Symptomatic treatment of upper respiratory tract symptoms in children

Abstract

Most upper respiratory tract infections are viral and require symptomatic treatment. Antibiotics are commonly overused, even though they should be thought of as being contra-indicated due to the rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance. Acute bacterial sinusitis may complicate a viral URTI, but special investigations for diagnosing acute sinusitis are unhelpful. Treatment of pain and fever is usually the only non-specific measure that helps.