Influenza (flu)

Overview

Influenza is viral disease affecting respiratory tract both upper and lower.

Transmission is mainly through droplets, while speaking, sneezing or coughing. By touching objects which have been exposed to the virus.

Transmission from infected person is active. After the symptoms have been resolved, patient can transmit for next 5 to 7 days.

Generally it is self-limiting condition, i.e. flu can resolve within one week.

But for some group of people it may get complicated causing pneumonia or even death; if not taken into consideration.

Influenza has varieties of strains, some affects humans while some affects animals.

Who are more likely to have serious symptoms?

There are few group of people for whom extra care is necessary. These groups are considered as high risk group.

6 months of infants and children up to 5 years of age
Elderly group above 55 years of age
Who have weak immunity or immunocompromised patients
Pregnant women
Underlying condition such as; asthma, kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes mellitus
Obese person whose BMI is more than 40

Etiology

Influenza virus has 4 different types of strains; A,B,C and D. Subtypes of type A is according to hemagglutinin (H) and neuraminidase (N) protein combination. Most common combinations are H1N1 and H3N2. Type B is classified as lineage and strain. These both types mainly affects human being.

When the antigenic characters of viruses gets changed, then animal infecting virus has capability to infect humans also.

Avian influenza and bird flu infections are commonly seen in birds. These are caused by different strains of type A virus.

In 2009, pandemic influenza is said to be started in South America and the virus origin was animal origin influenza.

What happens when you are infected with influenza virus?

The main course of disease is observed in upper respiratory tract. Viruses causes inflammation of tract and the course of disease lasts for 5 to 7 days.

People with high risk group are likely to have complications, affecting lungs.

Protein H of virus is responsible for progression of the disease, and protein N spreads the virions.

Signs and symptoms

Some common signs and symptoms are;

Fever with or without chills
Muscular pain
Headache
Persistent dry cough
Sore throat
Runny nose
Water and painful eyes
Fatigue
In children-vomiting and diarrhea are common

When you should consult a doctor?

If you are suffering from any of the below symptoms, then immediately without delay go to your doctor.

Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Dizziness and confusion
Severe vomiting
Seizures
In children- shortness of breath, blue lips, chest pain and/or dehydration

How to differentiate influenza and COVID-19?

Many symptoms are overlapped; as basically both affects the respiratory tract. If one is infected from SARS CoV-2 (COVID-19) following symptoms are observed:

Great tiredness and weakness
Difficulty in breathing
Fever may hike up to 104 F
Cough
Sneezing is uncommon, where as in influenza it is common.
If you measure your oxygen saturation, you may observe fall in percentage and you may not observe any physical changes. This is called as "Happy Hypoxia".

Diagnosis

Influenza can be diagnosed clinically without the need of any laboratory tests. To find out the strain or type of viruses during epidemic RT-PCR (Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test) is recommended.

Rapid antigen test helps to give result in no time. But this is not reliable as RT-PCR.

Complication

Pneumonia
Bronchitis
Asthmatic attack
Heart disease
Acute respiratory distress syndrome

Homeopathic treatment for influenza

Homeopathy provides curative line of treatment. It has highly efficacy to give results as fast as any other treatment. On top of it, if you are suffering from recurrent flu then I personally suggest to go for homeopathic treatment. Homeopathy not only reduce the viral load; along with that it will boost your immune system to fight against the condition. Here are few list of drugs which are very well indicated in flu.

1. Allium Cepa

Catarrh, smarting of eyes, violent sneezing.
Profuse bland lachrymation with profuse acrid coryza, excoriating upper lip. Aggravation in warm room.
Constant inclination to hack, instantly when rising from bed in morning a violent sneezing fit.
Chest laden with mucus; stiches with burning in middle left side of chest.
Dull frontal headache; intense pain in occiput and cervical spine; dullness of eyes with aversion of light.

2. Arsenic

Indicated for sudden catarrh threatening. Suffocation at night.
Influenza in kids with onset and far prostration; child looks as if had been sick since many days.
Violent sneezing with blood tinged discharge. Profuse watery discharge from nose, corroding nostril and making upper lip sore.
Aggravation at night and after a meal.
Great debility, spasmodic cough with desire to vomit or with vomiting.
Photophobia, inflamed eye with ulcers on cornea.

3. Brayonia

Cerebral pain consistently on hacking, on stooping as every one of the substance would issue through brow. Aversion to light; particularly sunlight. Frequent sneezing often between cough.
Fluent coryza watery or greenish; mouth and lips are dry with thirst.
Dry hacking cough aggravation from smoking or talking, when coming from open air into warm room.
Constriction in chest, rheumatic pain in extremities.
High fever with body pain, gets relief by rest.

4. Eupatorium perf

Flowing coryza, sneezing, hoarseness with roughness of voice.
Hacking cough in evening with soreness in chest, restlessness, pains and aching in limbs.
Constant change of position though pain is not relieved.
Coryza with thirst and drinking causes vomiting.

5. Gelsemium

This remedy indicate when patient is feeble, lethargic and severe pain and aches all over the body.
It speedily removes the intense aching and muscular soreness.
Patient feels cold all the time. As compared to Aconite fever is not acute.
Cough is hard and painful.
There is paroxysms of sneezing with expectorating discharges and great apathy.