Flu

What is the flu?

The flu is caused by a virus other than the common cold and is usually accompanied by symptoms such as fever, body aches and difficulty breathing (runny nose, cough, sore throat).

Influenza is a highly contagious seasonal respiratory disease that usually occurs between December and March, peaking in February. The impact of flu season varies from year to year. With the flu syndrome causing epidemics and the winters that force millions of Italians to bed, perhaps with even serious complications, the emergency rooms are flooded with
requests. Some are nearly unprecedented during flu season.

It is caused by infection of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, trachea, bronchi, lungs) by the influenza virus. The flu usually lasts 3-5 days, but extreme tiredness can last 2-3 weeks.

Prevention can be a good strategy to prevent the flu and the use of a food supplement such as OrgaNac can support the immune system. The milder forms are sometimes mistaken for the common cold. Symptoms are similar, but are more pronounced with the flu and tend to appear very suddenly.

Nasal congestion (discomfort characterized by swelling and a discharge similar to sinusitis), sore throat and frequent sneezing are the most common symptoms of the common cold, which can cause headache and cough as well as difficulty breathing. There is a nature. However, in the latter case, other symptoms such as fever, muscle and joint pain, fatigue and weakness may also occur.
Despite their similarities, colds and flu are two completely different diseases caused by different viruses. Finally, although the name may be confusing, the so-called stomach flu has nothing to do with the traditional flu. The former is actually caused by various viruses and the specific symptoms are nausea, diarrhea and vomiting.

What are the causes?

The causes of the flu are viral:
The transfer of the virus from one organism to another causes the transmission of the flu disease.
Transmission of the virus can occur through the respiratory system, such as coughing, sneezing, salivation, or through contact, such as touching the eyes, nose or mouth after touching a contaminated surface or a person infected with the virus.

Symptoms

In general, the typical symptoms of the flu are:

• Appearance of the first symptoms usually abrupt and sudden, accompanied by chills and sweating.
• Fever above 38°, lasting between 3 and 4 days.
• Heachache.
• Malaise and musculoskeletal pain, often severe.
• Fatigue and weakness, which, in contrast to fever, can last up to 2-3 weeks.
• Sometimes stuffy nose, sneezing and sore throat.
• Common chest pains when breathing and especially coughing.
• Reduction of appetite.
• Photophobia.
• Increased susceptibility to developing other morbid forms (bronchitis, pneumonia).
• There are also often gastrointestinal complaints, such as nausea, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

What are the remedies?

People who are in good shape and healthy usually do not need to see a doctor: in the absence of complications, treatment is symptomatic and mainly includes rest, keeping warm, drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration, and eating easily digestible foods.

If necessary, paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used to reduce the temperature and relieve pain in case of high fever. In this regard, we recall how the use of salicylates (i.e. classic aspirin) is contraindicated for children under 16 years of age (due to the risk of developing Reye’s syndrome) and how fever has a favorable effect on the progression of the disease . (obviously if it is particularly high or if people at risk of complications suffer from it, it must still be calculated).

On the other hand, in high-risk conditions or in other unstable situations, a visit to the general practitioner should be considered, because medical help may be needed to relieve symptoms and speed recovery.

Some antiviral drugs – neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir and zanamivir) and viral M2 protein inhibitors (amantadine and rimantadine) – can reduce the severity and duration of the flu if they are given at the first symptoms of the disease (within 8 days of the last symptoms ) .

We warn that the use of these drugs is inappropriate.

Their use has been hotly debated, and WHO and ECDC guidelines now agree to limit them to specific cases.

In case of complications, doctors can prescribe antibiotics that are completely ineffective in treating the flu (because it is a virus and not a bacterium) and even harmful (they weaken the immune system even more).