Common respiratory diseases in children and the causes of their occurrence

Children often get sick. Almost 70 percent of all illnesses are caused by diseases of the respiratory system. This is due to a variety of reasons: due to the incompletely formed respiratory system, due to the presence of dust in the air masses and the presence in them of a large number of microbes and impurities. No small role is played by the general condition of the baby, which depends, including on the conditions of life.

Anatomical features of the structure of the respiratory system in children

Differentiation of the described system takes place in the fourth week of the fetal life. Interestingly, the respiratory system of the newborn is not a copy of the adult system. So, the baby is born with underdeveloped alveoli. And only during the first years of life the correct structure of the lung tissue is formed. The number of alveoli increases at a rapid pace to two years, then the rate slows down, and already in adolescence, lung tissue begins to regenerate quickly. Moreover, the larynx, bronchi in children is longer and narrower than in adults. Mucous, lining these organs, loose, rich in blood vessels. The ribs are perpendicular to the spine, which makes deep breathing difficult. Therefore, even in healthy children, the lungs perform their work with increased workload, and when respiratory diseases take place, they fall into a completely unfavorable situation. That is why childhood ailments take place in a more severe form than in adults, and often end up in the development of pneumonia.

What are the most common respiratory diseases in children?

ARVI

Usually respiratory viral infections affect the nasopharynx, larynx, trachea. Such a disease passes quickly enough, but it can often be repeated. Its danger is that if you do not undergo treatment in time, the inflammatory process from the upper respiratory tract will quickly pass to the lower ones. So, in the nasopharynx there is a certain number of not only viruses, but also bacteria. They do not harm the body until certain conditions are met. how Only protective organisms weaken, microorganisms start to multiply and turn into pathogenic ones.

Bronchitis

This disease of the respiratory system is an inflammation of the bronchial mucosa . This ailment is rare in itself in children. Most often, it is a consequence of the defeat of the nasopharynx, trachea, larynx. Sometimes it can precede the inflammation of the lungs, sometimes complicates it. The prolonged course of this disease is observed in very young children who suffer from diathesis or rickets. In the event that the treatment of the respiratory organs was timely carried out, the prognosis for bronchitis is favorable.

Pneumonia

Inflammation of the lungs is classified as "severe respiratory diseases". The smaller the child, the heavier it flows. Often, pneumonia becomes a consequence of infectious diseases: even with a slight rhinitis, mucus accumulates in the respiratory tract, and as we know, bacteria and viruses easily multiply , which easily and secretly enter the lungs. Therefore, it is worth remembering that this disease is much easier to prevent than treat. For example, prevention of rickets is also a defense against this ailment.