[Update on respiratory infections in the emergency department].

Abstract

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are among leading causes of emergency department (ER) consultancy and, according with World Health Organization (WHO) is one of the first causes of morbimortality in developing countries. ARI is defined as an acute clinical deterioration characterized by cough, spitting, dyspnea, fever and sputum and radiological changes, which can endanger patient s health significantly. In order to prevent clinical complications and death, proper diagnosis and treatment are mandatory in both Primary and Hospital Care. In the current update, most common respiratory infections in ER (acute bronchitis, COPD exacerbations or bronchiectasis and pneumonia) will be analyzed.