add to that the presence of children in closed collectives and quite understandable dislike for hand washing. By the way, the smaller the child, the more likely he is ill;
  • Aged people. The immunity in the elderly weakened by not less children. The reason a lot of chronic diseases, accumulated over the years. Therefore, people in 60 frequent sudden pneumonia that occur is extremely difficult;
  • Patients after organ transplantation or bone marrow. This is a special category of patients, whose immune systems closely on doctors;
  • People taking immunosuppressive drugs. In addition to well-known immunomodulators that enhance the immune system, there are drugs with the opposite effect. Their goal - to weaken the immune defense;
  • Patients with cancer. Oncology often leaves opportunities immune system to adequately perform their functions. If a person receives chemotherapy, radiation or radiotherapy on immunity can be for a while and did forget;
  • Patients receiving long-term corticosteroid preparations;
  • People living with HIV (AIDS). In other people's immune system must be operated relatively normally, and the likelihood of complications of acute respiratory viral infection is minimal. And, then, the common cold they do without the use of antibiotics.

Complications Children's Colds

Parents are probably faced with a situation where for colds in children pediatrician appoint antibiotics. Immediately begs the obvious question: if antibiotics are not effective for colds, why their doctor prescribes? Moreover, they often help, and this help is noticeable to the naked eye! Try to understand what are guided by pediatricians in such cases.

In children, complications can develop very quickly. So fast that it is not only a doctor, but my mother does not have time to notice the deterioration, especially, inexperienced mother and has no relation to medicine. The picture looks like this: last night the baby was 100% virus infection, followed by viral bronchitis and rhinitis, and in the morning - a full-fledged pneumonia. Viral infection, incidentally, is also not going away. Just self-healing takes place from viruses and bacteria from there.

Our hypothetical child is already sick with pneumonia against SARS, continues to receive Helps to overcome the traditional treatment. Warm drinks and antivirals with a bacterial infection act as a poultice on the dying. A further antipyretics only erase a picture of illness and conceal its true face. Pneumonia is played out in earnest. To notice it is only the local doctor at the next reception or mother, when the symptoms become so severe that they can no longer hide behind SARS. And only then, after a long delay, it will not cure the common cold and pneumonia - the true condition in which first of all need antibiotics.

Do We Need Children Antibiotics for Colds?

Often there is a gap between the actual start of a bacterial infection on the background of the common cold and the appointment of antibacterial drugs is a week or more. To avoid such a scenario, the doctor often prefer not to wait for deterioration, and to warn them.

First of all pediatricians prescribe antibiotics for colds impaired often ill children, whose immune system is unable to cope with its task. The doctor can sufficiently high probability to predict the development of complications in such cases.

If the pediatrician can not control the situation on a daily basis, it is much safer to appoint antibiotics advance until catarrhal cough is not transformed into a cough with pneumonia. In addition, sometimes the victims of early administration of antibiotics are children, mothers are too young and inexperienced. Doctors deep doubts about the ability of young parents timely notice deterioration of the child, do not want to risk it.

It turns out that the child unnecessary antibiotics for colds - it "armor plates" doctor? Unfortunately, this is true. And if the doctor assumptions are correct, then antibacterials really help: they start working and stop developing the infection in time. And if a doctor makes a mistake? doctor listens to the lungs of the child.

You may ask, is it possible to avoid unwarranted antibiotics? Unfortunately, in the domestic system of children's health care is often not easy to do so. The district pediatrician during the "harvest" - the epidemic of influenza and acute respiratory viral infections - there is so busy that he would have time to look the child at least once every few days. During this time, bacterial pneumonia or tonsillitis already will drop away. Here are assigned antibiotics for colds right and left, and blame the doctor this is not quite correct. There is a solution - private medicine lacks many of the shortcomings of the state. But whether it is available to all? However, this is a topic for an entirely different conversation.

We're back to the problem of early detection of cold complicated and, accordingly, the correct antibiotics.

Complications of Acute Respiratory Viral Infections that Require Antibiotics

So, in true viral colds no antibacterial agents not appointed. Bacterial infection is already requiring antibiotics regardless of whether or not there is a cold, gives rise to quite another disease. Here are the most frequent bacterial complications of SARS:

  • Bacterial tonsillitis (simply - sore throat);
  • Bacterial sinusitis;
  • Bacterial acute bronchitis;
  • Pneumonia;
  • Acute otitis media.

You do not need to experiment on his own body. It is better to trust a specialist - even if he knows what antibiotic, when, how and when a cold can be assigned. The task of the patient - just in time to see a doctor and do his orders. And it's the best thing you can do for your health.