Acute respiratory infections in children: optimizing treatment strategy

S.V. Nikolaeva¹, Yu.N. Khlypovka^1,2, A.V. Gorelov^2,3

¹Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of the Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow

²Central Clinical Hospital and Polyclinic, Moscow

³Sechenov University, Moscow

Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) still rank first among infectious diseases in children. Viruses are the most common causative agents of ARIs. Clinical symptoms of ARIs are similar, i.e., fever, headache, hyperemic pharynx, rhinitis, cough, conjunctivitis, and enlarged regional lymph nodes. Treatment for ARIs should be complex and include, if needed, antivirals. Current-ly, identification of a specific virus is not a standard procedure in routine clinical practice. Some symptoms of ARIs can be significant thus requiring additional drugs. Treatment for ARIs should include antivirals (etiological therapy), pathogenic and symptomatic therapy, medications to boost antiviral and antibacterial immune response, and antibiotics (if bacterial complications occur). Considering that ARIs are common disorders, drugs which reduce ARI duration and time to recover working capacity are socially important. However, not all antivirals can be used in children due to their potential toxicity. In these cases, recombinant interferon alfa-2b in combination with highly active antioxidants vitamins E and C is recommended. Numerous studies have demonstrated clinical efficacy and safety of this agent.

Keywords: acute respiratory infections, viruses, children, recombinant interferon alfa-2b.

For citation: Nikolaeva S.V., Khlypovka Yu.N., Gorelov A.V. Acute respiratory infections in children: optimizing treatment strategy. RMJ. 2019;10:42–45.