Particular attention should be paid to sick children, elderly people and those who have other diseases.
Viruses that cause influenza are constantly around us. They tend to change (mutate) very quickly, and that is why you can get the flu many times. The virus spreads very quickly. Sneezing, coughing, talking, sick people spray tiny droplets into the air, which contain viruses. Doctors say the flu is transmitted through airborne droplets.
During the acute phase of the illness, you may have a high fever, headache, and joint pain (ache), which is very quickly followed by a runny nose, cough and sore throat. This condition can last for a week.
In some cases, the disease spreads to the lungs, causing pneumonia. It is more common in older people, smokers, people in poor health, or in patients who have asthma or other lung diseases.
It's best to rest until you feel better and your temperature drops.
It’s good to drink up to 8 glasses of liquid a day (water, juices, sweet herbal tea with lemon and honey / if you don’t have one). It is especially important to drink a lot if you have a high fever and sweat a lot. You should not drink strong tea, coffee or alcoholic beverages, because... they do not replenish the lack of fluid in the body, but rather strengthen it. Fresh lemon juice mixed with honey and hot water, warm milk with honey reduces and softens dry cough. It is better to eat light food, and only when you want.
You can take medications to relieve pain and reduce fever. Children should not be given aspirin (); it is better for them to buy children's paracetamol at the pharmacy. Before taking the medicine, especially giving it to children, carefully read the instructions on the package and follow all recommendations.
You can talk to your doctor or pharmacy about new medications that can make your flu feel better and reduce the amount of time you feel very sick. But keep in mind that usually these kinds of drugs must be taken within the first 48 hours from the moment the first symptoms of the disease appear (pain in the joints and fever).
It is best to immediately consult a doctor (call a doctor to your home) and take a sick leave. If you go to work, to the store or to any other public place, then you not only risk getting some complications, but also contribute to the spread of the disease. Elderly people or people who are often and long-term ill should definitely consult a doctor, if a child is sick or if an adult has a fever that lasts longer than 4 days.
The flu is caused by viruses, so using antibacterial drugs will not help. Antibiotics are prescribed by a doctor only in case of complications caused by bacteria.
If you have a high risk of developing complications or a high probability of contracting the flu (including those associated with your profession: police officers, medical workers, teachers, childcare workers), then your doctor may suggest getting vaccinated. It is best to get vaccinated against influenza in October-November. You can contact your doctor or vaccination centers yourself. Getting vaccinated does not provide a 100% guarantee that you will not get sick, but it significantly reduces the risk of getting sick.
They change annually, depending on the types of viruses that are expected to lead to the development of the epidemic. The vaccine is not given to children under 6 months of age, people with an allergy to chicken protein, or those who have previously had a reaction to an influenza vaccine.
Influenza is one of the most common acute respiratory viral infections. It is almost impossible to know everything about the flu - the pathogen often mutates, and different types appear every year. Symptoms of influenza in adults are quite specific.
Doctors can easily identify the signs of influenza - intoxication, fever, muscle pain, photophobia, pronounced weakness. The causes of influenza are damage to the body by a viral infection of the myxovirus influenza genus.
Treatment of the disease is mostly symptomatic, since the body can cope with the virus on its own.
The direct etiology of the disease is the penetration of the influenza virus into the body of a healthy person. The pathogen has been known to doctors for a long time, and due to its rapid prevalence it began to be called influenza. Scientists first isolated and studied the virus in detail in the early 1930s - the pathogen was classified as a member of the orthomyxovirus family and three types of influenza were identified - influenza A virus, influenza B virus and influenza C.
The causative agent of influenza has RNA fragments protected by a lipoprotein shell with so-called spikes - protruding proteins hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. It is to them that the human body produces antibodies, from the totality of which immunity to this type of pathogen is formed. The peculiarities of the course of the virus and pathogenesis are that hemagglutinin and neuraminidase can change, so the virus quickly mutates, and immunity to a given strain of the pathogen becomes irrelevant after some time.
At this stage, the known new mutating viruses are Asian influenza, African influenza, and atypical influenza.
The routes of transmission of the virus are few, the main one being airborne droplets. You can become infected from a person who is a carrier of the virus in the active stage. Outwardly, such a person may have obvious or subtle forms of pathology, but he is equally dangerous to others. The maximum threat to others is observed in the first days of the pathology, when the virus is released in large quantities into the external environment from the human respiratory system and infection of others occurs. If a sick person suffers from an uncomplicated type of pathology, then by about 5-6 days he ceases to be infectious. If complications of the disease appear, for example, the virus can shed for about two more weeks and infect others.
There are several forms of the disease depending on the severity of the disease:
An infectious disease has an incubation period - approximately 1-2 days pass from the moment the virus enters the body until signs of pathology appear. With strong immunity, the incubation period of influenza can be up to five days.
Then follow the first signs of influenza, which directly depend on the severity of the pathology. The flu usually begins acutely. Patients develop a fever that reaches its maximum within a couple of hours. As the temperature rises, chills and fever begin. Patients suffer from headaches, photophobia, and body aches. The most annoying thing for patients is various types of headaches - they can be aching in nature, spreading throughout the head. Sometimes the pain is concentrated in the temples, above the eyebrows, and patients feel an excruciating pulsation. The severe course of the disease in an adult is complicated by nausea, vomiting, insomnia with hallucinations, and flu symptoms in children are accompanied by convulsions.
Patients complain of weakness, severe weakness, increased sweating, high or low blood pressure. Harsh lights and sounds cause irritation. Some patients become confused and may become delirious at times.
A painful sign of the pathology is joint and muscle pain. Patients complain of aches in the body, joints, painful pulling sensations in the limbs. The patient's appearance is painful - the face is puffy, reddened, the eyes are watery, and conjunctivitis often occurs. If there are breathing and circulatory problems, the patient’s face takes on a bluish tint.
When the oral cavity is diseased, the skin of the face turns red, the mucous membranes swell, and a cough appears. It can persist for a long time, even after you have recovered from the virus. On the third day of the disease, the infection affects the vessels of the oral mucosa. The palate is hyperemic, the back wall of the pharynx becomes shiny and swollen. Patients complain of dry throat and a sore throat.
The nasopharynx also suffers from the influenza virus - the mucous membrane swells, turns red, and becomes dry. Normal breathing is difficult. After a few days, the symptoms change to nasal congestion and discharge. As a result of the toxic effect on blood vessels, patients suffer from nosebleeds, but if the disease is mild, then they may not occur.
When the lungs are sick, they breathe hard, and wheezing may appear for a while. Very often, against the background of pathology, tracheobronchitis or laryngitis appears as complications of influenza, and if a pathogenic bacterium enters the body, then pneumonia is provided to weakened patients.
A child with laryngotracheitis sometimes develops croup - a condition in which the larynx and trachea become very swollen, children cough with a barking cough, and breathing is rapid. In children under one year of age, symptoms of croup can be fatal. With a favorable outcome of the development of the disease, croup disappears approximately on the fifth day, and the average duration of the disease in adults and children is about ten days. However, this indicator may vary depending on the strength of the immune system of the sick person.
Diagnosis of influenza is carried out based on the combination of symptoms of the disease and differentiation from other types of acute respiratory viral infections. If necessary, a laboratory diagnostic blood test is performed to clarify the diagnosis.
Treatment of influenza involves bed rest during the acute period of the disease. If the initial signs of the disease correspond to mild or moderate severity, then you can treat the flu at home, carefully monitoring the development of the situation. If the flu clinic is complicated, the pathology can be cured in a hospital under the supervision of doctors.
At home, the patient must be provided with warm drinks in sufficient quantities - this will help relieve signs of intoxication and will facilitate the removal of decay products from the body.
When prescribing medication for the flu, it is important to start taking it in the first forty-eight hours of the development of the pathology, otherwise the influenza virus infects a large number of cells, and the medications simply become ineffective. The treatment regimen for the disease includes the antiviral drugs Groprinosin. Anaferon, Viferon, . Fever is relieved with antipyretic drugs - Nurofen, Paracetamol, mefenamic acid, Analdim, . To relieve unpleasant symptoms in the nasopharynx area, you can use local means to irrigate the nasal mucosa - the drugs Nazol, Vibrocil, Farmazolin.
It is not so easy to protect yourself from the disease, because the flu epidemic does not spare socially active individuals who often move around the city, hold business meetings, and work in close teams. That is why special attention is paid to disease prevention in kindergartens, schools, universities, large enterprises, and offices with large staff.
Prevention of influenza is as follows:
To minimize the consequences of the disease, you need to quickly start taking antiviral drugs, even in the pre-flu state, when the disease is just making itself known. This will help you cope with the disease as easily as possible.
Influenza is an acute viral disease that can affect the upper and lower respiratory tract, is accompanied by severe intoxication and can lead to serious complications and deaths, mainly in elderly patients and children. Epidemics appear almost every year, usually in autumn and winter, and more than 15% of the population is affected.
Influenza is part of the group of acute respiratory viral infections -. A person with influenza poses the greatest infectious danger in the first 5-6 days from the onset of the disease. The route of transmission is aerosol. The duration of the disease, as a rule, does not exceed a week.
We will look in more detail about the causes, first signs and general symptoms in adults, as well as treatment and complications in this material.
Influenza is an acute respiratory viral infection caused by viruses of groups A, B or C, occurring with severe toxicosis, fever, and damage to the upper and lower respiratory tract.
Many people mistake the flu for a common cold and do not take appropriate measures to stop the effects of the virus and prevent infection of persons in contact with a sick person.
In winter and autumn, the increase in the incidence of this virus is explained by the fact that large groups of people stay indoors for a long period of time. Initially, an outbreak of infection is observed among preschool children and among the adult population, and then the disease is registered more often in older people.
Prevention of influenza epidemic
largely depends on the consciousness of an already sick person, who needs to avoid public places with large crowds of people, for whom the sick person, especially coughing and sneezing, poses a potential risk of infection.Flu is divided into:
Once inside the cell, the virus begins to actively multiply, provoking an acute viral respiratory infection called influenza. The disease is accompanied by a feverish state, intoxication of the body and other symptoms.
The influenza virus is extremely variable. Every year, new subtypes (strains) of the virus appear that our immune system has not yet encountered and, therefore, cannot easily cope with. This is why flu vaccines cannot provide 100% protection - there is always the possibility of a new mutation of the virus.
Influenza is caused by a group of viruses belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family. There are three large genera - A, B and C, which are divided into serotypes H and N, depending on which proteins are found on the surface of the virus, hemagglutinin or neuraminidase. There are 25 such subtypes in total, but 5 of them are found in humans, and one virus can contain both types of proteins of different subtypes.
The main cause of influenza- viral infection of a person with subsequent spread of the microorganism throughout the human body.
The source is an already sick person who releases the virus into the environment by coughing, sneezing, etc. Having an aerosol transmission mechanism (inhalation of droplets of mucus, saliva), the flu spreads quite quickly - the patient poses a danger to others within a week, starting from the first hours of infection.
In each epidemic year, influenza complications claim an average of from 2000 to 5000 people. These are mainly people over 60 years of age and children. In 50% of cases, the cause of death is complications from the cardiovascular system and in 25% of cases complications from the pulmonary system.
Like all infectious diseases, influenza spreads from a source to a susceptible organism. The source of influenza is a sick person with obvious or subtle clinical manifestations. The peak of contagiousness occurs in the first six days of the disease.
Mechanism of transmission of influenza– aerosol, the virus spreads by airborne droplets. Excretion occurs with saliva and sputum (when coughing, sneezing, talking), which in the form of a fine aerosol spreads into the air and is inhaled by other people.
In some cases, it is possible to implement a contact household route of transmission (mainly through dishes and toys).
It has not been established precisely due to what protective mechanisms the virus stops reproducing and recovery occurs. Usually after 2-5 days the virus stops being released into the environment, i.e. a sick person ceases to be dangerous.
The incubation period of influenza is the period of time that the virus needs to multiply in the human body. It begins from the moment of infection and continues until the first symptoms of influenza appear.
As a rule, the incubation period leaves from 3-5 hours to 3 days. Most often it lasts 1-2 days.
The smaller the initial amount of virus that enters the body, the longer the incubation period of the flu will be. This time also depends on the state of the person’s immune defense.
The first signs of the flu are as follows:
The main symptom of the disease is a sharp rise in body temperature to 38-40 degrees Celsius.
The duration of incubation is approximately 1-2 days (possibly from several hours to 5 days). This is followed by a period of acute clinical manifestations of the disease. The severity of an uncomplicated disease is determined by the duration and severity of intoxication.
In the first days, a person with the flu looks as if he was in tears, there is pronounced redness and puffiness of the face, shiny and reddish eyes with a “sparkle.” The mucous membrane of the palate, arches and walls of the pharynx is bright red.
Flu symptoms are:
Objective signs are the appearance in the patient:
High fever and other manifestations of intoxication usually last up to 5 days. If the fever does not subside after 5 days, bacterial complications should be assumed.
Catarrhal phenomena continue a little longer - up to 7-10 days. After their disappearance, the patient is considered recovered, but for another 2-3 weeks the consequences of the disease may be observed: weakness, irritability, headache, possibly.
In the absence of complications, the disease lasts 7-10 days. During this time, its symptoms gradually subside, although general weakness may persist for up to two weeks.
If the flu has an uncomplicated course, the fever can last 2-4 days, and the disease ends in 5-10 days. After the disease for 2-3 weeks, post-infectious asthenia is possible, which is manifested by general weakness, sleep disturbance, increased fatigue, irritability, headache and other symptoms.
There are 3 degrees of severity of influenza.
| Easy degree | Accompanied by a slight increase in temperature not exceeding 38°C, moderate headache and catarrhal symptoms. Objective signs of intoxication syndrome in the case of mild influenza are a pulse rate of less than 90 beats per minute with unchanged blood pressure. Respiratory disorders are not typical for mild cases. |
| Average | Temperature 38–39 °C, there are pronounced symptoms, intoxication. |
| Severe degree | Temperature above 40 °C, convulsions, delirium, and vomiting may occur. The danger lies in the development of complications, such as cerebral edema, infectious-toxic shock, hemorrhagic syndrome. |
When the virus attacks the body, the resistance of the immune system decreases, and the risk of complications (a process that develops against the background of the underlying disease) increases. And you can quickly get over the flu, but suffer from its consequences for a long time.
Influenza can be complicated by various pathologies both in the early period (usually caused by an associated bacterial infection) and later. Severe complicated course of influenza usually occurs in young children, elderly and weakened individuals suffering from chronic diseases of various organs.
Complications are:
Typically, late complications of influenza are associated with the addition of a bacterial infection, which requires antibiotic treatment.
Flu unfortunately affects all vital systems of the human body, which is why it is one of the most unpredictable diseases.
If flu symptoms appear, it is necessary to call a pediatrician/therapist to your home, and if the patient’s condition is serious, an ambulance, which will take the patient for treatment to an infectious diseases hospital. If complications of the disease develop, consultations are held with a pulmonologist, ENT doctor and other specialists.
Diagnosis of influenza is based on a typical clinical picture. In case of a sharp rise in temperature, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Observation by a doctor during influenza is very important, because... it will allow timely detection of the onset of possible bacterial complications.
When the temperature rises sharply, the following is required:
In adults, treatment of influenza, in most cases, is carried out at home. Only severe illness or the presence of one of the following dangerous symptoms requires hospitalization:
As a rule, when treating influenza the following are prescribed:
To combat fever, antipyretic drugs are indicated, of which there are a lot today, but it is preferable to take paracetamol or ibuprofen, as well as any drugs that are made on their basis. Antipyretic drugs are indicated if body temperature exceeds 38° C.
For the flu it's important to drink more fluids- it will help to quickly remove toxins from the body and alleviate the patient’s condition.
The treatment regimen for influenza includes sequential procedures to relieve current symptoms of the disease and neutralize viral cells.
With influenza, as with other acute respiratory viral infections, there is no need to prescribe antibiotics; they are advisable only if the bacterial nature of the inflammatory process in the respiratory tract is suspected.
To prevent complications from developing, always strictly follow the prescribed treatment, maintain bed rest during the acute period, do not stop taking medications and treatment procedures prematurely.
To cure the flu at home it is worth observe the truisms:
How to treat flu at home? A flu diet is a prerequisite for a quick recovery. However, do not be alarmed when you see this word. You don't have to starve yourself if you have the flu. The list of foods that are best to eat during illness is quite extensive.
As you understand, nutrition for the flu consists not only of those foods that you can eat, but also those that are not recommended to eat. The latter include:
You need to drink, on average, at least 2 liters of fluid per day, periodically, without waiting for thirst to appear. Tea, rosehip decoction, tea with lemon or raspberry, herbal teas (chamomile, linden, oregano), and dried fruit compote are good to drink. It is advisable that the temperature of all drinks be approximately 37-39 °C - this way the liquid will be absorbed faster and help the body.
Folk remedies in the treatment of influenza are used to restore the patient’s immunity, supply his body with vitamins and medicinal extracts that promote recovery. However, the greatest effect will be achieved if you combine the use of folk remedies with the use of pharmaceutical drugs.
Flu vaccination is a way to prevent infection. It is indicated for everyone, especially risk groups - the elderly, children, pregnant women, people of social professions.
Vaccination is carried out annually, before the start of the epidemic season, from September-October, to form stable immunity by the time of the epidemic. Regular vaccination increases the effectiveness of protection and the production of antibodies to influenza.
Vaccinations are especially recommended for:
To avoid getting the flu, try to strengthen your body throughout the year. Let's look at some rules for preventing the flu and strengthening your body:
To maintain normal immunity you should:
To summarize, let us recall that influenza is an infectious, contagious disease that can lead to various complications. The likelihood of infection increases in autumn and winter.
This is all about the flu: what are the main symptoms of the disease in children and adults, features of treatment. Be healthy!
The incidence rate of neuroinfections is about one case per 1 thousand. About a fifth of patients with consequences of neuroinfections are hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals annually, and of patients with infectious psychoses - about 80%. Mortality in the latter group reaches 4–6%.
| | There is an opinion that some are caused by viral infections |
These diseases constitute the predominant part of neuroinfections, since most viruses are highly neurotropic. Viruses can persist, i.e. remain asymptomatic in the body for some time. With a “slow infection,” the disease is asymptomatic for a long period and only then manifests itself and slowly progresses. Discovery of slow viruses at the end of the twentieth century. was also important for psychiatry: the clinical picture of such diseases is often determined precisely by mental disorders. Slow viruses are also associated with the development of some forms of dementia. In slow infections, mainly degenerative changes in the central nervous system and mild inflammatory reactions are observed against the background of immune deficiency (AIDS, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephaly).
In the last 20 years, prion diseases in which prion protein has been detected have begun to be distinguished from the group of slow infections. These are, for example, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, kuru, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome, fatal familial insomnia. With viral diseases, in some cases several different viruses are simultaneously affected - these are “virus-associated” forms of diseases. Viral encephalitis is divided into primary and secondary. Primary ones are caused by the first meeting with a new virus. Secondary ones are associated with the activation of a persistent virus. Hereditary immune deficiency plays a decisive role in the development of viral encephalitis. Along with diffuse encephalitis, especially viral encephalitis, local lesions are often observed. So, with Economo's encephalitis this is a lesion of subcortical structures (hence the picture of parkinsonism), with rabies - neurons of the hippocampal peduncles and Purkinje cells of the cerebellum, with poliomyelitis - the anterior horns of the spinal cord, with herpetic encephalitis - the lower parts of the temporal lobes with symptoms of a brain tumor of the same localization.
1. Tick-borne (spring-summer) encephalitis. This is a seasonal disease caused by an arbovirus. Infection occurs through a tick bite and through nutrition. There is diffuse damage to the gray matter of the brain of an inflammatory and dystrophic nature; Vascular changes also occur. The acute period of the disease manifests itself in three variants: encephalitic, encephalomyelitis and poliomyelitis. The last two options differ from the first in the greater severity of neurological symptoms. In areas of tick-borne encephalitis, tick-borne systemic borreliosis, or Lyme disease (caused by a special pathogen), is also common.
With the encephalitic variant of encephalitis, headaches, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness are observed at the onset of the disease. On the second day, the temperature and general toxic phenomena increase: hyperemia of the face, pharynx, mucous membranes, catarrhal phenomena in the trachea and bronchi. Meningeal symptoms appear. Lethargy, irritability, affective lability, and hyperesthesia are expressed. In severe cases, stupor or coma develops.
As stupor decreases, delirium, fear, and psychomotor agitation may occur. During the period of convalescence and in the long-term period, cerebroasthenia, neurosis-like, and less commonly, mnestic-intellectual disorders, and often epileptic seizures may occur. Of the neurological disorders, the main ones are flaccid atrophic paralysis of the muscles of the neck and shoulder girdle, often with bulbar phenomena. Spastic mono- and hemiparesis occur less frequently. It could also be Kozhevnikov epilepsy. With timely initiation of treatment, improvement occurs by 7–10 days: mental and neurological disorders undergo a reverse development. With bulbar disorders, 1/5 of patients die.
Progressive forms of the disease are caused by persistence of the virus. They occur both asymptomatically and subacutely. In the first case, a protracted asthenoneurotic syndrome is detected with fixation of attention on the disease. At late stages of the disease, hallucinatory-paranoid psychoses have been described. More often, residual psychopathic, paroxysmal, and other disorders are identified.
Treatment: broad-spectrum antibiotics, anticholinesterase drugs, vitamins, symptomatic medications; in the acute period it is carried out in an infectious diseases hospital. Prevention: vaccination.
2. Japanese encephalitis. Caused by the Japanese (mosquito) encephalitis virus. In the USSR, after 1940, only sporadic cases were noted in the Far East. The acute stage of the disease is characterized by confusion and motor agitation. Psychosis develops after the temperature normalizes. Sometimes mental disorders precede the appearance of neurological, cerebral and focal ones. At late stages of the disease there may be hallucinatory-delusional and catatonic disorders, diffuse organic symptoms (Lukomsky, 1948). Organic dementia rarely develops.
3. Vilyuisky encephalitis. It has been established that localized encephalomyelitis occurs with dys- and atrophic changes in the brain parenchyma; changes in the perivascular spaces and meninges are detected. The acute period of the disease resembles the flu. The chronic stage of encephalitis is more typical; dementia, speech disorders and spastic paresis gradually develop. A psychotic form of encephalitis is also distinguished (Tazlova, 1974). In this case, various psychotic disorders are observed (from obsessions to amentia), and a psychoorganic syndrome is gradually formed. It is important that there is a possibility of reverse development of the latter.
4. Epidemic encephalitis, or lethargic encephalitis Economo. It is caused by a special virus that is transmitted by droplets and contact. The acute stage of the disease begins 4–15 days after infection. Against the background of cerebral and general toxic manifestations, delirium, other psychotic syndromes and agitation are often observed. At the same time, various hyperkinesis and symptoms of impaired cranial innervation are detected. Delirium is gradually replaced by a disturbance of consciousness (domnolence), from which patients cannot be brought out. In the chronic form of the disease against the background of parkinsonism and other extrapyramidal disorders, mental disorders such as pathology of drives, bradyphrenia, hallucinations, delusions, depression, metamorphopsia and many others are detected. etc.
At late stages of the disease, the phenomena of parkinsonism dominate. There is no specific treatment. In the acute stage of the disease, convalescent serum, detoxification, corticosteroids, and ACTH are recommended. For postencephalitic parkinsonism, artane, cyclodol, etc. are prescribed. Psychotropic drugs are used according to indications and with great caution (risk of increased extrapyramidal symptoms!).
5. Rabies. Sporadic disease. Carriers of the rabies virus are dogs, and less commonly cats, badgers, foxes and other animals. The prodromal period of the disease begins 2–10 weeks or later after infection. Mood decreases, irritability, dysphoria, short episodes of darkness appear with hallucinations, but more often illusions. There is fear and anxiety. Paresthesia and pain sometimes occur at the site of the bite, radiating to adjacent areas of the body. Reflexes, muscle tone, and temperature increase. The patients' condition worsens, headaches, tachycardia, shortness of breath occur, and sweating and salivation increase.
The stage of arousal is dominated by mental disorders: agitation, aggression, impulsivity and disturbances of consciousness (stupefaction, delirium, confusion). Hyperkinesis of smooth muscles is typical - spasms of the larynx and pharynx with breathing and swallowing disorders, shortness of breath. General cerebral disorders develop with general hyperesthesia. A characteristic fear of drinking water is hydrophobia. An increase in hyperkinesis and increased spasm are replaced by paralysis, convulsive seizures, severe speech disorders, and phenomena of decerebrate rigidity. Central disturbances of vital functions lead patients to death. Persons vaccinated against rabies with a hysterical character may develop conversion disorders resembling symptoms of rabies (paresis, paralysis, swallowing disorders, etc.).
6. Herpetic encephalitis. They are caused by herpes simplex viruses types 1 and 2. The first of them more often leads to brain damage. In this case, cerebral edema occurs, pinpoint hemorrhages, foci of necrosis and signs of degeneration and swelling of neurons appear. Encephalitis is widespread and very often accompanied by mental disorders. The latter can occur already at the onset of the disease and precede the development of neurological symptoms. In typical cases, the onset of the disease is characterized by fever, moderate intoxication, and catarrhal symptoms in the upper respiratory tract. A few days later, a new rise in temperature follows. General cerebral symptoms develop: headaches, vomiting, meningeal symptoms, seizures.
Consciousness is stunned, even to the point of coma. The state of stupor is at times interrupted by delirium with agitation and hyperkinesis. At the height of the disease, coma develops, neurological disorders increase (hemiparesis, hyperkinesis, muscle hypertension, pyramidal signs, decerebrate rigidity, etc.). Survivors of prolonged coma may develop apallic syndrome and akinetic mutism. The recovery stage lasts up to two years or more. Against the background of a gradual restoration of mental functions, Klüver-Bussy syndrome is sometimes detected: agnosia, tendency to put objects in the mouth, hypermetamorphosis, hypersexuality, loss of shame and fear, dementia, bulimia; akinetic mutism, affective fluctuations, and vegetative crises are not uncommon.
In people who have undergone surgery for bilateral removal of the temporal lobes of the brain, it was first described by Tertien in 1955. In the long-term period of the disease, residual symptoms of encephalopathy with asthenic, psychopathic and convulsive manifestations are observed. There are known cases of bipolar affective and schizophrenia-like disorders. Complete recovery is observed in 30% of patients. Schizophrenia-like disorders can also be observed in the early stages of the disease. Sometimes conditions similar to febrile schizophrenia occur. When treated with neuroleptics, some patients develop mutism, catatonic stupor, and then amentia, leading to death. In diagnosing the disease, laboratory tests are important, indicating an increase in antibody titers to the herpes virus. Treatment: Vidarabine, acyclovir (Zovirax), corticosteroids are prescribed, and with great caution, psychotropic drugs for symptomatic therapy. If untreated, mortality can reach 50–100%.
7. Influenza encephalitis. Respiratory influenza viruses are transmitted through respiratory droplets; Placental transmission from mother to fetus is also possible. Influenza can be very severe and lead to the development of encephalitis. Neurotoxicosis with hemo- and liquorodynamic phenomena is combined with inflammation in the membranes of the choroidal plexuses and brain parenchyma. Identification of influenza encephalitis is based on the detection of high titers of antibodies to viruses in the blood and cerebrospinal fluid. In the acute stage of the disease, on the 3rd–7th day, motor and sensory disorders appear, stunned consciousness, sometimes to the point of coma. Stunning can be replaced by excitement with deceptions of perception, and then by mood swings, dysmnesia, and asthenia. In hyperacute forms of encephalitis, cerebral edema and disturbances in cardiovascular activity can lead to death. Treatment: antiviral drugs (acyclovir, interferon, remantadine, arbidol, etc.), diuretics, detoxification agents, symptomatic, including psychotropic medications. With active treatment, the prognosis is favorable; this does not apply, however, to hyperacute influenza.
Unlike the mentioned viral diseases, which are usually confined to a certain time of year, there are also those observed in different seasons of the year. These are multiseasonal encephalitis. Let us indicate the main ones.
8. Encephalitis with parainfluenza. This is a sporadic disease that occurs in local outbreaks and affects the upper respiratory tract. There may, however, be hemo- and liquorodynamic disturbances, inflammation of the pia mater and ependyma of the ventricles of the brain; in the acute period of the disease, cerebral and meningeal phenomena are observed, symptoms of toxicosis with convulsive seizures, delirium, hallucinations, and illusions. The recovery period is characterized by transient asthenic, vegetative and mnestic disorders. The prognosis is favorable.
9.Encephalitis due to mumps. The disease is transmitted by airborne droplets. More common in children. Inflammation is usually observed in the salivary and parotid glands (“mumps”), but it also occurs in the brain, testicles, thyroid, pancreas and mammary glands. When the brain is damaged, serous meningitis occurs, and less commonly, meningoencephalitis. To verify the diagnosis, serological and virological studies are required. At the height of the development of meningoencephalitis, general cerebral phenomena and disturbances of consciousness, in particular delirium, are noted. There are epileptic seizures with postictal twilight stupefaction. Coma is rare; upon exiting it, psychoorganic phenomena are possible. The disease in early childhood can lead to mental retardation, and at an older age - pathocharacterological reactions and psychopathic behavior.
10. Measles encephalitis. It occurs frequently and in different age groups. Multiple hemorrhages and foci of demyelination are found in the white and gray matter of the brain; There are lesions of ganglion cells. Serous meningitis, encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, encephalomyelitis and encephalopathy occur in 0.1% of patients. There are also polyradicaloneuritis syndrome, myelitis with para- and tetraparesis, pelvic and trophic disorders, and sensitivity disorders. At the height of the development of encephalitis, clouding of consciousness, agitation, visual illusions, and aggression are possible. During the recovery period, a decrease in attention, memory, thinking, as well as disinhibition of drives and violent phenomena are observed. If there was a coma in the acute period, hyperkinesis, convulsive and asthenoneurotic syndromes, and behavioral deviations remain in the residual stage. The prognosis is generally favorable.
11.Rubeolar encephalitis. Occurs mainly in children. The rubella virus is transmitted by airborne droplets and transplacentally. In the acute period of the disease, against the background of toxic and cerebral phenomena, there may be coma, stupor, and neurological symptoms. At the exit from the acute state, episodes of agitation with fear and aggression are noted; somewhat later, hypomnesia, violent phenomena, bulimia, as well as speech disorders and difficulties in writing and counting are revealed. Some of these disorders persist in the residual period. After an illness in early childhood, mental development may be delayed.
12. Encephalitis caused by the varicella zoster virus. In adults, the varicella zoster virus causes shingles. Encephalitis is relatively mild. Static-coordination disorders usually predominate. Sometimes there are disturbances of consciousness, convulsive seizures, agitation and impulsive actions, as well as neurological symptoms (hemiparesis, etc.). In the future, a decrease in memory and thinking is sometimes detected. Without treatment, convulsive seizures, mental retardation, and psychopathic behavior may persist in the residual period.
13. Post-vaccination encephalitis. They develop after 9–12 days when vaccinated against smallpox, usually in children 3–7 years old. In 30–50% it is severe and fatal. At the height of the disease development, disturbances of consciousness up to severe coma are observed. Stupefaction alternates with confusion, agitation, and visual illusions. Convulsive seizures, paralysis, paresis, hyperkinesis, ataxia, loss of sensitivity, and pelvic disorders are common. With adequate treatment, complete or partial restoration of mental functions is observed.
As mentioned, slow viral infections have now become relevant.
14.These primarily include acquired immunodeficiency syndrome - AIDS. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes damage to the immune system, and then various secondary or “opportunistic” infections, as well as malignant tumors, are added. HIV is a neurotropic retrovirus, transmitted sexually and by syringes. Cases of HIV transmission through kidney transplants and bone marrow transplants have been described.
“Vertical” transmission has also been proven - from mother to fetus. The incubation period lasts up to five years. Characteristic of AIDS are a significant frequency and variety of secondary infections and diseases, such as pneumonia, cryptococcosis, candidiasis, atypical tuberculosis, cytomegaly and herpes, fungi, helminths, tumors (for example, Kaposi's sarcoma), often toxoplasmosis (in 30%), etc. From the very beginning, prolonged fever, anorexia, exhaustion, diarrhea, dyspnea, etc. occur, and all this against the background of severe asthenia. Brain dystrophy with atrophy, sponginess and demyelination is often combined with inflammatory changes as a result of herpetic encephalitis, meningitis, etc. The virus is found in astrocytes, macrophages, and cerebrospinal fluid. At the onset of the disease, asthenia, apathy and aspontaneity dominate.
Symptoms of cognitive deficit gradually develop (deterioration of attention, memory, mental productivity, slowness of mental processes). There may be delirious episodes, catatonic manifestations, and isolated delusional ideas. During the period of advanced disorders, dementia is typical. Incontinence of affect and regression of behavior with disinhibition of drives also occur. Dementia with mori-like behavior is characteristic of damage to the frontal cortex; various neurological symptoms are also observed (stiffness, hyperkinesis, astasia, etc.). A few months later, global disorientation, coma, and then death occur. Many patients do not live to develop dementia. Psychoses with hallucinations, delusions, and mania were noted in 0.9% of HIV-infected people.
Psychogenic depression with suicidal tendencies is very common; usually these are reactions to illness and ostracism. Etiotropic treatment is reduced to the prescription of azidotimedine, dideoxycilline, phosphonofomate and other drugs. Genciclovir is also used. Zidovudine (an HIV replication inhibitor) is recommended for the first 6–12 months. Symptomatic treatment consists of prescribing nootropics, vasoactive and sedatives, antidepressants, antipsychotics (the latter for behavior correction). In addition, special programs of social, psychological and psychotherapeutic assistance and therapy for somatic pathology are being implemented.
15. Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. Its other names are: Van Bogaert leukoencephalitis, Pette-Döring nodular panencephalitis, Dawson's inclusion encephalitis. The causative agent of the disease is similar to the measles virus. May persist in brain tissue. In the brain of patients, glial nodules, demyelination in subcortical structures, and special nuclear inclusions are found. The disease usually develops between the ages of 5 and 15 years. Its first stage lasts 2–3 months. Irritability, sleep disturbances, anxiety, as well as psychopathic-like phenomena (leaving home, aimless acts, etc.) are observed.
Towards the end of the stage, drowsiness increases. Dysarthria, apraxia, agnosia are detected, memory is lost, and the level of thinking decreases. The second stage is represented by various hyperkinesis, dyskinesia, generalized seizures and peck-type attacks. Dementia is evident. The third stage occurs after 6–7 months and is characterized by hyperthermia, severe breathing and swallowing disorders, as well as violent phenomena (screaming, laughing, crying). In the fourth stage, opisthotonus, decerebrate rigidity, blindness, and flexion contractures occur. Patients live no more than two years. Subacute and especially chronic forms of the disease are less common; the development of dementia occurs against the background of apraxia, dysarthria, hyperkinesis and other neurological symptoms.
16. Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy. Develops against the background of other diseases with immunodeficiency. Caused by two strains of papova group viruses. They are present in a latent state in 70% of healthy people, becoming more active when immunity decreases in people over 50 years of age. Degenerative changes and signs of demyelination are found in the brain of patients. The disease is characterized by rapidly developing dementia with aphasia. There may be ataxia, hemiparesis, sensory loss, blindness and seizures. A CT scan reveals areas of decreased density of the brain, especially white matter.
A separate group consists of prion diseases.
17. Particularly relevant of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Caused by an infectious protein - a prion, it can occur when eating meat from cows, sheep and goats that become carriers of this protein. The disease is rare (one in 1 million people). It manifests itself as rapidly developing dementia, ataxia, and myoclonus. Triphasic waves on the EEG are typical. In the initial stage of the disease there may be euphoria, hallucinations, delirium, and catatonic stupor. Within a year, patients die. Depending on the topic of brain damage, several forms of the disease are distinguished. The classic one is dyskinetic - with dementia, pyramidal and extrapyramidal symptoms.
Kuru or “laughing death” is a now extinct prion disease with dementia, euphoria, violent screams and laughter, leading to death after 2-3 months. It was first identified among the Papuans of New Guinea. Occurring in middle age with a frequency of one case per 10 million people, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome manifests itself mainly in neurological symptoms. Dementia does not always develop. Fatal familial insomnia is manifested by intractable insomnia, disturbances of attention and memory, disorientation and hallucinations. In addition, hyperthermia, tachycardia and hypertension, hyperhidrosis, ataxia and other neurological symptoms are observed. Like both last forms of the disease, it is associated with a hereditary predisposition.
Each new species - strain - arising on the basis of the described types, is something a little new, and it is this variability that allows the influenza virus to be elusive, unstoppable and very dangerous.
Influenza is part of the group of acute respiratory viral infections - ARVI. A person with influenza poses the greatest infectious danger in the first 5-6 days from the onset of the disease.
The route of transmission is aerosol. The duration of the disease, as a rule, does not exceed a week. However, with this disease, complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, pneumonia, cystitis, myositis, pericarditis, and hemorrhagic syndrome can be observed. The disease is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it can lead to the threat of miscarriage.
The source of the spread of influenza infection is a sick person. Its secretions in the form of saliva and sputum containing a pathogenic virus pose a particular danger to surrounding people, therefore patients diagnosed with influenza are recommended to wear a gauze bandage on their face during the period of illness. Once in the human body, the virus begins to actively reproduce. It usually settles on the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract.
The disease is not capable of affecting internal organs; it can only lead to general intoxication of the body, the main symptoms of which are nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. A person diagnosed with influenza poses a danger to others only in the first five days of the disease. Subsequently, the virus ceases to be released, even if the patient still exhibits symptoms of the disease.
The entry gates for the influenza virus are the cells of the ciliated epithelium of the upper respiratory tract - the nose, trachea, and bronchi. The virus multiplies in these cells and leads to their destruction and death. This explains irritation of the upper respiratory tract, coughing, sneezing, and nasal congestion.
Penetrating into the blood and causing viremia, the virus has a direct, toxic effect, manifested in the form of fever, chills, myalgia, and headache. In addition, the virus increases vascular permeability, causes the development of stasis and plasma hemorrhages. It can also cause inhibition of the body’s defense systems, which leads to secondary infection and complications.
The following symptoms are typical for influenza:
If all of the listed signs of influenza occur, as well as the appearance of other alarming symptoms that are not included in the picture of the uncomplicated course of the disease, you should immediately seek medical help.
The incubation period of influenza lasts from several hours to several days. During this time, the virus manages to multiply and enters the bloodstream in large quantities, causing viremia.
With the flu, the symptoms make themselves felt by the following signs: a sharp rise in temperature to high numbers (from 39 to 40 degrees Celsius), aching joints, headaches and muscle pain. There may be hyperemia of the skin and sclera of the eyes, and an exacerbation of herpes infection.
Then other symptoms of influenza appear in adults: nasal congestion with scanty discharge, soreness and unpleasant symptoms in the nasopharynx. In some people, under the influence of high temperature and intoxication, the functioning of the digestive tract is disrupted, dyspeptic disorders and diarrhea appear. In infants, flu symptoms resemble those of bronchitis, pneumonia, and other respiratory tract infections. In this case, a small child may have diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal pain.
With a favorable course, the disease lasts from five to seven days, but the body fully restores its working state only after two to three weeks.
To avoid worrying about how to treat the flu, the best way to avoid infection is to get vaccinated every year during flu season. Each year, vaccines are released based on the expected strain of the virus. Vaccination is especially important for people at risk of severe illness.
Also, for the prevention of influenza, it is important to isolate patients from those who are not sick; the use of personal protective equipment (gauze masks on the face) is effective, but ideally (in fact, it is difficult to strictly adhere to this regime).
Good hygiene habits should not be forgotten:
Influenza is of viral origin, so the basis of its treatment in adults is antiviral drugs: Cycloferon, Amiksin, which are also recommended as prophylaxis during the so-called cold season.
In addition to flu tablets that have an antiviral effect, the patient is advised to take drugs aimed at strengthening the body's protective functions (Interferon).
Non-drug treatments include:
The following medications are used to relieve flu symptoms in adults:
In extremely severe hypertoxic forms of influenza in adults (temperature above 40°C, shortness of breath, cyanosis, severe tachycardia, decreased blood pressure), patients are treated in intensive care wards. These patients are administered intramuscularly anti-influenza immunoglobulin (6-12 ml), and prescribed anti-staphylococcal antibiotics (oxacillin, methicillin, zeporin 1 g 4 times a day).
Almost 95% of infectious diseases are acute respiratory viral infections, one of which is influenza. Influenza epidemics occur almost every year, usually in the fall and winter, and more than 15% of the population is affected.
Immunity after the flu does not last long, and the presence of various forms of the virus leads to the fact that a person can suffer from this infection several times during the year. Every year, more than 2 million people die due to complications from the flu. Let's find out everything about this disease in this article.
Influenza is caused by a group of viruses belonging to the Orthomyxoviridae family. There are three large genera - A, B and C, which are divided into serotypes H and N, depending on which proteins are found on the surface of the virus, hemagglutinin or neuraminidase. There are 25 such subtypes in total, but 5 of them are found in humans, and one virus can contain both types of proteins of different subtypes.
Influenza viruses change very quickly, and new species with altered properties are discovered every year. Sometimes such pathogenic subtypes appear that epidemics caused by them are described in history textbooks. One of these subtypes is “Spanish Flu,” which often killed a person within 24 hours and claimed the lives of 20 million people at the beginning of the last century.
The most dangerous epidemiologically are influenza A viruses; they cause epidemics every year. Type B virus can also cause severe influenza, but it does not spread as widely and outbreaks usually occur during or shortly before type A. Both groups contain proteins H and N, therefore, when classifying them, not only the group, but also the subtype, as well as the place of discovery, year and serial number are indicated. Influenza C virus does not contain the H protein and is usually mild.
Infection usually occurs through airborne droplets, although contact and household transmission cannot be ruled out. The virus enters the body through the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract. It is believed that you can become infected with the flu even at a distance of 2–3 meters from a patient, so personal protective equipment becomes especially important during epidemics.
On human skin, the influenza virus dies quickly - after 4–6 minutes, but on household items, the ability to survive increases, for example, on metal and plastic. If a person touches a surface contaminated with the flu virus and then touches their face, and studies show that people touch their face more than 300 times during the day, this dramatically increases the likelihood of infection.
How long a person with the flu is contagious depends on the type and severity of the illness, but you can usually become infected within 5-6 days of the onset of the disease. Moreover, infection can also occur with the erased form of influenza. Infection is facilitated by a decrease in air humidity in the room. Fresh air prevents the virus from entering the respiratory tract, but at low temperatures, about 0 °C, against the background of hypothermia of the mucous membranes and dry air, the risk of contracting the flu increases.
For the spread of infection, it is important at what temperature the influenza virus dies. Different strains react differently to temperature changes, but heating above 70°C kills the virus within 5 minutes, while boiling almost instantly. The virus can remain viable on household items for up to 7 days. High humidity also contributes to its death.
From the moment of infection until the first symptoms of the disease appear, it can take from three hours to three days, usually the incubation period lasts 1–2 days. The disease begins acutely, the first signs of influenza are a sharp rise in temperature and symptoms of intoxication. The patient may complain of general weakness, headache, and muscle pain. A runny nose and cough often occur; this condition lasts for 3–4 days, then, if there are no complications, the symptoms gradually decrease.
There are 3 degrees of severity of the disease.
With uncomplicated influenza, symptoms gradually decrease from 3–4 days of illness; by 7–10 days the patient recovers, but general weakness and fatigue may bother him for 2 weeks.
The first symptoms of influenza are subjective: weakness, weakness, body aches. Then a sharp increase in temperature occurs and symptoms of intoxication of the body appear. The patient's complaints can be divided into several groups:
Intoxication is expressed by headache, muscle pain, general weakness, and fever. How long the temperature lasts during influenza often depends on the serotype and general immunity of the body. Its increase is accompanied by chills and increased sweating. High temperatures over 39 °C are dangerous as they can lead to seizures and swelling of the brain. Patients with high fever due to intoxication may experience delirium and hallucinations.
The temperature continues for 2–4 days, then it decreases, and the patient gradually recovers. If the temperature lasts longer, or occurs again on the 5th–6th day, this indicates the addition of an infection and the development of complications. In such cases, you should immediately consult a doctor.
In young children, a high temperature is more dangerous not only because of the possibility of developing seizures and cerebral edema; a child with a fever very quickly loses fluid due to sweat. And when abdominal symptoms also appear (nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain), fluid loss becomes even greater, and dehydration occurs. Therefore, treatment of severe influenza in children is usually accompanied by the administration of infusion solutions.
When treating influenza at home, special attention should be paid to the drinking regime. You need to drink as much juice and tea as possible, and if symptoms of dehydration appear, such as dry skin and mucous membranes, this is especially noticeable on the tongue, consult a doctor immediately.
Objective symptoms of influenza in humans are often not expressed, except for temperature, you can notice pale skin, redness of the pharynx, and hyperemia of the mucous membrane of the eyes. There are types of infection that occur without a runny nose, but even with “dry” flu, there is often a dry, sore throat. The cough is dry at first, then it can become wet; in people with chronic lung diseases (bronchitis), the virus causes an exacerbation of the process.
Treatment of influenza in adults and children follows the same principles, but the likelihood of complications in children and the elderly is much higher. This is due to reduced immunity. In older people, it decreases due to the aging of the body and a decrease in reparative processes. In childhood, immunity is still developing, which often leads to various diseases.
Treatment for infection should begin as early as possible. This also applies to antiviral drugs for influenza, which are practically useless to take already on the third day of illness. Therefore, at the first symptoms, or even better before they appear, when there was contact with a flu patient, you need to take an antiviral drug, for example, amantadine (Midantan), Rimantadine, Tamiflu; interferon preparations (“Interferon”, “Aflubin”). This allows you to prevent illness or shorten the duration of illness by 1–3 days.
Taking antiviral drugs for influenza will not only help shorten the duration of the disease, but also prevent the development of complications, so they should be used in people with reduced immunity. Antiviral drugs are also used to treat complications.
When treating the disease, it is important to adhere to bed drinking regime. Bed rest is necessary even for mild flu, since complications often arise precisely due to non-compliance with bed rest. In patients with moderate influenza, bed rest significantly improves the patient's condition. It is advisable to create a comfortable environment, dim light, and silence, since bright light and noise often irritate influenza patients.
Bed rest is needed both to limit the patient’s communication and to reduce the risk of infection for others. Caregivers should use personal protective equipment (mask) for prevention purposes.
To reduce the risk of infection, you need to wet clean the room and ventilate it, since high humidity and fresh air cause the death of the virus. Personal items, dishes, linen, and toys for children should be treated with disinfectant solutions or detergents.
Drugs for the treatment of influenza can be divided into several groups:
Symptomatic treatment means that each type of drug is taken for specific symptoms.
The influenza virus can affect the course of pregnancy, this is especially common when a woman becomes infected with it in the first trimester. The likelihood of pathologies in the fetus increases, and since immunity decreases during pregnancy, complications arise more often.
Therefore, pregnant women should try not to become infected:
Even if a pregnant woman does not leave the house, the virus can be brought by those close to her.
If infection has occurred, then you must remain in bed and drink more juices containing vitamins. The lack of vitamins can be compensated for with medications. It is advisable for pregnant women to take antiviral drugs.
Treatment of influenza during pregnancy should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor, and medications including medicinal herbs and traditional methods should be used.
Flu is dangerous not only during pregnancy, but also during breastfeeding. In this case, it is important to follow hygiene rules. It is not at all necessary to wean the baby from the breast at this time. Feeding can continue provided that no medications are used that can pass into breast milk and the mother tries to prevent infection of the baby during feeding. You need to use a mask and wash your hands and breasts thoroughly before feeding.
Treatment of influenza during breastfeeding should be carried out with drugs that include natural substances. Now drops against the runny nose are produced, which contain only natural ingredients, and herbal teas against coughs. Treatment during feeding should only be prescribed by a doctor.
Influenza can lead to complications in other organs and systems of the body, and they can develop immediately or as a result of the addition of a bacterial infection. So, a severe form of the disease can be complicated by:
The cause of these complications is the virus entering the bloodstream and spreading throughout the body. If a patient exhibits symptoms such as convulsions, rash, hemodynamic disturbances (drop in blood pressure, abnormal heart rate), loss of consciousness, an ambulance should be urgently called.
Late complications are:
Typically, late complications of influenza are associated with the addition of a bacterial infection, which requires antibiotic treatment.
The characteristics of this infectious disease, its rapid spread, complications during its course, became the reason for the development of a vaccine against influenza. Children are now vaccinated against many viral infections, and developing a vaccine against influenza should not have been difficult for the pharmaceutical industry.
Unfortunately, it is impossible to develop a universal vaccine, since influenza is represented by different groups and serotypes of viruses. Currently, a vaccine containing group A virus antigens is used for vaccination against influenza. Its timely administration can prevent infection, but since viruses B and C are often detected during an epidemic of virus A, it is impossible to completely exclude influenza disease.
Another problem is the short duration of action of the vaccine. Immunity against influenza does not last long, often protecting against infection for only 6–8 months. Therefore, it is better to vaccinate in the fall, so that antibodies against it circulate in the blood throughout the cold, winter period.
Prevention of influenza in children and the elderly is provided free of charge, since they are at risk, and in them the flu can cause complications leading to death. Vaccination is contraindicated if you are allergic to chicken protein, or if there was an allergic reaction to a previous vaccination.
There are many flu vaccines from foreign and domestic manufacturers on the Russian pharmaceutical market:
In addition to vaccination for prevention, antiviral drugs are used. Which antiviral drug is best to choose to prevent influenza? - the most commonly used products include natural substances. Their use does not cause any adverse side effects in people with weakened immune systems. These include “Arbidol”, “Immunal”, “Kagocel”, “Cycloferon” and others. The development and research of drugs against this infection continues.
Nonspecific flu prevention includes:
Antiviral drugs are used daily, according to the instructions (Arbidol, Amiksin, Cycloferon).
The best remedy for the flu is to increase the overall immunity of the body. Immunity is enhanced by hardening and the use of vitamins C. We must not forget about personal hygiene and traditional medicine to prevent infection. So, during a flu epidemic it is recommended:
To summarize, let us recall that influenza is an infectious, contagious disease that can lead to various complications. The likelihood of infection increases in autumn and winter. Children and elderly people who are at risk are most often infected with the flu. Timely vaccination against the most likely serotypes causing the epidemic helps prevent the disease.
Recently, an 11-year-old girl was taken to Sheba Hospital. The child was diagnosed with swine flu. However, the doctors were confused by the little patient’s complaints. The girl complained that objects around her became either very large or very small, and that time “slowed down.” Doctors call this condition “Alice syndrome” (AIWS).
The syndrome was first described in 1956 in the Canadian Medical Association journal by English psychiatrist John Todd. According to him, with AIWS, a person perceives the body as too big or too small, and the world begins to seem unreal. The syndrome often occurs in people suffering from migraines, notes NEWSru Israel with reference to the Haaretz newspaper. In this regard, John Todd put forward the following theory: Lewis Carroll suffered from AIWS.
Colds - acute respiratory infections, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza Complaints, symptoms and course of the disease. General
malaise, weakness in the body, headache, fever.
It is known that the swine flu virus can affect the nervous system. Probably, Alice's syndrome is one of the consequences of such exposure. It is noteworthy: before hospitalization, the child was taking Tamiflu. When the girl was admitted to the hospital, all tests were within the normal range. Only the high pulse rate and the presence of traces of the influenza virus made doctors wary. Swine flu did not have a lasting effect on the child’s psyche. After recovery, the hallucinations disappeared.
Almost everyone has experienced the flu at least once in their life. And this is not surprising, because influenza is one of the most common infectious diseases, which can lead to massive outbreaks and even epidemics almost every year. That’s why it’s so important to know the “enemy in person”: how dangerous it is, how to defend against it, and how it’s easiest to survive.
Why is the flu so common? Why do so many adults and children around the world each year suffer from this ubiquitous disease, which can lead to very serious complications?
The influenza virus is extremely variable. Every year, new subtypes (strains) of the virus appear that our immune system has not yet encountered and, therefore, cannot easily cope with. Bird flu, swine flu - now humans can become infected with them. This is why flu vaccines cannot provide 100% protection - there is always the possibility of a new mutation of the virus.
Influenza was known to mankind many centuries ago. The first documented influenza epidemic occurred in 1580. True, at that time nothing was known about the nature of this disease.
The pandemic of respiratory infection in the years, which captured the globe and was called the “Spanish flu,” most likely, was nothing more than an epidemic of severe influenza. It is known that the Spanish flu had an incredible mortality rate - it quickly led to pneumonia and pulmonary edema, even in young patients.
The reliably viral nature of influenza was established in England only in 1933 by Smith, Andrews and Laidlaw, who isolated a specific virus affecting primarily the respiratory tract from the lungs of hamsters infected with nasopharyngeal swabs from patients with influenza and designated them as influenza A virus. In 1940, Francis and Magill discovered influenza B virus, and in 1947 Taylor isolated another new variant of the influenza virus - C.
Since 1940, it became possible to actively study the influenza virus and its properties - the virus began to be grown in chicken embryos. Since then, a big step forward has been made in the study of influenza - the ability to mutate was discovered, and all parts of the virus capable of variability were identified. An important discovery, of course, was the creation of a vaccine against influenza.
Influenza is an acute viral disease that can affect the upper and lower respiratory tract, is accompanied by severe intoxication and can lead to serious complications and deaths, mainly in elderly patients and children.
Influenza is a type of acute respiratory viral infection (ARVI), and in terms of the method of infection and the main manifestations, all ARVIs are similar. But the flu causes significantly more intoxication, is often severe and leads to various kinds of complications.
To correctly form ideas about this disease and predict the situation, you need to understand its structure:
The influenza virus has internal and surface antigens: internal antigens - NP (of which the capsid itself consists) and M (a layer of matrix and membrane proteins) - NP and M are type-specific antigens, so synthesized antibodies do not have a significant protective effect. Outside these structures there is a lipoprotein shell that carries external antigens - 2 complex proteins (glycoproteins) - hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N).
According to the antigenic structure, the influenza virus is divided according to the antigenic principle into types A, B, C, and the disease can be represented by one of the antigenically independent viruses (it happens that during epidemics and pandemics 2 types of viruses are registered at once). Basically, epidemics are caused by A and B types, pandemics - by A type.
The influenza A virus is divided into 13 subtypes H (H1-H13) and 10 subtypes N (N1-10) - the first 3 subtypes H and the first 2 subtypes N are dangerous for humans.
Type A has high variability; there are 2 variants of variability: antigenic drift and antigenic shift. Drift is point mutations in a gene that control the H antigen, and shift is a complete replacement of one or both surface antigens, i.e. an entire RNA segment, as a result of the exchange of genetic material between human and animal influenza and this leads to the emergence of new antigenic variants, to which there is no immunity, which is the cause of epidemics and pandemics. Epidemics can also occur during drift, because the slightest change in the genotype of the pathogen can “confuse the memory cells” of the immune system, and it turns out that the majority of the population is unimmunized.
The source of infection is a sick person. Viruses are released in saliva, sputum, and nasal discharge when coughing and sneezing. Viruses can enter the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes or upper respiratory tract directly from the air, through close contact with a sick person; and can settle on various surfaces and then get onto the mucous membranes through the hands or when using hygiene items shared with the patient.
Then the virus enters the mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract (nose, pharynx, larynx or trachea), penetrates the cells and begins to actively multiply. In just a few hours, the virus infects almost the entire mucous membrane of the upper respiratory tract. The virus “loves” the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract very much, and is not able to infect other organs. This is why it is incorrect to use the term “intestinal flu” - the flu cannot affect the intestinal mucosa. Most often, what is called intestinal flu - fever, intoxication, accompanied by diarrhea - is a viral gastroenteritis.
It has not been established precisely due to what protective mechanisms the virus stops reproducing and recovery occurs. Usually after 2-5 days the virus stops being released into the environment, i.e. a sick person ceases to be dangerous.
The incubation period for influenza is very short - from infection to the first manifestations of the disease it takes on average from several hours to 2 days (A, C), less often up to 4 days (influenza B).
Flu always begins acutely - the patient can accurately indicate the time of onset of symptoms.
Based on severity, influenza is classified into mild, moderate and severe. In all cases, to varying degrees, there are signs of intoxication and catarrhal phenomena. In addition, in 5-10% of cases there is also a hemorrhagic component.
Intoxication has the following manifestations:
Signs of acute intoxication usually persist for up to 5 days. If the temperature lasts longer, most likely some bacterial complications have arisen.
Catarrhal symptoms persist for an average of 7-10 days:
Influenza AH1N1 may cause diarrhea.
If you experience all of the above symptoms, as well as the appearance of other alarming symptoms that are not part of the picture of uncomplicated influenza, you should immediately seek medical help.
Persons suffering from chronic cardiovascular diseases: especially congenital and acquired heart defects (especially mitral stenosis).
Persons suffering from chronic lung diseases (including bronchial asthma).
Patients with diabetes mellitus.
Patients with chronic kidney and blood diseases.
Elderly people are over 65 years of age, since in most cases they have chronic diseases to one degree or another.
Children under 2 years of age and those who are immunocompromised are also at risk of developing complications from the flu.
Primary viral pneumonia is an extremely severe complication of influenza. Caused by the spread of the virus from the upper respiratory tract further along the bronchial tree and damage to the lungs. The disease is steadily progressing. Intoxication is expressed to an extreme degree, shortness of breath is observed, sometimes with the development of respiratory failure. There is a cough with scanty sputum, sometimes mixed with blood. Heart defects, especially mitral stenosis, predispose to viral pneumonia.
Infectious-toxic shock is an extreme degree of intoxication with disruption of the functioning of vital organs: in particular the cardiovascular system (a pronounced increase in heart rate and a critical drop in blood pressure is observed) and kidneys.
Myocarditis and pericarditis - both complications of influenza were encountered during the Spanish flu pandemic. Currently they are extremely rare.
With the flu, natural resistance to other infections is significantly reduced. The body spends all reserves to fight the virus, so bacterial infections join the clinical picture very often. Especially in the presence of any chronic bacterial diseases - all of them tend to worsen after the flu.
Calm, better bed rest for 5 days. During an acute period of illness (no matter how much you would like to) you should not read, watch TV, or work on the computer. This depletes the already weakened body, prolongs the time of illness and the risk of complications.
Drink plenty of warm drinks, at least 2 liters per day. Better rich in vitamin C - tea with lemon, rosehip infusion, fruit juice. By drinking a large amount of liquid daily, a sick person detoxifies – i.e. accelerated removal from the body of toxins that are formed as a result of the activity of viruses.
Intranasal interferon: leukocyte 5 drops in the nose 5 times a day, influenza 2 - 3 drops 3 - 4 times a day for the first 3 - 4 days.
Anti-influenza γ-immunoglobulin is administered to patients suffering from immunodeficiency.
In the treatment of influenza, the innovative drug Ingavirin has proven itself to be effective against influenza viruses type A, B, adenovirus, parainfluenza virus, and other acute respiratory viral infections. The use of the drug in the first two days of the disease helps to accelerate the elimination of viruses from the body, reduce the duration of the disease, and reduce the risk of complications.
Oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Treatment should begin on the first day of the disease. The advantage of oseltamivir is that it can be prescribed to children under 12 years of age and is effective against the AH1N1 virus. The course of treatment is 3-5 days.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: paracetamol, ibuprofen, diclofenac. These drugs have an anti-inflammatory effect, reduce body temperature, and reduce pain. It is possible to take these drugs as part of medicinal powders such as Coldrex, Tera-flu, etc. It should be remembered that it is not worth reducing the temperature below 38ºC, since it is at this body temperature that the body’s defense mechanisms against infection are activated. Exceptions include patients prone to seizures and young children.
Aspirin is contraindicated for children. Aspirin during a viral infection can cause a serious complication - Reye's syndrome - toxic encephalopathy, which manifests itself as epileptic seizures and coma.
- Nasal drops. Vasoconstrictor nasal drops reduce swelling and relieve congestion. However, this is not as safe a drug as it might seem. On the one hand, during ARVI it is necessary to use drops to reduce swelling and improve the outflow of fluid from the sinuses to prevent the development of sinusitis. However, frequent and long-term use of vasoconstrictor drops is dangerous with regard to the development of chronic rhinitis. Uncontrolled use of drugs causes significant thickening of the mucous membrane of the nasal passages, which leads to dependence on drops, and then to constant nasal congestion. Treatment for this complication is surgical only. Therefore, you need to strictly follow the regimen of using drops: no longer than 5-7 days, no more than 2-3 times a day.
- Treatment of sore throat. The most effective remedy (it is also the least favorite by many) is gargling with disinfectant solutions. You can use infusions of sage, chamomile, as well as ready-made solutions such as furatsilin. Rinsing should be frequent - once every 2 hours. In addition, you can use disinfectant sprays: hexoral, bioparox, etc.
- Cough medications. The goal of cough treatment is to reduce the viscosity of sputum, making it thin and easy to cough up. Drinking regime is important for this - warm drink dilutes phlegm. If you have difficulties with coughing, you can take expectorant drugs, such as ACC, mucaltin, broncholitin, etc. You should not take drugs that suppress the cough reflex on your own (without consulting a doctor) - this can be dangerous.
Antibiotics should not be used. Antibiotics are completely powerless against viruses; they are used only when bacterial complications occur. Therefore, you should not use antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription, no matter how much you want to. These are drugs that are unsafe for the body. In addition, uncontrolled use of antibiotics leads to the emergence of forms of bacteria resistant to them.
First of all, it is important to prevent viruses from entering the mucous membranes of the nose, eyes or mouth. To do this, it is necessary to limit contact with sick people. In addition, it must be remembered that viruses can linger for some time on the personal hygiene items of a sick person, as well as on various surfaces in the room where he is located. Therefore, it is important to wash your hands after touching objects that may harbor viruses. You should also not touch your nose, eyes, or mouth with dirty hands.
It should be noted that soap certainly does not kill influenza viruses. Washing your hands with soap and water causes mechanical removal of microorganisms from your hands, which is quite sufficient. As for various hand sanitizing lotions, there is no convincing evidence that the substances they contain have a detrimental effect on viruses. Therefore, the use of such lotions for the prevention of colds is completely unjustified.
In addition, the risk of catching ARVI directly depends on immunity, i.e. the body's resistance to infections.
Eat properly and nutritiously: food should contain sufficient amounts of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, as well as vitamins. In the autumn-spring period, when the amount of vegetables and fruits in the diet decreases, additional intake of a complex of vitamins is possible.
Flu vaccines are updated annually. Vaccination is carried out with vaccines created against viruses that circulated in the previous winter, so its effectiveness depends on how close those viruses are to the present ones. However, it is known that with repeated vaccinations the effectiveness increases. This is due to the fact that the formation of antibodies - protective antiviral proteins - occurs faster in previously vaccinated people.
What vaccines exist?
Split vaccines are split vaccines containing only part of the virus. They have significantly fewer side effects and are recommended for vaccination of adults.
Subunit vaccines are highly purified vaccines that cause virtually no side effects. Can be used in children.
When is the best time to get vaccinated?
It is best to vaccinate in advance, before the epidemic develops - from September to December. It is also possible to get vaccinated during an epidemic, but you must keep in mind that immunity is formed within 7-15 days, during which it is best to carry out additional prophylaxis with antiviral agents - for example, rimantadine.
As already mentioned, for greater safety it is better to use the most purified subunit vaccines.
In the event of an outbreak of the disease in a closed community or during a flu epidemic, the effectiveness of vaccination is significantly reduced, since it takes at least 1-2 weeks to form full immunity.
Therefore, if vaccination has not been carried out, especially in people at risk, prophylactic use of antiviral drugs is advisable.
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