Your Health and Wellness Partner For Extensive Care
Did you know that Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URIs) are one of the most common causes that people visit a doctor, especially in the winter season? Therefore, it is important to know what steps you can take to recover from URIs and how you can avoid them.
Family Urgent Care becomes your partner when it comes to managing these nagging infections. You can consult our experienced healthcare providers by visiting our clinic or even connecting with them online from the comfort of your home.
If you want to visit us physically, we are based in three different locations: Rogers Park and Lincoln Park in Illinois and Schererville in Indiana. So, do not let the draining symptoms spoil your daily chores and visit us today to recover quickly.
Let’s Get The Lowdown On The Types Of URIs!
Here are some types of URIs that you can come across in your community:
Common Cold and Flu: It is one of the most common URIs caused by respiratory syncytial virus, influenza virus, rhinovirus, or coronavirus. You might experience a stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, cough, sneezing, watery eyes and fever.
Sinusitis (Sinus Infection): It is the inflammation of the tissues in your sinuses (air-filled spaces in the skull) that occurs due to bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Some of the common symptoms that people experience are stuffy nose and discharge, pressure-like pain on the face or behind the eyes, sore throat, fatigue and fever.
Pharyngitis (Sore Throat): You might have experienced constant pain or scratchiness in your throat during swallowing. It is pharyngitis! This infection can occur due to the invasion of bacteria or viruses, or it can result from the common cold and flu. Strep throat is most common when a bacteria named Group A Streptococcus grows inside your nose or throat causing sore throat, fever, throat pain, etc.
Tonsillitis: Inflammation in the tonsils (two masses of tissues present at the back of the throat) is most common in children between the ages of 5 to 15. Your child might have difficulty swallowing, sore throat, scratchy or muffled voice, enlarged tender glands in the neck and fever.
Laryngitis: It is the irritation or inflammation of the voice box that occurs due to overuse, bacterial or viral infection. This infection is often linked to cold, flu, strep throat, or tonsillitis.
Epiglottitis: The inflammation in the epiglottis (lid that covers the trachea when you swallow food) that occurs due to a bacteria, virus, or fungi.
What Are The Causes Of URIs?
Upper respiratory tract infections mostly occur due to the presence of bacteria or viruses in the body. For instance, you might have touched an unhygienic or infected surface or shake hands with an infected person and then you touch your hands on your face. The germs will easily enter your body and cause different types of URIs such as Strep throat, common cold, flu, sinusitis, etc.
How Can Family Urgent Care Help In Treating Upper Respiratory Tract Infections?
Whether you suffer from the common cold and flu or any other upper respiratory tract infections, the dedicated team of healthcare providers and doctors is ready to help you or your loved one find relief and recover from the pesky infections. Here’s how we can help you:
- Comprehensive Evaluation: The provider asks you about your symptoms, medical history, family history and your activities or travel history to evaluate the type of infection and assess the severity.
- Physical Examination: The doctor performs a physical examination by examining your throat, neck for swollen glands or listening to lung sounds depending upon the type of infection.
- Diagnostic Tests: Family Urgent Care has testing and imaging facilities within the clinic. So the doctor might order a chest X-ray, throat swab culture, nasal swab or blood tests, if necessary.
- Treatment Plan: The provider then prescribes antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medications or fever-relieving medicines to cause symptom relief and treat the infection. The type of medicine depends on the clinical condition of each patient and the severity of the disease.
- Follow-Up Care: If you or your child experience any concerning symptoms at home or your symptoms won’t improve even after treatment, you can book online video or phone appointments to connect with the doctor without commuting to the clinic.
So, ready to overcome the troublesome infections?
Visit Family Urgent Care by booking an appointment or directly walking in to consult our healthcare professionals.
