Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topi...=259489&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16
Nasty new cough and cold in Qatar
By Noimot Olayiwola
A DOCTOR has said a new trend of severe cold and cough affecting people in Qatar, which is seemingly resistant to only one antibiotic treatment, could be due to a combination of both virus and bacteria infections.
The cough, which develops from the inhalation of various antigens like pollen, dust or mould spores, may cause bronchial spasm ? narrowing of the airways thus making it difficult for an infected person to breathe, according to a general practitioner Dr Sameer Kalandan.
?It is not correct that the cough has developed some resistance to certain antibiotics thus necessitating the use of two different antibiotics. The main reason for prescribing two was not to take chances as it could be some sort of respiratory infection, which presents with cough,? he explained.
Dr Kalandan said initially, persons affected by the cough were being prescribed with simple antibiotics but he later found out that the drugs did not work after three or four days and such persons needed to come back to the hospital before it was discovered that they were also infected with bacteria after which a stronger antibiotic was prescribed in addition to the initial one.
?After the cough, the patients may develop a secondary infection due to virus being trapped in the airways, which I could call the opportunistic infection that weakens the immune system thus providing room for more infections that present cough with symptoms similar to that of asthma.
?Since there is closure of the lung airways, the patients find it extremely difficult to breathe especially while laying down at night and one may confuse it for asthma. So, what we do is simply treat the cough like asthma.
Asthma is a bronchial spasm or narrowing of the tracheal bronchial tree due to inflammation, which may be temporary, related to an inhalation of various antigens. In addition, it may be complicated by infection ? and the typical diagnosis here would be asthmatic bronchitis
?In many individuals, who have been well treated with the desensitisation for the various pollens, moulds and other inhalant causes, they may have persistent symptoms and must take bronchial dilators and topical inhaled steroids to control their symptoms,? he said.
Nasty new cough and cold in Qatar
By Noimot Olayiwola
A DOCTOR has said a new trend of severe cold and cough affecting people in Qatar, which is seemingly resistant to only one antibiotic treatment, could be due to a combination of both virus and bacteria infections.
The cough, which develops from the inhalation of various antigens like pollen, dust or mould spores, may cause bronchial spasm ? narrowing of the airways thus making it difficult for an infected person to breathe, according to a general practitioner Dr Sameer Kalandan.
?It is not correct that the cough has developed some resistance to certain antibiotics thus necessitating the use of two different antibiotics. The main reason for prescribing two was not to take chances as it could be some sort of respiratory infection, which presents with cough,? he explained.
Dr Kalandan said initially, persons affected by the cough were being prescribed with simple antibiotics but he later found out that the drugs did not work after three or four days and such persons needed to come back to the hospital before it was discovered that they were also infected with bacteria after which a stronger antibiotic was prescribed in addition to the initial one.
?After the cough, the patients may develop a secondary infection due to virus being trapped in the airways, which I could call the opportunistic infection that weakens the immune system thus providing room for more infections that present cough with symptoms similar to that of asthma.
?Since there is closure of the lung airways, the patients find it extremely difficult to breathe especially while laying down at night and one may confuse it for asthma. So, what we do is simply treat the cough like asthma.
Asthma is a bronchial spasm or narrowing of the tracheal bronchial tree due to inflammation, which may be temporary, related to an inhalation of various antigens. In addition, it may be complicated by infection ? and the typical diagnosis here would be asthmatic bronchitis
?In many individuals, who have been well treated with the desensitisation for the various pollens, moulds and other inhalant causes, they may have persistent symptoms and must take bronchial dilators and topical inhaled steroids to control their symptoms,? he said.