TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Chapter 21. Lower Respiratory Tract Infections A1 - Sutton, S. Scott A1 - Bosso, John A. A2 - Sutton, S. Scott PY - 2011 T2 - McGraw-Hill's NAPLEX® Review Guide AB - Respiratory tract infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and represent a common reason for which patients seek medical care. The most common infections involving the lower respiratory tract are bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and pneumonia. Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in children and adults commonly result from viral or bacterial invasion of lung parenchyma. Viral infections are diagnosed by the recognition of characteristic constellation of clinical signs and symptoms. Treatment of viral LRTI consists largely of supportive care measures. Bacterial LRTIs (in particular bacterial pneumonia) requires expedient, effective, and specific antimicrobial therapy. An appropriate treatment regimen for the patient with a LRTI can be established with the aid of a thorough medical history, physical examination, chest radiograph, knowledge of common bacterial pathogens, and results of properly collected cultures. This chapter will focus on pneumonia; see the special considerations section of this chapter for information on bronchitis and bronchiolitis. SN - PB - The McGraw-Hill Companies CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accesspharmacy.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=7251753 ER -