Acute rhinitis in infants and young children – symptoms, treatment

Acute rhinitis in infants and young children is a much more severe condition than in adults. Swelling of the nasal mucosa – a characteristic feature of this disease – causes partial or complete restriction of nasal patency, which in turn leads to respiratory and food intake disorders. Occasionally, local complications such as an orbital abscess may appear.

Acute rhinitis in infants and young children – definition

This ailment is one of the most common diseases in childhood and is much more severe than in adults. A characteristic symptom of acute rhinitis is swelling of the nasal mucosa, which even causes complete obstruction of the nose, and thus problems with breathing and food intake. It is said that over 80% of children have had this type of infection at least several times in their lifetime. The incidence of this condition decreases with age.

Symptoms of acute rhinitis

Infection develops within 3-5 days and can spread through airborne droplets, so even contact with another child with a runny nose can cause infection. The characteristic symptoms of this ailment include:

  1. sneezing,
  2. runny nose
  3. stuffy nose
  4. slight cough
  5. sore throat,
  6. high body temperature (in younger children),
  7. enlarged lymph nodes (in infants).

Some infants in the first months of life can only breathe through the nose, so a runny nose often leads to problems with breathing or sleeping. In most children, rhinitis has no complications and is usually self-limiting. Additional diagnostic tests should be performed in the event of general symptoms such as dyspnoea, severe cough or generally poor condition of the child. Viral infection can block the path of bacterial infections, leading to inflammation of the middle ear and lungs.

Acute rhinitis in infants and young children usually lasts 4-7 days, while the virus in the nasal discharge is excreted into the environment throughout the symptoms. Adenoviruses can even be shed in the stool, so there is a risk of fecal-oral infection in young children.

Sometimes local complications occur as a result of the infection passing from the nose to the eye socket. Then, an orbital abscess develops, and its first symptoms are: redness and swelling of the eyelids, and protrusion of the eyeball. The infection can also spread through the nasopharynx to the mouth, causing an retropharyngeal abscess.

Three phases of acute rhinitis in infants and young children

  1. Phase I – is called oedematous-exudative, because it releases histamine, nitric oxide and acetycholine. Consequently, it causes hyperemia, swelling and profuse serous exudate, which is manifested by nasal obstruction and discharge of secretions.
  2. Phase II – it is characterized by the secretion in large amounts of sticky and thick mucus that is difficult to evacuate. Stromal swelling and vasodilation occur, which slow blood flow, which in turn promotes the adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium and the migration of these cells out of the vessels.
  3. Phase III – results from a bacterial infection and is characterized by the production of pus, which is manifested by a yellow runny nose. In addition, there are general symptoms such as coughing, high temperature and poor general condition of the patient. The occurrence of ailments is most often influenced by bacteria in the form of:Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Moraxella catarrhalis.

Causes of acute rhinitis in infants and young children

Acute rhinitis is usually caused by viruses in the form of:

  1. coronaviruses,
  2. rhinoviruses (which affect the lining of the nose and throat, usually not causing inflammation of the lower respiratory tract),
  3. parainfluenza viruses (can cause bronchitis),
  4. enteroviruses,
  5. RS viruses,
  6. adenoviruses,
  7. influenza viruses (A and B).

The causes of the ailment can sometimes also be bacteria, e.g. staphylococci, streptococci. Most often they are responsible for the occurrence of chronic rhinitis.

Symptomatic acute rhinitis appears in many infectious diseases, and sometimes is their first symptom. Rhinitis may be accompanied by:

  1. measles
  2. scarlet fever,
  3. whooping cough
  4. chicken pox.

Acute rhinitis with flu is often associated with nosebleeds, sometimes very profuse due to damage to blood vessels.

Factors contributing to acute rhinitis:

  1. no walks with the baby,
  2. overheating the child,
  3. too short period of breastfeeding,
  4. inadequate nutrition of the child,
  5. cardiovascular and respiratory system ailments,
  6. allergy,
  7. the occurrence of cystic fibrosis,
  8. immunological defects,
  9. being in cigarette smoke,
  10. polluted environment,
  11. inadequate housing conditions,
  12. being in large groups of people on a daily basis, e.g. kindergarten, nursery,
  13. narrow and short airways in a child that are lined with an easily permeable mucosa,
  14. inefficient ciliary apparatus.

Acute rhinitis in infants and children – treatment

Treatment of acute rhinitis is mainly based on relieving the symptoms. Several things are important, including:

  1. adequate air humidification, which prevents drying of the mucosa and clogging of the respiratory tract. You can use an air humidifier or wet towels on the radiator for this purpose. The temperature in the room should not be higher than 20 degrees Celsius;
  2. it is important for the child to be in the fresh air;
  3. take care of the child’s proper hydration;
  4. you can apply nasal drops to constrict the vessels. They should be used 2-3 times a day, using a larger amount and over a long period of time may cause secondary swelling of the nasal mucosa;
  5. you must not give your child ointments and nasal drops that have been created on the basis of mineral oils, as they may cause aspiration pneumonia,
  6. if the child develops a fever – administer antipyretic and anti-inflammatory preparations;
  7. you can give your child antihistamines that soothe swelling and improve the patency of the nasal passages;
  8. do not block the child’s cough reflex, do not administer antitussive preparations – butamirate is a relatively safe drug, which acts centrally and is well absorbed.

If your child is unable to get rid of nasal secretions on their own, or is otherwise unable to do so properly, you can help them with the Qatar STOP Baby Pears, available in various sizes on Medonet Market. We also recommend the TM-10 BABY Electric Nasal and Ear Aspirator with a built-in rechargeable battery that will help you get rid of nasal secretions.

Complications of acute rhinitis

Although the ailment resolves itself after about 10 days, some complications may arise. The most common of them include:

  1. subglottic laryngitis,
  2. ethmoid sinusitis,
  3. bronchitis,
  4. pneumonia.

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