Search Results

Monday, April 4, 2011

What is the Treatment of Adenovirus Infections?

Share
Adenoviral illnesses often resemble certain bacterial infections, which can be treated with antibiotics. But antibiotics don't work against viruses. To diagnose the true cause of the symptoms so that proper treatment can be prescribed, your doctor may want to test a sample of respiratory or conjunctival secretions, a stool specimen, or blood or urine sample — depending on what condition is being considered.

The doctor will decide on a course of action based on your child's condition. Adenoviral infections usually don't require hospitalization. However, infants and young children may not be able to drink enough fluids to replace what they lose during vomiting or diarrhea and may therefore need to be hospitalized to correct or prevent dehydration.

Duration:
Most adenoviral infections last from a few days to a week. Severe respiratory infections may last longer and cause lingering symptoms, such as a cough. Pneumonia can last anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks.

In cases of pharyngoconjunctival fever, sore throat and fever may disappear within a week, but conjunctivitis can persist for another several days to a week. The more severe keratoconjunctivitis can even last for several weeks. Adenovirus can also cause diarrhea that lasts up to 2 weeks, which is longer than other viral diarrheas.

Prevention:
There's no way to completely prevent adenoviral infections in kids. To reduce the risk of transmission, parents and other caregivers should encourage frequent hand washing, keep shared surfaces such as countertops and toys clean, and remove kids with infections from group settings until symptoms subside.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
FileServe
Upgrade to a FileSonic Premium account and download at incredible speed!
Make Money Blogging with BlogProfit.com