Infectious diseases >>>> Rhinoviruses - what is it?

Rhinoviruses - what is it?

The general term ARI (Acute Respiratory Infection) has many causes that lie in the area of microbial infections transmitted by the respiratory tract (for example, by inhalation) or by transferring by hand to the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract (for example, by contact with a sick person through objects that he touched). Respiratory infections may not only be of viral origin, but the vast majority of respiratory infections are caused by viruses that are more easily transmitted through the air and interact with the ciliated epithelium of the respiratory tract. And since nasal breathing is the predominant type of breathing in humans, viruses first enter the nasal cavity. Rhinovirus is a type of virus that especially likes the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract - the nose. For this reason, it got its name "rhino".

What are rhinoviruses? Rhinovirus infection is a fairly common respiratory infection due to the fact that rhinovirus strains vary greatly in serological types (different types of strains), and resistance to a specific rhinovirus strain lasts no more than 1-2 years. This is the type of infection that people who suddenly develop a runny nose most often encounter, since rhinoviruses, penetrating the cells of the nose and nasopharynx, provoke watery discharge (runny nose).

There is no specific treatment for rhinovirus infection, as the human body itself is able to cope with this type of viral infection with the help of the immune system, which selects mechanisms of impact on rhinoviruses. Usually, the duration of the disease caused by rhinovirus lasts up to one and a half weeks, and a runny nose, as a symptom, can remain for up to two weeks.

There is no specific vaccine prophylaxis for rhinovirus infection, but a person has the opportunity to independently prevent infection with rhinoviruses, which allows avoiding frequent rhinovirus infections during periods of peak respiratory infections (ARI).

To avoid regularly becoming infected with rhinoviruses, it is necessary to:

avoid crowds of people during periods of acute respiratory infections,
don’t touch handrails in public areas with bare hands,
wash your hands frequently with soap or wipe them with disinfectant wipes,
after leaving the street, rinse your nasal passages with soapy water.

Rhinoviruses cause symptoms similar to many respiratory infections, but their main feature is that they like to infect the mucous membrane of the nose and nasopharynx, which is where the runny nose of unknown origin and unpleasant sensations in the nasopharynx begin with a general unchanged state of health. Children sometimes feel fever when infected with rhinovirus, but adults most often endure rhinovirus infection without a change in body temperature.

How are rhinoviruses dangerous for humans? A runny nose itself can cause a lot of trouble for a person:

When the nasal mucosa swells, a person automatically switches to mouth breathing, where the mucous membranes do not have a protective epithelium that holds back viral agents. This facilitates easier penetration of all types of airborne infections into the body.
Flying on airplanes with a stuffy nose is prohibited to prevent other types of complications during the flight, such as hearing loss due to ear congestion and possible infection transfer to the hearing aid.
When you have a runny nose, the sound of your voice is impaired, which can affect the quality of professional activity of those people whose professions involve speaking or singing.
Sports exercises and sports that require nasal breathing will also become unavailable during a runny nose.

Rhinovirus infection is usually considered a short-lived cold, but it can also have long-term consequences in the form of developing diseases such as sinusitis, bronchitis or otitis.