Influenza Symptoms

Influenza is an acute virus disease that is characterized by acute toxicosis, moderate catarrhal signs with most intensive affection of trachea and bronchi.

The clinical picture of influenza and acute respiratory diseases caused by different kinds of viruses, for compatibility of common toxic symptoms, has many common features.

Usually influenza starts acutely. Incubation period as a rule lasts 1- 2 days but it can last 5 days.

Then starts period of acute clinical manifestation. Disease severity depends on many factors: general condition, age, also it is necessary to know if patient contacted with this type of virus before. Depending on all those factors patient can have one of four types of influenza: mild, moderately severe, severe, hypertoxic. Symptoms and their intensity depend on disease severity.

In case of mild influenza forms (including subclinical forms) body temperature can remain normal or it can rise up to 38C. Symptoms of infective toxicosis are mild or are missing.

In case of moderately severe influenza form, body temperature rises up to 38,5-39,5°С and are common the next symptoms:
1) Intoxication

• abundant sweating
• lack of energy
• photophobia
• joint and muscle pain
• headache

2) Catarrhal symptoms

• hyperemia of velum and back of the throat
• conjunctiva hyperemia

3) Respiratory symptoms

• affection of throat and trachea
• dry painful cough (in some cases wet cough)
• phonation defect
• chest pains
• rhinitis (cold)
• hyperemia
• dryness of nasal lining and swallow

Lungs skip lesion syndrome is a dynamically growing (for several hours) pulmonary heart disease with typical segmental shade in one of lungs. In case of favorable result clinicoroentgenological changes are solved in 2-3 days practically entirely – this is the major difference from pneumonia. In case of hypertoxic form of influenza is possible to have wet lungs usually ending with hemorrhagic pneumonia.

Abdominal syndrome:

• abdominal pains
• diarrhea occurs rarely and as a rule it is a sign of other infections. What is known as “Norovirus” is caused not by influenza virus.

Severe form of influenza

Body temperature rises up to 40-40,5°С. In addition to the symptoms specific for moderately severe influenza form also may appear signs of encephalopathy (psychosis state, convulsive attack, hallucination), vascular disorders (nose bleed), vomit.

Hypertoxic form of influenza.

There is a serious danger of fatal case especially for diseased from risk group.

When influenza courses without any complications, fever lasts 2-4 days and finally patient is recovered in 5 days. It is possible to have occasional temperature rises which are usually associated with bacterial flora lay-up or another virus respiratory infection.

Influenza

Influenza (flu) is a severe virus disease which affects men, women and children of all ages and nationalities. The disease is followed by high mortality, especially among little kids and old people. The epidemics of flu occur every year usually in cold season and it hit up to 15% of population in the world.

Periodically repeating, flu and ARD destroy about one year of our life. A man spends this period in inactive condition suffering from fever, common weakness, headaches, intoxication with toxic virus proteins.

Flu gradually breaks heart-vascular system shortening lifetime of an average man. During severe course of this virus disease often occurs irreversible affection of heart-vascular system, respiratory organ, central nervous system provoking heart and vascular diseases, pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, meningoencephalitis.

Term “Acute Respiratory Disease” (ARD) or “Acute Respiratory Viral Infection” (ARVI) comprises a vast number of similar diseases. They are similar because they are caused by viruses invading organism by respiring air via mouth and nasal pharynx, and also they have similar symptoms: increased temperature of the body, sore throat, cough and headache. The most common respiratory disease is acute rhinitis (cold) that is caused by a number of congenerous viruses called rhinoviruses. During recovery all those symptoms disappear and they do not leave any signs. However, it would be wrong to call “flu” all kinds of ARD and ARVI. Flu is caused by a flu virus (Myxovirus influenzae) that belongs to the family of orthomyxoviruses.

Flu and ARVI are leading in frequency and number of cases and are 95% of all virus diseases.

About the origin of word “influenza” there are several versions. According to one of them, the word has appeared in Italy in the mid of 15th century after a serous epidemic which people thought to be the result of stars influence. Another version says that the word is originated from Latin word “influere” (invade) or Italian "influenza di freddo" (cooling after-effect).

Rubella

Rubella is a virus disease with a specific small spotted rash called exanthem is characterized by frank fever. The disease can affect fetus of women being pregnant. Rubella is caused by the agent called togavirus and has a RNA genome. It is nonpersistent in external atmosphere, dies rapidly when heated up to 56 ° C, when drying, under the control of the action of ultraviolet rays, either, formalin and other abluents. The source of infection of is human diseased with that kind of virus disease, especially being in subclinical form that passes without rash. In interepidemic period selected cases are observed. The climactic number of cases of the virus disease are registered in April – June. The disease represents a notable risk for pregnant women because of fetal infection. Rubella virus releases into external environment one week before the rash appears on skin and during the week when foolhardy has appeared. Infection is transmitted via airborne.


Symptoms
Incubation period is 11-24 days. General condition of this kind of virus disease is characterized by weakness that is why at the beginning the only noticeable symptom is rash resembling with these of scarlatina. Patients suffer from brief weakness, lack of energy, headache, pain in muscles and in joints. Temperature of the majority of patients often is subfebrile, although it in some cases riches 38-39°C and keeps 1-3 days. When woman examination low-grade symptoms of catarrh, little redding of pharynx and conjunctivitis are observed. From the identical first days of the virus disease appears generalized lymphadenopathy (in other words, the tenderness of lymphatic system). The most expressed are increasing and painfulness of back-necked and occipital lymph glands. Exanthem appears on 1-3 day from the beginning of disease, first on the neck and after several hours spreads on the whole richness and it can be itching. Also there is some inspissation of rash of extensor surface of limbs and buns.


Elements of the indiscreet represent little spots with diameter of 2-4 mm, usually they do not coalesce, are kept for 3-5 days and disappear without living pigmentation on skin. In 25-30% of cases rubella progresses without rash and is characterized by moderate fever. The virus disease can course without symptoms, having the exclusive manifestation of viremia and increasing of titre in blood of specific antibodies.

Diagnosis
Clinical and laboratory data help to recognize that virus disease. Nowadays virologic methods are not used widely. From serological tests are used the neutralization test and hemagglutination-inhibition test injected together with paired sera captivated 10-14 days apart.


Treatment
Doctors prescribe comfort care when uncomplicated rubella. When arthritis doctors usually prescribe 0.25g chingamin (chloroquine) 2-3 times a day for 5-7 days. Also are advised diphenylhydramine (0.05g two times a day), butadiene (0.15g 3-4 times a day), nosotropic treatment. When encephalitis, are advised corticosteroid remedies. Common prognosis for rubella is favorable, excepting when encephalitis which has mortality of 50%.


Preventive Measures
Are extremely important for women in child-bearing age. Some specialists recommend to vaccinate girls of 13-25 years. Diseased with rubella should be isolated up to five days since rash has appeared.

Cytomegalovirus

Cytomegalovirus is a virus causing the Cytomegaloviral infection – a widespread virus infection characterized by varied manifestations from symptom-free course to severe forms of the disease with affection of internal organs and central nervous system.

Ways of transmission of cytomegalovirus are different, because the virus can be in blood, saliva, milk, emiction, crap, sperm, vesical cervix secretion. Virus can be transmitted via airborne, during blood transfusion, during sexual contact and also is possible transplacental congenital infection. An important place takes infection during birth and feeding baby with milk of his diseased mother.

Only human can be the focus of the cytomegalovirus.

Under action of cytomegalovirus normal cells are increased in their size (term “cytomegaly” means “giant cell”).

Cytomegalovirus is related to herpes virus.

Cytomegalovirus has affinity to the salivary gland tissue and when localized forms virus is detected only in glands. Virus stays in the organism for all life. In reply to initial penetration the immune organism alteration is developed. If immunity is good it destroys virus without allowing it to show itself.

Factors weakening organism (diseases, some kind of medicines) can provoke the transition from dormant cytomegaloviral infection into a frank form. Last years very actual is the problem of HIV positive who get exacerbation of cytomegaloviral infection.

Pregnant women not always get fetus infected with dormant cytomegaloviral infection. The necessary condition for that is exacerbation of dormant infection with its penetration in blood with following infection of fetus. The probability of fetus infection raises when mother gets infected during her pregnancy.

Incubation period is unknown because cytomegaloviral infection bears latent form and clinical forms of disease appear after action of any weakening factor.

Cytomegalovirus manifestations:

# URI (upper respiratory infection)
# multiple affection of internal organs
# inflammation of urogenital system organs
# damage of fetation

URI

This form can be found after blood transfusion, also sexually active people can get it. Incubation period lasts from 20 to 60 days. The disease itself lasts from 2 to 6 weeks. Main symptoms are high body temperature and general intoxication symptoms. Often are noticed such symptoms as shakes, weakness, headache and pain in muscles. Also can be detected spleen increase.

Complications: interstitial or segmentary pneumonia, pleurisy, myocarditis, arthitis, encephalitis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, but they are observed quite rarely. After sharp phase during several weeks still remain weariness, tiredness, bad sleep, sometimes heart-vascular problems (sweatiness, temper, crying).

Multiple affection of internal organs

It usually takes course with difficulties. It appears on the back of other disease that sharply lowers immunogenesis (neoplasms, leukaemia). In such cases often besides prior disease and cytomegalovirus the bacterial infection is layered. Here can be noticed general intoxication, fever, liver and lymphatics glands increase. Softly coursing pneumonia is a typical sign. This form of cytomegalovirus occurs rarely.

Congenitus cytomegaloviral infection

The most dangerous is congenitus cytomegaloviral infection (especially, when mother has a weak immunity). If occurs infection of fetus as a result it can cause his antenatal death or even misburth. In later period it can cause birth defects or other diseases detected after birth (icterus, liver and spleen increase, internal haemorrhage, affection of nervous system).

Treatment

It is treated with anti-viral medication, such as acyclovir, panavir and other.

If you do not want to disease with cytomegalovirus you should make wages on your immunity and not on medicines. For that purpose you should take remedies that help increase immunity. These are nutritional supplements (immunal), herbals (ginseng, magnolia vine, coneflower and other), full nutrition (providing organism with all vitamins), regular walks on fresh air and regular exercises.

Mononucleosis

Mononucleosis is an acute infectious disease that is characterized by damage of reticuloendothelial and lymphatic systems and is carried out with fever, tonsillitis, polyadenitis, increasing of liver and spleen, leukocytosis of basophilic mononuclear.

The focus of infectious organism is human diseased with mononucleosis and virus carrier. Infection is transmitted via airborne, direct contact (for example, when kissing) and via saliva pollution of articles of daily use. The virus is detected in saliva at the end of incubation period of disease, height of it or in six months or more after recovery.

The recovery of virus is observed in 10-20% of cases who carried mononucleosis over in the past. Epstein-Bar virus in latent form can keep in bursal lymphocytes and in fauces mucous membrane epithelium.

Mononucleosis meets everywhere, people of different ages can disease with it. In developed countries the disease often meets among teenagers and young people, the peak of this virus disease incidence is 14-16-year old girls and 16-18-year old boys. In developing countries often disease junior age groups. Rarely this virus disease meets among people over 40 years because majority of people being in this age are immune namely to that infection. Children up to 2 years old as a rule are not diagnosed in connection with latent course. Mononucleosis is less contagiuos: usually are observed sporadic cases, sometimes are observed little epidemic outbreaks.

First days of disease are marked with increasing of size of liver and spleen that achieve maximum size after 4-10 days. Sometimes are observed dyspeptic condition and abdominal pains. 5-10% of the diseased people can have slight ochrodermia and scleral icterus. In some cases is observed the increment in activity of transaminase in the blood that tells about compromised liver function. In height of the virus disease or in the beginning of the recovery diseased people who take antibiotics often can have rash (spotty papular, urticarial, hemorrhagic). It often appears when taking drugs of penicillic family, especially ampicillin and oxacillin (in the blood often are detected antibodies resistant to these antibiotics).

The virus disease incidence lasts 2-4 weeks, sometimes even more. First, progressively disappears fever and fur on amygdalas then normalizes haemogramma, size of lymphatic glands, liver and spleen. In some cases in several days temperature reduces and rises again. The change of haemogramma can keep for several weeks and even months.

Mononucleosis Treatment

If course of the disease is slight and there is possible isolation, then patient can be treated at home. When the condition of the patient is grave then it is necessary hospitalizing into infectious disease ward. Doctor prescribes bed rest and comfort care. Antibiotics are taken in case of bacterial complications. In this case it must be taken into account that ampicillin and oxacillin are strongly contradicted for the patients diseased with Mononucleosis. For the patients with grave condition it is recommended glucocorticoid therapy.

Respectful Adult Communication Improves Quality of Care in Alzheimer's

News from the Alzheimer's Association International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease 2008

Respectful Adult Communication Improves Quality of Care in Alzheimer's---New research says don't talk to them like children.

"The style of communication that we use with people with Alzheimer’s influences how they feel about themselves and how well they respond to those providing care,” said Sam Fazio, PhD, Director, Medical and Scientific Relations at the Alzheimer’s Association. “With the growing prevalence of Alzheimer’s, it will be increasingly important for healthcare providers, caregivers and families to understand the effect Alzheimer’s has on communication and, perhaps more importantly, the impact their communication may have on the individual’s quality of life.”

More Insight and Advice from the Alzheimer's Reading Room

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• Test Your Memory for Alzheimer's (5 Best Self Assessment Tests)
• What is Alzheimer's Disease?
• What is Dementia?
• What’s the Difference Between Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
• Communicating in  Alzheimer's World
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• Alzheimer's World -- Trying to Reconnect with Someone Suffering from Alzheimer's Disease
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• About the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Bob DeMarco is the Founder of the Alzheimer's Reading Room and an Alzheimer's caregiver. The blog contains more than 3,361 articles with more than 397,100 links on the Internet. Bob lives in Delray Beach, FL.

Original content Bob DeMarco, the Alzheimer's Reading Room

Another Disappointing Year for Alzheimer’s Drugs

You can check out what is going on by following the links in the clip.

We can only hope and pray for a breakthrough.

clipped from blogs.wsj.com Last month, Myriad Genetics said its late-stage trial of its experimental drug Flurizan failed to show any benefit for Alzheimer’s patients. The results of the Flurizan study will be unpacked this week at a big annual Alzheimer’s conference, as researchers look at what’s next in the field, the Los Angeles Times reports this morning. Eli Lilly is running a late-stage trial of its drug LY450139, which is supposed to block the production of gamma secretase Elan and Wyeth are in the midst of late-stage study of bapineuzumab, an antibody-based drug that’s supposed to clear plaques from the brain. Results from the big test are expected in 2010. But the drug has generated some excitement among investors, even though preliminary results of a mid-stage study didn’t shoot the lights out. More details on those results are scheduled to be released tomorrow.