The beginning of the year is traditionally the time when the festive fuss has passed and people begin to think more about maintaining their health. In this article, we have collected some of the most common reasons for which patients come to the general practitioner.
Reason #1: Viral Infections
From year to year, one of the most common reasons for visiting a therapist in winter is a viral infection. It is an acute or chronic illness caused by a tiny microorganism, a virus, that usually enters the body through airborne droplets.
A viral infection is characterized by a rise in body temperature, accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:
- sore throat, cough;
- runny nose, sneezing, nasal discharge;
- chills, feeling of general weakness;
- an increase in the cervical and submandibular lymph nodes;
- headache.
Viral infections are not as simple and harmless as it seems, because without proper treatment, the disease can cause complications from the very first days.
A viral disease is often accompanied by bacterial infections, which can lead to the development of pneumonia or inflammation of the sinuses. Therefore, it is important to entrust your treatment to a professional.
Reason #2: Cold Allergy
First, let’s figure out what an allergy to cold is. This is an increased response of the body to the influence of such cold factors as: low temperature, wind, rain, snow.
Photo: Ann Artemova
The main symptom of cold allergy is similar in most patients and manifests itself in the presence of peeling and redness of the skin. But the secondary symptoms are usually very different. The main ones include the following:
- peeling of the skin, the appearance of red spots;
- burning sensation and itching in the affected areas of the body;
- the appearance of multiple rashes, papules or blisters;
- tearing, nasal congestion;
- cough, shortness of breath, general weakness;
- swelling of the lips and tongue.
Depending on whether one or several of the listed signs arose, the following types of cold allergy are distinguished:
- cold urticaria;
- cold conjunctivitis;
- cold rhinitis;
- cold dermatitis;
- cold asthma;
- systemic allergic reaction.
Please note that self-treatment of cold allergies is not safe for health, since only a doctor can correctly determine the type of allergy and prescribe a competent, suitable treatment for you.
Elita Medical Center has gathered some of the best doctors in the city of Kaluga. Nadezhda Aleksandrovna Shipilova, a general practitioner, conducts an appointment at the center. In 2022, Nadezhda Alexandrovna became a finalist for the “ProDoctors”, taking an honorable second place among the general practitioners of the Kaluga region.
You can make an appointment with the doctor of the medical center “Elite”:
