Does sleeping with wet hair and cold give you the flu? It’s not quite like that

4. Can a “badly treated” flu turn into pneumonia?

True. But it is important to remember that, in most cases, the the smallpox It is caused by bacteria, unlike the flu, which is caused by the influenza virus. Therefore, the flu does not turn into pneumonia directly, but it can create conditions that increase the risk of developing the disease. Costa explains that what happens is that the viral condition can leave the infected person with low immunity for a period of time, which is favorable for the growth of bacteria.

That is, in this situation, bacteria that would normally be destroyed by the immune system can take advantage of the reduction in defenses during the flu and cause pneumonia. “So, yes, there is a relationship between viral infection and bacterial pneumonia. They are different organisms, but one likes the appearance of the other”, he says.

5. And if a cold is not treated, will it turn into the flu? Is the flu a bad cold and the weak flu?

Mito. Infectious disease specialist Ujvari explains that there is no such thing as a “badly treated cold”, because the virus that causes it has a marked cycle: first, it affects the mucosa , causing mild symptoms such as a runny nose, but then there it is. is fought by the body, which produces immune cells and antibodies to destroy the virus.

In addition, the two diseases are different. The common cold is caused by a less aggressive virus, while the flu is caused by a more aggressive one, causing a high fever and sore throat.