Do acute upper respiratory infections require infusion?

Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
Updated on September 17, 2024
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Whether acute upper respiratory infections require fluid administration mainly depends on the patient's condition; the vast majority of acute upper respiratory infections do not require fluid administration. An acute upper respiratory infection, commonly referred to as a cold, is primarily caused by various pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, infecting our upper respiratory tract, including the nose, pharynx, and larynx, which are commonly referred to as the upper respiratory tract. The symptoms of an upper respiratory infection mainly manifest as a runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, etc. For most people with normal immune function, young and middle-aged adults, or older adults in good health, upper respiratory infections can heal on their own, with or without medication. However, for some individuals in poor health, or older adults, an upper respiratory infection could potentially trigger heart failure, pneumonia, etc. Therefore, in these cases, some fluid therapy might be necessary, so the decision should be made based on the individual and specific medical condition, not arbitrarily applied across all cases.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 6sec home-news-image

Can acute upper respiratory infection cause diarrhea?

Acute upper respiratory infections, also known clinically as the common cold, can be categorized into several types, including bacterial and viral colds. Therefore, based on the different pathogens infecting the upper respiratory tract, the clinical symptoms exhibited by patients can vary significantly. Typically, patients with viral colds not only experience various clinical discomfort symptoms related to the upper respiratory tract but also suffer from varying degrees of gastrointestinal discomfort such as bloating, diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms indicate a gastro-intestinal type of cold. Hence, for patients with acute upper respiratory infections caused by viral infections, the presence of diarrhea and other related clinical symptoms is quite common. Timely antiviral and symptomatic treatment can alleviate the discomfort caused by the gastro-intestinal type of cold.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
56sec home-news-image

Is acute upper respiratory infection a cold?

Acute upper respiratory infection, commonly referred to as the common cold, manifests suddenly in patients with symptoms including fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and coughing. Some patients may also experience varying degrees of headache and dizziness. Generally, most cases of acute upper respiratory infections are caused by the entry of viruses into the respiratory tract, leading to these clinical symptoms. Therefore, in cases of urgent incidents where patients suddenly exhibit these clinical symptoms, it is crucial to promptly coordinate relevant examinations to determine the type of bacterial infection, followed by detailed symptomatic treatment. Typically, this approach can effectively control the symptoms caused by acute upper respiratory infections.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Can acute upper respiratory infections heal on their own?

Acute upper respiratory tract infection is clinically localized above the nasal cavity and pharynx. Symptoms typically seen in such patients include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat, and coughing. The onset is usually sudden, and some patients may experience sore throats, while others may have an itchy throat. In most cases, these infections are viral. For such patients, the course of the disease is about one week and is usually self-limiting. For elderly individuals or infants and young children, who are generally more frail, it is advisable to prescribe appropriate medications for symptomatic treatment when they contract an acute upper respiratory tract infection, to prevent the aggravation of symptoms and further discomfort.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
1min home-news-image

Can you drink alcohol with an acute upper respiratory tract infection?

For acute upper respiratory infections, it is best not to drink alcohol during the infection period. This is because an acute upper respiratory infection is a type of acute infectious disease. It occurs when some pathogenic microorganisms infect the area of our nasopharynx, leading to this inflammatory disease. The main symptoms in patients include nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, fever, etc. Alcohol, as a type of consumable, can cause irritation to the throat, especially the mucous membrane of the pharynx, thereby exacerbating the swelling of the inflammation. Some patients experience throat swelling and even fever the day after drinking alcohol. Therefore, we do not recommend drinking alcohol during the acute phase of an upper respiratory infection. It is advisable to wait until the body has recovered for a while before drinking. Drinking during the acute phase can easily worsen the condition.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
1min 11sec home-news-image

Do acute upper respiratory infections require infusion?

Whether acute upper respiratory infections require fluid administration mainly depends on the patient's condition; the vast majority of acute upper respiratory infections do not require fluid administration. An acute upper respiratory infection, commonly referred to as a cold, is primarily caused by various pathogens, such as viruses or bacteria, infecting our upper respiratory tract, including the nose, pharynx, and larynx, which are commonly referred to as the upper respiratory tract. The symptoms of an upper respiratory infection mainly manifest as a runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, etc. For most people with normal immune function, young and middle-aged adults, or older adults in good health, upper respiratory infections can heal on their own, with or without medication. However, for some individuals in poor health, or older adults, an upper respiratory infection could potentially trigger heart failure, pneumonia, etc. Therefore, in these cases, some fluid therapy might be necessary, so the decision should be made based on the individual and specific medical condition, not arbitrarily applied across all cases.