Contents
- What is the difference between ARVI and influenza?
- Ivan Genrikhovich Kozlov
- Read more:
- Read more:
- Why do we get the flu?
- How does intestinal flu occur?
- When is it worth and when it is not worth bringing down the temperature?
- Read more:
- How is flu treated?
- Read more:
- How effective are antihistamines?
- What should be done to avoid getting the flu?
- Read more:
- Do I need to take immunomodulators?
- People with good immune systems often get sick. Why is this happening?
- Read more:
As soon as the first cold weather sets in, we immediately begin to fear ARVI and flu. WDay.ru decided to find out what these diseases have in common, how to distinguish them, treat them, and what kind of prevention is needed. WDay.ru addressed his questions to Ivan Genrikhovich Kozlov, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Vice-President of the Russian Scientific Society of Immunologists.
What is the difference between ARVI and influenza?
Acute respiratory viral diseases (ARVI) and influenza most often occur in the autumn-winter period. Their symptoms are often similar, but in the case of acute respiratory viral infections, they manifest themselves locally – perspiration and sore throat, cough, runny nose – and are accompanied by a low temperature. The cause of ARVI, as a rule, is respiratory viruses, other than the influenza virus.
Flu symptoms are high fever, chills, joint pain and headaches, and weakness throughout the body. During the first three days, the temperature is high, on the third or fourth day, the temperature usually drops from 39 to 37,2–37,5, after which the symptoms begin to disappear quickly. And if there are no complications, the disease ceases to exist on the seventh day. Sometimes residual effects such as weakness, sore throat and coughing are possible, which can continue for another week.
The most serious complications of influenza, from which a person can die within three days from the moment of illness, are damage to the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Influenza can also lead to the development of severe pneumonia, in which case a bacterial infection joins the viral disease. Way out: start treatment for influenza immediately, at the first manifestations.
Ivan Genrikhovich Kozlov
Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Vice-President of the Russian Scientific Society of Immunologists.
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The larger the city in which you live, the more likely the risk of contracting an infection.
Who is more likely to develop complications or life-threatening flu?
There are several risk groups for whom flu treatment should be started as soon as the first symptoms appear. First of all, these are people with chronic diseases of the bronchopulmonary (bronchitis, asthma) and cardiovascular (arterial hypertension, chronic heart failure) systems. Also, those who in previous cases of acute respiratory viral infections and influenza had a severe course with high temperatures (more than 40) and neurological manifestations (convulsions, loss of consciousness).
The risk group, in addition, can include people with a confirmed diagnosis of “secondary immunodeficiency” and frequent (more than twice a year) bacterial infections – in these patients, influenza can most often give rise to bacterial infections and the development of pneumonia.
Where are you most likely to catch the flu?
The larger the city in which you live, the more likely the risk of contracting an infection. The virus is transmitted by airborne droplets through coughing and sneezing. At the same time, it is important to know that viruses practically do not live in the external environment, that is, in order to infect the body, they must get into it within a few seconds. This is most likely to happen on public transport, in line at a store, at work, and so on.
Read next: Where does intestinal flu come from?
Read more:
The first rule for colds is to drink plenty of fluids. But no matter how tasty the tea is, and no matter how useful the water is, you won’t drink a lot of these drinks. WDay.ru found out what effective methods can be used to defeat the common cold.
If your last shot was in kindergarten or junior high, then you should lose your restful sleep. Because every adult needs at least seven vaccines made 3 to 10 years ago to live safely.
Have you been thinking about her for a long time, but every time you put it off until tomorrow? Are you looking for a new reason to abandon your plans? Amuse yourself with self-deception? WDay.ru decisively puts an end to a series of endless questions and names six reasons why you need to go jogging immediately.
Viruses enter the body through the mouth and, bypassing the stomach, enter the intestines.
Why do we get the flu?
Stress, overload at work, low quality of life – all these factors have a bad effect on immunity. By the way, people prone to depression get sick more often than those who lead an active lifestyle and are optimistic.
How does intestinal flu occur?
Usually viruses are afraid of the acidic environment of the stomach, however, among them there are quite strong ones that can survive in such conditions. They enter the body through the mouth and, bypassing the stomach, enter the intestines, where they destroy the cells of the mucous membrane. In principle, this is the same flu, only with the primary symptoms of a digestive tract disorder. Subsequently, when the virus enters the body, the flu will have typical symptoms.
When is it worth and when it is not worth bringing down the temperature?
It is always worth remembering that at high temperatures, the body fights viruses. If the temperature is below 38,5 degrees, you should not knock it down. But if the temperature has exceeded this value by at least half a degree, the situation becomes poorly controlled. In this case, you should take an antipyretic agent.
Read next: How to treat the flu
Read more:
The first rule for colds is to drink plenty of fluids. But no matter how tasty the tea is, and no matter how useful the water is, you won’t drink a lot of these drinks. WDay.ru found out what effective methods can be used to defeat the common cold.
If your last shot was in kindergarten or junior high, then you should lose your restful sleep. Because every adult needs at least seven vaccines made 3 to 10 years ago to live safely.
Have you been thinking about her for a long time, but every time you put it off until tomorrow? Are you looking for a new reason to abandon your plans? Amuse yourself with self-deception? WDay.ru decisively puts an end to a series of endless questions and names six reasons why you need to go jogging immediately.
Herbal teas, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly and water with lemon – everything that tones up is recommended for treatment.
How is flu treated?
When the virus multiplies in the body, cells die and an intoxication effect occurs; in addition, high temperatures lead to dehydration and further concentration of toxic substances. Therefore, you need to drink a lot. Herbal teas, fruit drinks, compotes, jelly and water with lemon – everything that tones up is recommended. The intake of vitamins, especially vitamin C, is not superfluous.
Against the background of high temperature, the load on all organs and systems increases, especially in an enhanced mode, the liver works – the main organ where detoxification processes take place. Therefore, patients are shown rest and a sparing diet.
In the case of a simple form of flu, I would not recommend taking most of the known antiviral drugs. The fact is that they have many side effects, and the balance of benefit and risk must always be considered. If you are not at risk and your illness proceeds in the usual way, there is no point in buying medicines. If you are at risk, you need to take medication immediately, but only after consulting your doctor. Domestic remantadine and imported temiflu help. Recently, several more effective antiviral drugs with minimal side effects have appeared.
Read next: How to avoid getting the flu
Read more:
The first rule for colds is to drink plenty of fluids. But no matter how tasty the tea is, and no matter how useful the water is, you won’t drink a lot of these drinks. WDay.ru found out what effective methods can be used to defeat the common cold.
If your last shot was in kindergarten or junior high, then you should lose your restful sleep. Because every adult needs at least seven vaccines made 3 to 10 years ago to live safely.
Have you been thinking about her for a long time, but every time you put it off until tomorrow? Are you looking for a new reason to abandon your plans? Amuse yourself with self-deception? WDay.ru decisively puts an end to a series of endless questions and names six reasons why you need to go jogging immediately.
Walking in the fresh air, exercising and being in a good mood will save you from the flu.
How effective are antihistamines?
Indeed, our first generation antihistamines (suprastin, diphenhydramine, tavegil) have become very popular in the treatment of influenza and other acute respiratory viral infections. However, there is no evidence base regarding their effectiveness in these diseases. Therefore, there are two main side effects associated with these medications to keep in mind.
First, they have a sedative effect (that is, they cause drowsiness). If a patient suffers an illness on his feet, then he should not drive or perform hazardous work while taking these drugs.
Secondly, the vasoconstrictor effect inherent in antihistamines of the first generation, which manifests itself in a decrease in discharge from the nose or bronchi, alleviating the symptoms of the disease, at the same time creates the risk of complications (rhinosinusitis, bronchitis).
What should be done to avoid getting the flu?
Lead a healthy lifestyle, do gymnastics, rejoice more often, get enough sleep and eat healthy food (fish, vegetables, herbs, dairy products, and so on), as well as during an epidemic, one should be less likely to visit crowded places.
Read more: How to maintain immunity
Read more:
The first rule for colds is to drink plenty of fluids. But no matter how tasty the tea is, and no matter how useful the water is, you won’t drink a lot of these drinks. WDay.ru found out what effective methods can be used to defeat the common cold.
If your last shot was in kindergarten or junior high, then you should lose your restful sleep. Because every adult needs at least seven vaccines made 3 to 10 years ago to live safely.
Have you been thinking about her for a long time, but every time you put it off until tomorrow? Are you looking for a new reason to abandon your plans? Amuse yourself with self-deception? WDay.ru decisively puts an end to a series of endless questions and names six reasons why you need to go jogging immediately.
And at home it is important to follow the rules of hygiene.
Do I need to take immunomodulators?
Only in our country are immunomodulators so widespread: more than 120 drugs are offered to choose from! These drugs can be roughly divided into the following groups.
1. Immunomodulators for substitution therapy. Such as drugs of cytokines (for example, interferons). They make up for the lack of their own cytokine in the body. But they should not be taken by everyone indiscriminately at the end of the disease: at this time, the body of an average person already produces the required amount of interferon itself.
2. Means of activation type. That is, those that make their own immune system work hard. The range of drugs of this type is quite wide, and they are recommended as prevention and / or treatment of influenza. On treatment, you can repeat the previous statement: the immune system of a person who is not in the risk group copes with the virus quite effectively on its own.
Prevention is more difficult. On the one hand, the drug-activated immune system is able to resist the penetration and spread of the virus much more effectively. But, on the other hand, no one knows when this virus will “come”. And after stimulation, a recession (“fatigue”) inevitably occurs, then an “open window effect” can occur – and an unprotected organism becomes an easy target for a viral or bacterial infection.
People with good immune systems often get sick. Why is this happening?
It’s not about immunity, it’s about lifestyle. Judge for yourself, many often come to work, already sick, and put the whole team at risk. At home in a family where there is a sick person, everyone uses the same towel and common utensils, they are too lazy to wash their hands with soap and water more often. They do not want to deny themselves the pleasure of communicating with a large circle … If everyone followed the rules of hygiene, then the annual flu epidemics would cause us much less inconvenience.
Read more:
The first rule for colds is to drink plenty of fluids. But no matter how tasty the tea is, and no matter how useful the water is, you won’t drink a lot of these drinks. WDay.ru found out what effective methods can be used to defeat the common cold.
If your last shot was in kindergarten or junior high, then you should lose your restful sleep. Because every adult needs at least seven vaccines made 3 to 10 years ago to live safely.
Have you been thinking about her for a long time, but every time you put it off until tomorrow? Are you looking for a new reason to abandon your plans? Amuse yourself with self-deception? WDay.ru decisively puts an end to a series of endless questions and names six reasons why you need to go jogging immediately.