It happens that, with the change of season, many people catch a cold. The transition from high to low temperatures can produce, at the level of the body, from mild cold symptoms to severe flu symptoms. In Romania, the number of people with the flu is increasing, some patients seek to reach family doctors for treatment as quickly as possible, while others go directly to pharmacies. Some do not protect themselves properly, and others follow the wrong treatment, taken, most of the time, by the ear.
When should a doctor be consulted? How to properly treat the flu? What foods help with healing? How can the immune system be strengthened against viruses? These are the questions that every patient facing this condition asks.
A common question that every patient asks is: what do we do if we have the flu? Cold and flu are different, the symptoms are not easily overlooked, as they manifest on a physical level and prevent the continuation of daily activities.
The symptomatology is of a respiratory type, with certain particularities, in the sense that the flu is much louder from a clinical point of view. This means that the general condition is more altered than in the case of all other respiratory infections of a viral nature.
The family doctor is the one to turn to when signs of the disease appear, as he is able to give an appropriate treatment or, if necessary, refer the patient to a specialist, if the symptoms are persistent. Also, in the case of the flu, it is necessary not to enter the collective, to stay at home until the end of the treatment and the end of the symptoms, after which, following the consultation of the patient by the family doctor, he can resume his activity.
The presentation in the community will be decided together with the family doctor and is usually done when he considers that there are no conditions for the transmission of the infection. This situation occurs on the fifth-seventh day after the onset of symptoms and after at least 24 hours of weakness.
Children are the risk category in terms of getting sick. Many parents take their children to school even when they have a runny nose or cough, which makes the flu spread very quickly. Following the epidemiological triage that is done in schools, the students are examined by a school doctor, who checks the condition of the children, and then the students who show symptoms will be consulted and given treatment, during which they will stay at home.
In the case of children, for example, parents can relieve the symptoms with antipyretics and antitussives, but this does not exclude presentation to the family doctor’s office.
Antithermics can be used until the child is consulted by the family doctor. If the child is older and the cough is excruciating, antitussives can be administered. The advice of family doctors for parents is that they let their children cough, because it is necessary for the cough to have its effect, having the role of mobilizing the lung secretions, so that they can be eliminated.
Many patients do not go to the doctor when symptoms appear. They go to the pharmacy and get some cold medicine. When these have no effect, they turn to antibiotics. It happens that the treatment administered is not effective because they do not suffer from a cold, and then what can be done is to call a doctor. Antibiotics are misused, very often, and this happens because patients do not know exactly what they are suffering from, they do not know when they should take treatment for a cold and when they should take the flu.
The solution to this dilemma is antibiotics, for the majority of patients, but antibiotics should not be used in the initial stages of the flu, but only when a superinfected flu with a bacterial infection is suspected, but this is the doctor’s decision.
In addition to administering a treatment, it is very important to take into account the correct hydration of the body. When an illness occurs, the body dehydrates, so a greater amount of liquids must be consumed, and here we are talking, in addition to water, of tea, freshly squeezed juices, compotes, soups. Hydration of two to four liters a day must be ensured, with liquids, to help the body get through this period more easily.
Hydration is essential, but nutrition also plays an important role in maintaining immunity in the cold season. Vegetables and fruits are to be preferred, which must be used in abundance in the diet. The most useful fruits are those that contain vitamin C, such as citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, etc.).
In the cold season, thick, warm clothing should be worn. If it is raining outside, a raincoat will be used for protection. Moreover, practicing a sport is very important because it ensures good health. A good mental tone increases immunity and the ability to defend against viruses. Then there are a series of hygiene measures that we know very well from the Covid-19 pandemic, such as: avoiding contact with sick people; hand washing; avoiding touching the nose, mouth or eyes with hands, if they have not been washed beforehand; keeping as much physical distance as possible from others; wearing a mask that covers the mouth and nose; using a nasal tissue or disposable nasal tissues.
It is possible to strengthen the immune system against viruses through vaccination, namely the flu vaccine and the Covid-19 vaccine. You can also use certain nutritional supplements containing vitamin C, D and zinc, which help to increase immunity in the cold season.
Informative material created by Dr. Cornoiu Cristina, family medicine specialist at the Family Planning Office of the Târgu-Jiu County Emergency Hospital
