What could be the fever from the flu?
The disease influenza, perhaps the most common in the world. Someone it flows easily, and someone concerned about the temperature of the flu and deterioration of the General condition. The disease is infectious in nature and is able to create a whole epidemic of infected people.
So what is this ailment and how to fight it? The reason is the annual appearance of the flu in that this virus can constantly change, so it is difficult in advance to protect yourself from it.
The temperature increase in influenza
The temperature increase can be of two kinds, fever and hyperthermia. Typically, the fever develops in infectious disease. Hyperthermia develops in all other cases, non-infectious nature. For example, it may be heat stroke, overheating, the presence of malignant tumors, radiation sickness, etc.
If talking about fever, it is, above all, protective function of an organism from penetration harmful microbes and viruses. If you get an infection in the body by blood to rescue him in a hurry leukocytes and macrophages. They produce endogenous pyrogenic, is an interferons, cytokines, interleukins. Which, in turn, stimulate the body's defense against viruses and bacteria by increasing the temperature.
Thus, fever is a normal phenomenon in influenza, down, should, only if she becomes a threat to human health, crossing the permissible limits at the level of the thermometer. Passion is antipyretic drugs with or without it, can lead to smoothing of the symptoms, but the disease can linger for a long time and will manifest himself in the constant low-grade (up to 37°C) fever and malaise.
What is the pathology of influenza?
Influenza is a viral disease characterized by lesions of the upper and lower respiratory tract. While a person can be strong intoxication, which leads to complications up to severe cases with life threatening. Most often this can occur in the elderly and in young children, whose bodies are equipped with a weak immune system.
Many people confuse the flu with SARS. Indeed, these diseases are in many ways similar clinical picture and mode of transmission. But in contrast to acute respiratory diseases influenza is much heavier, causing severe intoxication and has serious complications.
The flu
The source of infection is a sick man. The viruses are in saliva, mucus person and can be spread through sneezing, coughing and talking.
src="/respiratory/images/280-3.jpg" title="Airborne flu" alt="Airborne flu">Virus may be in the air and get on the mucous membranes of the nose, upper respiratory tract and eyes. It is also possible by close contact with the patient, shake hands or use his items.
After penetration of the virus in the upper respiratory tract into the pharynx, the trachea, the nose or the throat he begins to actively grow. He may need a few hours to the whole inflamed nasal mucosa. Mostly the virus stays in the upper respiratory tract, not extending further.
Scientists are unable to say with certainty what causes contribute to the recovery of the person after the transferred flu. After exposure for 2-5 days a sick person is not dangerous to others since the virus is not released into the air.
Flu and temperature
So what are the flu and a fever? If the first signs of the disease failed to stop, then the next day the patient drastically increases body temperature, which reaches 38-40°C. This fever may occur over the next 3-4 days. Symptoms of the disease depends on the severity and type of flu. If it is mild, the temperature does not rise above 38°C. If it's moderate stage, the high fever from the flu reaches 39.5 to 40°C. besides the increase associated symptoms:
- Joint and muscle pain.
- Headache.
- Nasal congestion.
- Swelling of the mucous membrane, etc.
If the flu with a high fever be severe, with fever the temperature reaches 40°C, while along with these symptoms may experience nosebleeds, vomiting, convulsions, and sometimes hallucinations.
A regular symptom of flu is a pain. Most often it is associated with a headache. The patient may complain of pain in the brow, neck, around the eyes. In severe cases, there may be nausea, vomiting and even hallucinations. There is a sharp sensitivity to light, cold, loud sounds.
In addition, there are pain and burning sensation in the throat. Can sit voice, appear runny nose and swelling of the nasopharynx. When inflammation of the trachea having discomfort in the chest, which are aggravated by dry cough.
Another characteristic feature of the flu are body aches and pain all over the body, aching joints and muscles, especially in the lower back and sacrum.
Treatment of pathology
For at least 5 days the patient needsto be secured in bed. If it does not comply, then active lifestyle depletes the already weakened body, which will lead to serious complications.
Daily the patient should drink up to 2 liters of fluid. You can do a variety of warm teas and vitamin drinks. For example, the hips or cranberry juice.
Thanks to a sufficient quantity is supplied to the body fluid faster will be shown the toxins that result from the activity of bacteria and viruses.
Drug therapy for influenza:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, paracetamol or diclofenac, can relieve a person from pain and reduce inflammation. They should only take at high temperature, when the body is unable to cope with the manifestations of the disease. You should not give children aspirin as they have serious side effects.
- Antihistamines are used to prevent allergic reactions. Help to ease the symptoms of the disease, can eliminate the swelling and nasal congestion.
- Nose drops reduce nasal congestion and fight cold. But do not take them for a long time. The dosage involves intake of drops 2-3 times a day for 5-7 days, not more.
- Treatment of the throat involves rinsing it with antiseptics.
- Remedies against cough.
- Antibiotics are useless for influenza, since the disease is viral in nature. But if you were attached to bacterial infection, which is not uncommon with flu, then the doctor may prescribe antibiotic therapy.
- Very important in influenza antiviral therapy. Antivirals need to start making from the first days of the disease. It is advisable to have them prescribed doctor.
In prophylactic vaccination against influenza, and should be in season outbreaks take antiviral drugs.