We live in an interesting time - organ transplantation has become a routine, scientists practice " Every autumn and winter we keep coughing, sneezing, lying down with a fever. On the Internet, disputes flare up about whether it is necessary to bring down the temperature of children, how effective is the new advertised medicine, is it possible to bathe a child with a cold, is it enough to get vaccinated against the flu to protect yourself 100%. Let's understand what ARVI is and how to properly treat this disease.

What is a cold? How is it different from the flu? No doctor will diagnose a patient with a cold, there is simply no such disease in the international classifier of diseases, but there is a group of diseases called colds. These are viral and bacterial infectious diseases that are transmitted through the air and cause damage to the respiratory system: runny nose, sore throat, swelling and redness of the nasopharynx, cough. Therefore, doctors most often use the terms ARI - an acute respiratory (airborne) disease, or ARVI - an acute respiratory viral infection..

Influenza refers to acute viral respiratory infections (ARVI). Influenza is caused by the Influenza virus. There are about 200 species of causative agents of other colds, a fairly common causative agent of ARVI is, for example, the Rhinovirus virus..

The main difference between most colds and flu is that they occur in a milder form.. Influenza is difficult to tolerate, in addition, this disease can lead to complications in the form of pneumonia, bacterial infections, and even death..

Main Differences Between Colds and Flu.

Flu.

General state.

The patient experiences mild discomfort.

Severe illness that lasts longer and can lead to complications.

Temperature.

Low temperature, can flow without temperature.

Characterized by fever, fever.

Symptoms.

A dry cough may appear, general weakness and body aches are possible, but they manifest themselves in a mild degree.

Noticeably pronounced: body aches, general weakness, joint pain, cough.

Features of the manifestation of symptoms.

Symptoms of the disease appear alternately, most often at first there is pain and sore throat, then a runny nose, and then a cough..

All symptoms appear almost simultaneously and very intensely..

Disease duration.

Over the course of a week, symptoms gradually decrease..

The disease lasts on average about 10-14 days..

Is it possible to catch a cold with hypothermia? ARI, including influenza, are infectious diseases, respectively, they can only get sick when they encounter pathogens - viruses or bacteria. But why, then, do we often catch a cold precisely after hypothermia In fact, hypothermia acts as an unfavorable factor that causes suppression of the immune system.. Because of this, the immune system cannot recognize pathogens in time and respond to their invasion of the body.. As a result, a frozen person significantly increases the likelihood of getting sick..

What are anti-cold drugs? Most often, the following groups of drugs are used to treat ARVI:.

immunostimulants and immunomodulators;

antiviral agents;

means for symptomatic treatment - antipyretic, analgesic, breathing relief;

if bacterial complications occur, or if the bacterial nature of the infection is proven, antibacterial drugs (antibiotics) may be prescribed.

Most cold medicines can be bought at pharmacies without a prescription.. Nevertheless, if you get sick, it is better to consult a doctor who will determine the specifics of the disease and prescribe the optimal treatment regimen..

Of course, this does not mean that you do not need to understand drugs on your own.. In addition, some drugs can be used to prevent ARVI, which is always preferable to treating the disease..

Are immunostimulants effective Immunostimulants are drugs that act on the body's immune system by enhancing the response of immune cells (what is commonly referred to as " Immunostimulants are immunomodulating agents, so these names are often confused or used as synonyms.. But, strictly speaking, immunomodulators is a broader definition, which also includes a group of immunosuppressant drugs that are used in the treatment of a number of autoimmune diseases to “turn off” immunity..

Immunostimulating drugs include: therapeutic vaccines, biologically active peptides, interleukins, interferons and some other drugs.. The most popular drugs are based on interferon, a special protein that cells produce when they encounter a virus.. Under the influence of interferon, cells become immune to the virus, which inhibits its reproduction and spread in the body..

Despite the great popularity of immunostimulants, their use is not justified when it comes to the common cold.. The immune system is quite able to cope with most threats on its own, it does not need to be “spurred on” additionally.

Immunostimulants should be prescribed by a doctor and only if there are serious indications for this, that is, proven suppression of immunity. If you use these drugs uncontrollably and for a long time, you can cause serious harm to the body, which can be expressed in a reverse reaction - depletion of the immune system..

In other words, at the first sign of a cold, you should not experiment with immunomodulators and immunostimulants, since there is a risk that the body will get used to such stimulation and simply stop fighting even a minor cold, not to mention more serious diseases..

How antivirals work? How to choose the right tool? Direct-acting antivirals are used directly to treat disease caused by a specific virus and, in some cases, prevent viral infections.. In other words, the remedy for the flu virus will be useless for the treatment of rhinovirus infection..

Antiviral agents can be conditionally divided according to the stage of the life cycle at which they act on the virus:.

Prevent the entry of the virus into the cell.

They inhibit the reproduction of the virus already directly inside the cell.

Block the release of viral copies from the cell.

The main problem in choosing an effective antiviral agent is the need to accurately identify the virus, and this takes a lot of time.. In addition, viruses successfully mutate, quickly adapting to new environmental conditions and the effects of drugs.. SARS alone can cause more than 200 viruses. Therefore, there is no universal antiviral " Among the most popular antiviral agents for influenza are Tamiflu, Remantadine and others..

When prescribing this or that remedy, the specialist must take into account the current symptoms, age, state of health of the patient, the presence of other diseases. Therefore, the purchase of the drug "

Antibiotics in the treatment of colds: when it is needed? Do not take antibacterial drugs (antibiotics) unless prescribed by a doctor. These drugs inhibit the development and spread of pathogenic bacteria, but are completely useless against viruses..

Antibiotics may be prescribed by a doctor if bacterial complications occur during the illness, but self-medication with these drugs does more harm than good.

Note: the green color of nasal discharge does not clearly indicate the bacterial nature of the infection, but is due to the accumulation of leukocytes.

In addition to the absolute ineffectiveness of antibiotics in the fight against viruses, the chaotic use of one or another antibacterial drug can lead to the development of resistance (resistance) of bacteria to this active substance.. Do not forget about the whole bunch of side effects that antibiotic treatment is fraught with..

Antipyretics: when they are needed and how to use them correctly? Antipyretic drugs are used for symptomatic treatment. they help to cope not with the cause of the disease, but with its manifestations - in this case, with a high temperature. Antipyretics simply alleviate the condition, but do not eliminate the cause of the disease, that is, they do not affect the virus. In addition, as a rule, antipyretics are not prescribed for antibiotic treatment due to the difficulty in assessing the effectiveness of the latter against the background of lowering the temperature with other drugs..

Increased body temperature during a cold is a protective reaction of the body. If the patient does not have concomitant diseases, then the temperature to 38 - 38.5 ° C does not need to be brought down.

Remember: if you bring down the temperature with a pill, this will not speed up recovery, but it may mask the development of complications..

The most popular antipyretics are based on paracetamol and ibuprofen, they can even be given to children.. The main thing is not to exceed the recommended dosage.. Taking paracetamol in a dose of more than 10 g in adults or more than 140 mg / kg in children can lead to poisoning and liver damage.. For example, for a child weighing 25 kg, a toxic dose of paracetamol of 450 mg would be toxic (Theraflu contains 325 mg of paracetamol).

As for other antipyretics, doctors strongly do not recommend bringing down the temperature of children and adolescents under 16 years of age with aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid), since the use of this remedy for a viral infection can provoke the development of Reye's syndrome.

What should be the prevention of SARS? Will vaccinations help, and what can you do yourself? As you probably know, it is better to prevent a disease than to treat it later.. This is all the more important if you or your loved ones are particularly susceptible to infections during the cold season..

As already mentioned, antiviral agents can be used as prophylactic agents.. But in order for them to really work, you need to know which viruses are expected to attack this season in your area.. Without consulting a doctor, it is difficult to understand such details..

Specialists of the World Health Organization strongly recommend an annual influenza vaccination as a preventive measure, which will at least alleviate the course of the disease.. According to some reports, such vaccination reduces the risk of getting sick several times..

To protect yourself from a possible disease with the help of vaccination, you need to remember:.

It is advisable to vaccinate in the fall, even before the start of the “cold season”. The immune system needs time, at least a month, for the vaccine to start working..

The flu vaccine does not protect against all respiratory infections, so even after vaccination there is a chance of getting SARS.

The following influenza virus strains are expected to be highly active this season:.

Influenza virus A/Brisbane/02/2018 (H1N1);

influenza A/Kansas/14/2017 (H3N2);

influenza virus B/Colorado/06/2017 (lineage B/Victoria/2/87);

influenza virus B/Phuket/3073/2013 (lineage B/Yamagata/16/88).

According to Rospotrebnadzor, the influenza A (H1N1) virus is most often detected in patients.. This strain is called pandemic - people do not yet have immunity to it, it spreads quickly and can cause serious complications.. To prevent this particular strain of influenza, vaccination is really necessary..

Another long and well-known way to protect yourself from viruses during the cold season is to use essential oils..

The antiviral and antibacterial properties of essential oils make them an excellent option for protecting against SARS infection at home..

Passive inhalation is used to prevent colds with the help of essential oils.. Making them is very simple - apply a few drops of oil on a napkin, cotton pad and put in the bedroom, nursery, on the desktop. And for protection in public places, it is recommended to apply essential oils on a scarf.. Evaporating, essential oils will disinfect the air and reduce the risk of viruses entering your body..

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