This winter, there is a high incidence of influenza. Some people think it's just a "little cold" and it's not a big deal. Don't underestimate the flu, which is different from the common cold, and can sometimes be fatal in severe cases. The reporter interviewed Shen Yejing, an attending physician in the Department of Respiratory Medicine of Shanghai Eighth People's Hospital, who explained the fatal cause of influenza.
The virus is highly contagious, can be transmitted through air and water, and can survive on surfaces for a few moments. In addition, people may start spreading the virus even before they develop symptoms. This explains why, in a family, one person catches a cold, and the whole family catches a cold – and sometimes the opposite is true.
Whether the response is severe or not, and whether it is widespread or not, is the result of a complex interaction between the virus, the host, and external factors.
What causes multi-system damage throughout the body in a person with influenza?After being infected with the influenza virus, the degree of risk of the disease is related to the degree of the "cytokine storm". Cytokine storm is an umbrella term for a wide range of immunodysregulated diseases characterized by systemic symptoms, systemic inflammation, and multi-organ dysfunction, with mild symptoms including fever, fatigue, headache, rash, arthralgia, and muscle painSevere symptoms include high fever and hypotension that can progress to a systemic inflammatory response with circulatory shock, vascular leakage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and multiorgan failure. Associated abnormalities include lymphopenia, elevated creatinine and liver enzymes, disturbances in coagulation parameters, and elevated ferritin and C-reactive protein. If inappropriate, these diseases can lead to multi-organ failure.
Through the analysis of influenza deaths, medical staff and scientists found that the vast majority of deaths were caused by secondary bacterial infection, and the clinical manifestations of leukopenia, bleeding tendency, splenomegaly, jaundice, hepatic fat changes, and multi-organ failure were common in patients with severe influenza.
What is the difference between the flu and the common cold?
Common cold: is the most common upper respiratory tract infection and is commonly known as the "cold". It is caused by some of the hundreds of viruses and is very common anywhere in the world. The main pathogen is rhinovirus, followed by parainfluenza virus, adenovirus, Egyptian virus, coxsackievirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. Seasonality is not significant.
The onset of the common cold is acute, and the early symptoms include dry itching or burning sensation in the throat, catarrhal symptoms: sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, which begins with watery nasal discharge and thickens after 2-3 days. Fever and constitutional symptoms are usually absent, or there is only low-grade fever and headache. The common cold is mostly sporadic, rarely causes epidemics, and is mostly self-limited, and generally cures after 5-7 days.
Influenza: An acute respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses, which is a highly contagious and fast-spreading disease. Influenza viruses can be divided into three types: A (a), B (b), and C (c), and A-viruses often have antigenic mutations, are highly contagious, spread rapidly, and are prone to large-scale epidemics. A-type H1N1 is also a type of influenza A. Influenza spreads mainly through airborne droplets, person-to-person contact, or contact with contaminated items. There is a clear seasonality, common in winter and spring.
The symptoms of upper respiratory tract infection are mild during the flu attack, but the symptoms of systemic poisoning are obvious, such as fever (usually high fever), cough, sputum production, fatigue, and body aches. Infants, young children, the elderly, and patients with underlying heart and lung diseases are susceptible to serious complications such as pneumonia, and some may even lead to death.
How to prevent the flu?
To prevent the flu, wash your hands frequently, and using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a better choiceKeep the environment clean and ventilated, minimize crowds during the flu season, and avoid contact with people with respiratory infectionsMaintain good respiratory hygiene, cover your mouth and nose with your upper arms or tissues or towels when coughing or sneezing, wash your hands after coughing or sneezing, and try to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouthGet enough sleep, keep exercising, and eat and drink well.
In extremely dry places, humidifiers can help keep your lungs and throat moist, help prevent infection, and reduce the chance of coughing. Influenza vaccination is the most effective means of preventing influenza, and pharmacological prophylaxis is not a substitute for vaccination. Of course, vaccination is not a panacea.
Shen Yejing concluded: "During the flu season, crowded places such as schools, hospitals, and offices are all places with a high incidence of influenza epidemics, and once symptoms such as fever, cough or sore throat appear, it is necessary to be vigilant and intervene in time if there is a suspicion of influenza infectionEspecially for people at high risk of influenza, the sooner you take anti-influenza drugs, the better, to avoid minor illnesses from causing major disasters!”
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Reporter: Wu Huixiong.
Correspondent: Shen Yejing.
Editor: Qiu Caihong.
Proofreading: Geng Jieyu.
Reviewer: Wei Li.
*Please indicate that it is from the official account of Shanghai Xuhui.