Rhinopharyngites de l’enfant

The “common cold” or upper respiratory tract infection (URI) is a moderate inflammation of the upper respiratory tract mucosa extended from the nasal cavity to the larynx. The main symptoms are nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, pharyngeal pain, sneezing, and coughing. Acute URI is a viral infection. It usually heals without any complication, and does not require any bacteriological samples nor antibiotherapy. First-line treatment consists of analgesic and antipyretic drugs associated with normal or hypertonic saline nasal wash. The most frequent URI complications are infectious diseases, mainly otitis media, sinusitis, and upper airway obstruction. URI recurrences that are often observed after the age of 6 months reflect a physiological process of maturation of the immune system. If the frequency of recurrences becomes overwhelming, some risk factors, such as passive smoking and day care attendance, must be searched for and, if possible, suppressed. Adenoidectomy is not indicated in the absence of complications. Ongoing clinical and experimental researches are carried out in order to develop new antiviral drugs aimed at preventing or healing URI.