What to do with a viral infection, how to overcome a viral infection? How are viral infections transmitted? What complications can occur after viral infections? Viral infection: prevention and treatment

What types of viral infections exist? What diseases can they cause? How to deal with the virus?

What is a viral infection and what are the features of its manifestation?

The cause of our diseases is not necessarily viruses. It can be bacteria (such as tonsillitis), fungi (thrush), or even protozoa (lamblia).

• Nevertheless, the vast majority of diseases that we “pick up” are viral infections. The peculiarity of the virus is that this is not even a cage, but simply a piece of information.
• He gets to us in DNA, integrates there and makes our own body reproduce the same viruses. This cunning mechanism forces our body to multiply our own enemies.
• Fortunately, most often it ends quickly. The body comes to its senses, throws antibodies to the fight against the virus and the disease passes in 5-7 days. The difficulty is that there are a lot of such “pests” in nature.
• And new ones are constantly appearing. Each time, our body should develop unique antibodies that can overcome this particular virus. This takes so much time.
• Not in every case, everything is so simple. For example, there is a virus such as HIV, with which the body is not able to cope at all. But most seasonal sores work just like that.

What modern viral infections exist: types of viral infections

• It is difficult to talk about viruses because there are a lot of them. In different organs, they cause different diseases. Their most typical manifestation is seasonal flu.
• Every year this virus mutates, and last year's medicine stops working. Therefore, the epidemic is inevitable.
• But the most common cause of conjunctivitis is also a virus. It causes most otitis media. And hepres, or a cold on the lip. It can cause various diseases such as rabies and warts.
• AIDS and rubella, rotavirus and chickenpox, tetanus and intestinal disorders - viruses can be the cause of all these dissimilar conditions.

Viral infections diagnostics methods

• Since SARS is the most common phenomenon with which people contact hospitals, most doctors can recognize it without analyzes.
• If you have a temperature for a couple of days, you suffer from a runny nose, sneeze and cough, then this is most likely a viral infection.
• The doctor judges not only by your condition, but also by the epidemiological environment as a whole. If every second patient appeals to him with a complaint about a strong cough and a small temperature, then the doctor does not need additional tests to diagnose SARS.

You can accurately determine the presence of a virus in the body using a general blood test. Some viruses can be found in the urine, so sometimes they pass this analysis.

What should be a blood test for a viral infection?

• The most important question that the doctor wants to answer, straightening you to a blood test with a cold is the question of the nature of your disease. It is viral or bacterial.
• It turns out that this can be done by considering the ratio of different blood cells. As a general analysis can be recognized by the nature of the disease, says the famous pediatrician Dr. Evgeny Komarovsky.
• “Imagine that you took a blood test and put it on a glass - you made a smear. After that, the laboratory assistant takes a microscope, puts glass there and looks. So he saw a leukocyte there.
• In appearance, he determines which leukocyte it is: neutrophil, monocyte, again neutrophil, eosinophile. All this is recorded. He does this until he counts one hundred of these leukocytes. Now the laboratory assistant will record all this as a percentage.
• This result is called a leukocyte formula. If it has a lot of lymphocytes, then this, one hundred percent, is a viral infection. If many neutrophils are bacterial. ”

Video: How to determine a viral or bacterial infection in a child by blood test analysis?

How are viral infections transmitted?

Different viruses are transmitted in different ways. But almost all of them are very contagious. Most often, we have to defend ourselves from seasonal flu.

What does not work:

1. A disposable medical mask. If a person who has a respiratory virus is talking to you, then the infection along with his breath can penetrate through any mucous membrane. Including, through the shell of the eyes, which remains unprotected when using a medical mask. The mask can stop the virus if it is worn by the sick, but not his interlocutor.
2. Oxolin ointment. Despite the fact that this is a widespread tool, its effectiveness is not proven. It is not distributed almost anywhere in the world, except for the post -Soviet space.
3. Immunostimulating drugs. In most other countries, they are also banned. Those that are sold with us, at best, are ineffective, in the worst are harmful. This is told by a biologist and physiologist, scientist Maxim Skulachev: “I would be very careful with immunomodulators. Maybe you should use them, because the immune system is so important. But now this is the terra incognita. Scientists do not understand how it works at all. To get into immunity with unwashed hands is to stimulate what works as you do not understand. We do not know how this affects oncology, on the cardiovascular system. In our country, immunomodulators love and often prescribe. But authoritative international organizations have not encouraged any of them. ”

How can you really defend yourself:

• Get the vaccine. Of course, there are so many viruses that you will not insure everyone. But you can protect yourself from the most common. Put all the vaccinations to your children that our calendar prescribes. Check if you have such. If you have poor health, you plan a pregnancy, you have asthma or another risky state, be sure to come from seasonal flu.

• Limit contacts with people. If there is an opportunity to walk on foot, and not go in a crowded bus, then prefer a walk. If you can buy products in a small shop, then do not go to a crowded supermarket.
• Abundant drink. There should be enough fluid in our body so that our mucous membranes do not dry out. Then they will naturally fight the virus that came to them. If the infection can still penetrate inside, then it will be excreted in the urine.
• Immunity stimulation. But not with the help of pharmacy drugs. You can hold immunity in many ways. This is hardening, and moderate physical activity, and healthy nutrition, and proper sleep mode.

What complications can occur after viral infections?

Complications after viruses depend on what you caught for the disease. But if we are talking about seasonal flu, it is important to be treated correctly. If you do not cope with the disease, then you may have the following problems:

• bronchitis
• pneumonia
• sinusitis and sinusitis
• ear inflammation

These are the most common complications that doctors record.

What to do with a viral infection?

• If you are still unlucky, and you picked up SARS, then you need to prepare for the fact that from 3 to 7 days you will feel unwell.
• It is advisable to consult a doctor. He will prescribe treatment to you. But you can do something yourself, at home.
• First of all, you need moderate nutrition (according to appetite) and a plentiful drink. It is best to use dried fruit compote for these purposes. It has exactly those trace elements that are washed out with abundant sweating.

Do not rape yourself as a bed regime. The body itself will tell you whether you need to lie in bed, or you can go for a walk. Walks are not recommended only during the exacerbation.

Pay attention to the atmosphere in your room. The patient does not need heat at all. The optimal air that will not overdry your mucous membranes and will help to overcome the virus should be cool and wet.

Prevention and treatment of viral infections

• In the treatment of viral infections there is one most important rule: you cannot be treated with antibiotics. They do not help with SARS. The only effective medicine is vaccination.
• There are good drugs for some infections. For example, so you can cure herpes. But in most cases, it remains only to hope for their own strengths.
• Treatment of SARS is symptomatic. All that we can relieve symptoms, but not to treat the cause. For example, you can knock down the temperature with an antipyretic. Or restore nasal breathing with vasoconstrictor drops.

How to recognize and protect against viral infection: tips and reviews

“What are you, you can’t become infected with a cold. This is a weakening of immunity, the body itself cannot fight the infection, which is always present in it. Only a mask, onions and garlic helps from the virus. ”

“I am pregnant, and I'm afraid to get sick. I even heat the watermelon in the microwave. Nothing cold, and of the drugs - only tea with lemon and cranberries with sugar. But there are no edema. ”

“The husband is sick. Now he walks in a mask. I'm afraid that the children are also clogging. So that no one is infected, I wipe my hands with alcohol in the house. The virus is also transmitted through the hands. ”

Video: Elena Malysheva. Symptoms and treatment of SARS