Flu/Colds

 
 
     
�?Overview
�?Diagnosis
�?Treatment
�?Prevention
 �?Facts to Know
�?Questions to Ask
�?Key Q & A
�?Test Yourself
 
 
 

 
OVERVIEW

The flu, or influenza, is a viral disease of the respiratory tract -- the nose, throat, bronchial tubes and lungs -- and is highly contagious. It is spread though airborne droplets of moisture produced by coughs or sneezes. When you breathe these germs in through your nose or mouth, you may come down with the flu, generally within one to three days of being exposed.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 20 to 26 percent of Americans fall victim to influenza outbreaks every year, although rates of infection vary among age groups and from one season to another. Outbreaks frequently start in school-age children, who carry the virus home and to other group activities.

On average, approximately 50,000 to 70,000 Americans die from the complications of influenza each year, according to the CDC. And since 1985, the U.S. death rate from influenza has actually risen every year. This increase may be the result of better tracking, monitoring and reporting of flu outbreaks and deaths, but also because of the aging of our population. Older people are more susceptible to suffer from its potential complications, as are children, people with compromised immune systems, and individuals with chronic illnesses such as heart disease, kidney disease and diabetes.

In addition, the severity of illness is increased by exposure to cigarette smoke, which can injure airways and damage the cilia, tiny hair-like structures that help keep the airways clear. Toxic fumes, industrial smoke and other air pollutants also are risk factors.

There is new evidence that influenza can be more dangerous for women who are in their second or third trimester of pregnancy. The strain and stress of pregnancy on a woman's lungs, combined with the type of influenza, can lead to pulmonary problems for example. There is no danger to the fetus from the influenza virus itself, however.

The most serious, often life-threatening complication of the flu is pneumonia. Other complications include ear infection, bronchitis, chronic lung disease, and fever-related convulsions. Croup and a lung disease called bronchiolitis can arise as complications in infants and young children.

The good news is that the flu is preventable. The influenza vaccination is safe for pregnant women and virtually all other groups. There is a risk of severe reaction in those who are allergic to eggs, however. If you don't get the vaccination, or if you come down with the flu despite being vaccinated, new medications are now available that can shorten the duration of those miserable flu symptoms -- if you get to your health care professional as soon as symptoms appear for diagnosis and a prescription.

There are three types of flu:

* Type A, which is a potentially severe illness that easily spreads throughout a population, even globally, affecting a large number of people at the same time

* Type B, which is generally less severe and tends to affect fewer people

* Type C, which is not considered clinically relevant because it causes very mild symptoms

Your immune system can fight off a flu virus you've already had or been vaccinated against. However, the influenza virus changes its genetic make-up nearly every year. That's why you can get the flu every year, and why a flu shot containing the genetically changed virus is recommended every year.

The flu presents a particular challenge to medical science because it has not yet been possible to create a single vaccine to prevent it. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC monitor each new strain of influenza virus and assesses whether they have the potential to be the predominant virus in next year's flu epidemic. Scientists from the WHO and CDC use the data collected by a surveillance network to develop a vaccine each year against the specific flu virus they predict will cause the most problems in the coming months.

Now healthcare professionals have a new weapon in their arsenal to fight influenza. This new class of drugs, called neuraminidase inhibitors (NAI) attacks the influenza virus at the cellular level and blocks the viruses' ability to escape from cells that they have already infected, thereby preventing the infection from spreading.

Two NAIs, Tamiflu, which comes in pill form, and Relenza, a nasal spray, can shorten the duration of flu by one to three days and reduce complications, including pneumonia and bronchitis. Older types of antiviral drugs, amantadine and its derivative, rimantadine, have been available since the 1960s, but these drugs are effective only against Type A influenza and individuals can develop resistance to the drugs rapidly. Tamiflu and Relenza are effective against both Type A and Type B influenza.

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Written by: Editorial Staff of the National Women's Health Resource Center
Reviewed on: Fri Jun 13 2003
Created on: Wed Mar 01 2000
 
 
 
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