Viral diseases - a list of common ailments and the most dangerous viruses. Viral infection in adults: symptoms and treatment

Sexually transmitted diseases are a rather serious modern problem. The scale of such diseases cannot be fully disclosed, since most people, having learned about their problem, are afraid to go to the doctor. Most often, patients are not even aware of their problems, since many sexually transmitted diseases do not show serious noticeable symptoms. Female genital infections, such as, for example, mycoplasmosis, chlamydia, etc., occur without any symptoms at all.

Causes of sexual infections in the world.

The reason for the emergence of more and more new varieties of sexual diseases is, of course, modern ecology and unprotected sexual intercourse. The current generation has a very weak immune system, due to which such infections are easily transmitted and are increasingly occurring in today's youth. The body simply cannot cope with the natural fight and defense against these types of infections.

All currently existing sexually transmitted diseases are named after Venus, who was the goddess of love bonds. HIV, syphilis, genital herpes, venereal lymphogranulomatosis, horonea are the most popular venereal diseases. Diseases that are transmitted through sexual intercourse are the most popular infectious diseases. A disease like gonorrhea affects about 260 million people throughout the year worldwide! But the most terrible problem of mankind is to this day AIDS.

But also every day more and more new sexual infections appear: these are trichomoniasis, mycoplasmosis, candidiasis, chlamydia, genital herpes, urethritis, ureaplasmosis, papillomavirus, bacterial urethritis and do not forget about HIV infection.

The most common infections in the world

Scientists are still arguing about the appearance of these diseases on earth. Someone says that they were brought by sailors from exotic islands, where, as you know, most of the sexual infections originated. Others are even inclined to believe that it was the goddess of love who rewarded all the "naughty" with such charms. Whether this is so, we can only guess.

What is sexual infections?

Almost all sexually transmitted infections are treatable, but diseases such as HIV, HPV, hepatitis B are incurable. You can only stop the progression of the disease with the help of drugs and a serious course of treatment. But, unfortunately, not everyone succeeds in healing sexual infections, since they learn about the problem too late, and not everyone has the opportunity to undergo such an expensive treatment.

Classification of genital infections

Types of genital infections:

1. Even despite the constant advances in medicine and microbiological research, the use of more and more new antimicrobial drugs does not always have the desired effect in the treatment of sexual diseases. Such diseases include female genital infections, such as:
infections of the vulva
Vaginal infections.
And in particular, it is the more common genital herpes, candidiasis or thrush, vaginitis, bacterial vaginosis.

2. Sexual diseases are divided into a number of genitourinary infections. These include: a genitourinary infection in the form of inflammation of the bladder (cystitis), as well as any inflammation of the urination canal - urethritis, vesiculitis, endometritis, etc.

3. Sexual viral infections:
AIDS or HIV infection, the causative agent is the immunodeficiency virus.
Genital herpes, the causative agent is the herpes virus of the second type.
· Infections caused by the human papillomavirus - papillomas and condylomas of the genital tract.
Hepatitis B virus.
A discharge of viruses called cytomegaloviruses causes a disease called cytomegalovirus.
· And one of the varieties of the smallpox virus causes the disease of molluscum contagiosum.
And don't forget about Kaposi's Sarcoma.

4. Sexual fungal infections. This type of infection includes pathogenic and opportunistic fungi. Such fungi are not included in the normal microflora of the body, but conditionally pathogenic ones can be present in our body, but only in small quantities. In case of any violations of the relationship between the normal environment and opportunistic fungi, they provoke the appearance of mycoses, or, as they are called in another way, fungal infections.
Sexual fungal infections include: any type of candidiasis (yeast fungus), which has a huge number of related names - this is thrush, genital fungus, urogenital candidiasis and mycosis, vulvovaginal mycosis.

5. Male genital infections are also quite common and very dangerous. These are male gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia, genital herpes, mycoplasmosis, candidiasis, gardenerelosis, genital warts, ureplasmosis, molluscum contagiosum, etc.

Diagnosis of genital infections. Ways to detect viruses and infections in the early stages

During visits to doctors who specialize in identifying these diseases, tests can be taken in various ways. The most popular is scraping from the vagina, cervical canal, cells from the urethra, or in other cases, take a blood test. But this method can reveal not all sexual infections.
The most accurate analysis at the moment is the polymerase procedure - this is a molecular diagnostic that allows you to detect any pathogens of genital infections. It also determines pathogens that have been living in this organism for a long time, the procedure takes place without the use of the seeding method, which greatly simplifies the task of identifying diseases and infections of the genital tract. In cases of genital herpes and papillomaviruses, such an analysis is necessary. The accuracy of this method is 100%.

This method is very expensive and requires compliance with many rules, the availability of the necessary equipped laboratory. Only a highly qualified doctor can conduct this type of study, observing all the rules when conducting this analysis. But do not forget that no matter how accurate the analysis, there is always the possibility of false results. This happens when the analysis is contaminated, the pathogen got into the analysis already dead from a long course of treatment, and when the patient's immunity overcame the infection, it was at the stage of elimination from the body.

For the accuracy of the results, it is better to combine several different research methods.

So, for example, to pass a special blood test (enzymatic immunoassay) is a type of laboratory study that studies the manifestation of the reactions of the immune system to a pathogen. This type of research is often used to determine any sexual diseases.

There is also such a type of analysis as bacteriological culture. This analysis is carried out in this way: secretions are taken for a sample and placed in a special environment that promotes the rapid reproduction of pathogens and then their reaction to various types of antibiotics is checked. This method is not relevant for complex stages of the disease, since this type of analysis lasts about 14 days, if it is possible to pass other tests, then it is better to seek help from them. But to conduct such an analysis in tandem with the rest is also necessary to identify a response to antibiotic treatment.

The most famous type of diagnostic

This is a smear that has existed for many years, checking the condition of the flora of the woman's vagina. A standard gynecological analysis of discharge is given to determine the current state of the vaginal microflora. In a normal state, the microflora maintains an acidic environment, preventing the reproduction of various microbes. And in case of any violations, the reverse process occurs. Such a smear should be taken immediately after unprotected intercourse, and if you have the following symptoms:
· Pain in the abdomen.
The appearance of various kinds of secretions.
Pain, itching and other painful manifestations on the genitals.

Taking a smear and checking yourself for any fungal and viral infections is recommended for all women, especially pregnant women, patients treated with antibiotics or drugs that deal a devastating blow to the entire immune system of the body.

What is the treatment for sexually transmitted infections?

How to get rid of such terrible diseases than to treat sexual infections? In the world there are several ways to treat both diseases and infections of the genital organs. For example, diseases such as gonorrhea, syphilis, trichomoniasis and chlamydia are treated with special antibiotics (one tablet each).

Diagnoses such as HIV and herpes are treated under the influence of antiretroviral drugs, these types of drugs can extinguish the focus of the disease for a while, but are not able to completely cure it. How to treat sexual infections is a difficult question, because the process of such treatment is difficult, but science in our world does not stand still, and every day comes up with more and more new methods of dealing with this disease.

Hepatitis B is treated with immunomodulators and antiretroviral drugs. They are designed to fight viruses and slow down the destruction of the liver.
Due to the fact that sexual diseases and infections progress every year, it becomes more and more difficult to treat them. They develop a kind of resistance to many types of antibiotics, thereby reducing treatment options to a minimum. For example, gonorrhea has become unresponsive to standard antimicrobial therapy, resulting in drug-resistant gonococcus.

To protect yourself, it is worth remembering that against diseases such as hepatitis B and human papillomavirus, in modern medicine there are protective vaccines. They are a great way to prevent the occurrence of such diseases. Hepatitis B vaccine has been shown to save more than 1.4 million people from cancer and liver disease (chronic) through childhood immunization. And the human papillomavirus vaccine, when properly vaccinated, has saved more than four million women worldwide from dying from cervical cancer. Good and 100% vaccines for diseases such as herpes and HIV are not yet available, although there have been advances in development. And vaccines against gonorrhea, syphilis, chlamydia are still being developed.

Prevention of sexually transmitted diseases

To prevent any sexual viruses and fungi, there are the following measures:

Circumcision is suitable for men. It reduces the possibility of HIV infection by 65%. It also protects against any existing sexually transmitted infections (herpes and human papillomavirus, etc.).
The use of a special gel - tenofovir. Helps prevent female genital infections. This is a bactericidal agent that has gone through many stages of testing and testing. It has been proven to prevent and protect against the onset of diseases such as HIV.

What sexual infections are transmitted?

All sexually transmitted diseases or sexually transmitted infections are transmitted to your partner in most cases. It is important to remember that it is necessary for both partners to treat such diseases, because if you are treated and your partner is not, then there are high chances that you will catch the same disease again after recovery. You should also remember that men have fewer symptoms than women, so you should immediately tell your partner about possible problems.

Let's look at some sexual diseases in more detail.

3. Bacterial sexual disease mycoplasmosis is caused by microbes that live on the mucous membrane of the genital organs of urination. This type of disease is asymptomatic, and it is quite difficult to identify it. They can also be found in the body of a healthy person, but with complications they cause inflammation of the uterus, appendages, bacterial vaginosis.

4. Another bacterial disease is ureaplasmosis. The causative agent is microbacteria located on the genitals, and more precisely on the mucous membrane. Like microplasmosis, this disease is asymptomatic, and is detected only with complex laboratory tests. For women, this disease threatens with miscarriages, premature births, infections of the fetus, and infertility.

5. Trichomonas vaginalis is the causative agent of another sexual infection - trichomoniasis. This disease can be picked up during oral, anal sex, and there is a possibility of infection by household means (through wet towels). It manifests itself in women in the form of pain during sex and urination, as well as yellow or greenish discharge (foamy), redness of the genitals. This disease is very dangerous for pregnant women, causes premature birth, miscarriages, affects the cervix, causes erosion.

6. One of the most popular sexual diseases is genital herpes. Affects during any sexual intercourse. Symptoms are irritation, swelling of the organs, subsequently, bubbles with liquid appear, they open, and ulcers form in their place, which heal for a rather long time. It is very dangerous for pregnant women, as it can cause fetal death or problems with the nervous system.

7. A viral and rather dangerous disease - cytomegalovirus, is transmitted not only during sexual intercourse, but also during kissing, in everyday life through salivary secretions. This disease does not show any symptoms, it is quite difficult to notice its presence. People with low immunity are more susceptible to this disease. Dangerous during pregnancy, causes nervous disorders of the psyche of the fetus and often fatal.

8. One of the most dangerous viral diseases is the human papillomavirus. In all people, it proceeds differently and has different types and subtypes, as well as the appearance of various symptoms: warts, papillomas, condylomas, genital cancer. It does not show up in diagnostics, it is quite difficult to detect. Very high risk of disease. With timely detection of the disease, it can be healed and get rid of the symptoms. But remember that this disease provokes stress and hormonal changes, so pregnant women, women who have given birth, women during menopause need to be constantly examined for the presence of such an infection.

9. An increased amount of bacteria in a woman's vagina causes a disease called bacterial vaginosis. A large number of harmful bacteria begins to destroy all useful ones, such a violation leads to an imbalance of microflora. This is more a dysbacteriosis than a serious sexual infection. This disease manifests itself as a white vaginal discharge that has an unpleasant odor.

10. And don't forget about candidiasis. It's an overabundance of Candida. Symptoms of this disease are abundant vaginal discharge (white), pain when urinating, itching of the genitals.

The mechanism of action of these drugs is not yet fully understood. There are many new drugs created to treat viruses, but they have not yet been approved for mass use, despite successful clinical trials.

What are the drugs for the treatment of viruses and how to choose the "right" drug?
.site) will help you learn a lot about it.

Medicines to treat viruses must meet certain standards. First, such agents should be as careful as possible about the host cells in which the viruses live, and at the same time effectively destroy the viruses themselves. When choosing an antiviral agent, it is impossible to take into account the intensity of the immune system, and this is one of the most important factors in the successful treatment of the virus. So far, methods for testing antiviral drugs on each individual virus have not been developed.

If you go to the pharmacy for an antiviral drug, you need to know that all drugs used to treat viruses fall into three categories: chemical drugs, interferon-based drugs, and interferon inducers.

Medicines of chemical origin

Chemical drugs to treat viruses destroy viruses. Most often, drugs from this group are used to treat influenza and herpes. However, viruses develop resistance to such drugs very quickly. Today, chemical drugs are being developed for the treatment of viruses based on plant materials. These new generation drugs give very good results. Perhaps in a few years there will be an effective remedy for the treatment of the herpes virus.

Preparations based on interferons

Preparations for the treatment of viruses based on interferons are natural substances that are produced in every cell of the human body. Using such means to treat a virus, you do not risk disrupting the work of any organs or systems at all. You simply introduce an additional amount of interferons into the body, which prevent viruses from multiplying and remove them from the body. Interferon preparations detect proteins that are synthesized by viruses and destroy the genetic information contained in them.

Medicines for the treatment of viruses based on interferons come in three varieties: alpha interferons, beta interferons and gamma interferons. According to the form of production, such drugs are divided into: natural human, leukocyte and recombinant. Such drugs can be successfully used to treat herpes viruses, hepatitis, SARS, HIV and more.

It has been proven that the use of interferons for the treatment of viruses not only destroys pathogenic microorganisms, but also improves the immune system as a whole. At the cellular level, immunity begins to work more actively.

Interferon inducers

The third group of antiviral drugs are interferon inducers. The drugs in this group are very diverse. Among them there are drugs of artificial origin, and natural. All of them are aimed at activating the production of the body's own interferon. Interferon inducers are the latest science in the treatment of viruses. Quite successfully, drugs in this group are used to treat influenza viruses, eye herpes, rhinovirus and many other viral infections.

In some way, numerous dietary supplements (biologically active additives) can also be called interferon inducers. These drugs do not directly affect the virus. They help the body produce the necessary substances to fight the virus. Therefore, this group of drugs can be used to treat viruses of various types. Quite effective means that contribute to the destruction of viral infections and strengthen the immune system include Cordyceps produced by Tiansha. Cordyceps is created on the basis of exclusively natural natural substances, helps the immune system cope with a variety of pathogenic microorganisms, and also cleanses the body of waste products that accumulate in cells.

In today's world, many different troubles await us. But the treatment of a viral infection with folk remedies at home can be done very easily. At home, you can also stop the disease at the initial stage, when symptoms such as weakness, weakness, unmotivated irritability with medicinal methods are barely felt.

Therapy begins with the patient being put to bed. With a viral infection, sweet tea is regularly given. You can apply a heating pad to your feet at home. Before falling asleep, a patient suffering from a severe viral infection can rub his feet with crushed garlic (about 10 cloves). After that, you need to put on woolen socks. You can put dry mustard in them. It is necessary to ensure that the patient drinks enough during treatment. This helps to remove harmful toxins and metabolic products, which intensify with increasing temperature. The disease is gradually receding. Fruit and vegetable juices or fruit drinks are perfect. And traditional tea with raspberry and lemon.

Treatment of a viral infection based on herbs

Mix two table. spoons of cognac with two of the same spoons of milk. Give this mixture to drink 30 minutes before meals, three times a day. Soon, in a patient with a severe viral infection, the symptoms disappear.

This folk and simple remedy also has a good taste. One tablespoon of cognac (vodka) is mixed with the same amount of raspberry jam. Half a lemon (squeeze) is added to the infection composition and the resulting mixture is poured into a glass of hot water. The patient must drink this remedy, after two hours the procedure can be repeated. Viral disease will gradually recede.

Pass through a meat grinder 50 grams of onions. Add 20 grams of vinegar, squeeze through gauze, add 60 grams of honey to the liquid and mix. Take a teaspoon every half hour for a viral infection. Alternative treatment can be combined with tablets only after agreement with the doctor!

To alleviate the condition of a patient with a viral disease with a sore throat and a runny nose, we take 400 g of beets, pass through a grater, drip the resulting juice into the nose. 2-3 drops, 2-3 times a day.

As an expectorant for home folk treatment, honey with lemon and glycerin is suitable. Boil the lemon for 10 minutes. Squeezing its juice, we get an excellent method of treating a patient who has a viral infection. Add 2 tablespoons of glycerin to it, add honey to a full glass. Take one teaspoon at night at home. With a strong cough - a teaspoon three times a day.

Also good for treatment is a mixture made on the basis of honey - 2 tsp. , to which 2 yolks of fresh eggs, a spoonful of flour and 100 g of butter are added. Mix thoroughly and take from a viral and even rotovirus infection several times a day, 1 tsp.

Folk treatment with honey is very effective: compositions of aloe cut into pieces, mixed with cahors and honey, work well. For two weeks, let it brew, and then squeezed out the mixture, with a viral infection, give three times a day for 1 hour. l.

Another composition can also be used: 4 tablespoons of anise seeds must be mixed with honey and add a pinch of salt. Pour this mixture from a viral infection with warm water and bring to a boil, leaving it on low heat. We filter and take at home three times a day, the treatment will go very well.

Kalanchoe juice will effectively act with the onset of a runny nose, smearing the nasal mucosa.

Japanese kombucha - a proven remedy

Kombucha infusion has antiviral properties, so it helps well with influenza and other complicated viral infections.

Kombucha infusion with honey and pepper

Required for treatment: 100 ml of a 5-day infusion of kombucha, 1 teaspoon of honey, 0.5 teaspoon of ground red pepper. Cooking. Mix all ingredients and heat slightly. Take during the treatment of a viral complex infection every 2-3 hours, 1 tbsp. spoon.

Kombucha tincture

Required to create a composition at home: 2 parts of kombucha infusion, 8 parts of vodka. Cooking. Pour the infusion into a glass container and pour vodka. Leave for 10 days in a dark cool place. Strain the folk remedy, store the composition for the treatment of a viral disease in the refrigerator. Take for the treatment of infection for 1 tbsp. spoon 1 time per day.

Home Therapy with Indian Sea Rice and Chaga

A drink made from sea rice has a strong antiviral effect, so it is good not only for treatment, but also as a prophylactic against infection with acute respiratory infections and acute respiratory viral infections.

Preventive infusion

Required: 100 ml of rice infusion. The use of folk remedies. Take from a viral infection 0.5 cup 2 times a day before meals. Treatment will be fast.

Infusion for treatment

Required: 150 ml of rice infusion. Application. Drink with folk treatment 0.5 cup 3 times a day 10 minutes before meals.

Decoction and infusion of chaga help to alleviate the course of viral flu and infection. They are widely used in alternative medicine as an antipyretic.

Oil Blend

Required: 2 drops of chaga oil, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of jojoba oil. Cooking. Mix oils. Use in viral influenza and similar infections. Apply the mixture on the forehead, wings of the nose, behind the ears and on the chest. Apply 3 times a day.

Aloe juice and chaga oil

Required: aloe juice, 1 teaspoon of chaga oil. Drip 2 drops of juice into each nostril in the treatment of a viral infection that does not pass for a long time, lubricate the wings of the nose with chaga oil. Massage with a folk composition with natural remedies for 3 minutes.

Oil infusion of chaga

Required: 3 drops of birch fungus oil infusion (mix 2.5 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 tablespoon of chaga infusion), 100 ml of water. Preparation for treatment. Combine ingredients, mix. Gargle for a patient with a highly troubling viral infection. The tool softens muscle pain and helps to lower the temperature.

A mixture of infusions of echinacea and chaga

Required for the composition according to the folk recipe: 100 ml of infusion of purple echinacea herb (1 tablespoon of dry herb per 1 liter of water, pour boiling water, leave for 30 minutes, strain), 50 ml of birch fungus infusion. Combine ingredients, mix. Use for infection and viral disease. Take 1 tbsp. spoon 3 times a day 35 minutes before meals.

Tibetan milk mushroom

When infected with an infection transmitted by airborne droplets, kefir from milk fermented with a Tibetan mushroom can provide invaluable assistance, since with timely treatment, one can not only speed up recovery, but also avoid complications. To do this, at the first signs of the disease, it is recommended not only to choose folk proven remedies, but also to eat exclusively kefir and drink boiled or mineral water without gas (up to 2.5-3 liters per day). If the temperature rises during a complicated viral infection, one must overcome the desire to wrap oneself up and cover oneself only with a sheet. In this case, it is necessary to apply compresses from a mixture of water and serum (1: 1) on the forehead, wrists, ankles. This will be facilitated at home and microclysters from water and serum, taken in the same proportion and carried out every 2 hours.

As soon as the temperature drops to 37 C, a patient suffering from a viral infection can cover himself with a blanket. Treatment in a hospital or at home is accompanied by a plentiful drink.

Tonic

Required: 100 ml of "mushroom" kefir. Cooking. Kefir slightly warm. Application. Take 0.5 cup 2 times a day.

At home, the treatment of a viral infection with the help of folk remedies should not lead to illness in the caregiver. Wear a gauze bandage, rinse your nose with a weak solution of iodine (2 drops per cup of slightly salty water), eat more vitamins.

Summary: Advice from a pediatrician. Colds in children treatment. Colds in children how to treat. Colds in children under one year old. The child was ill with SARS. The child has the flu. Viral infection in children treatment. Viral infection in children symptoms. Viral infection than to treat. Bacterial infection in children. Bacterial infection symptoms. Bacterial throat infection.

Attention! This article is for informational purposes only. Be sure to consult your doctor.

If a child has an acute respiratory infection (ARI), then the question of whether the disease is caused by viruses or bacteria is fundamental. The fact is that pediatricians of the so-called "old school", that is, those who graduated from the institute in the 1970-1980s, prefer to prescribe antibiotics for any rise in temperature. The motive for such appointments - "whatever happens" - does not hold water. On the one side, viruses that cause most acute respiratory infections are completely indifferent to antibiotics , with another - in some viral infections, the prescription of antibiotics can lead to serious complications , next to which the traditional complications of antibiotic therapy - intestinal dysbacteriosis and drug allergies - will seem like a task for the first grade of high school.

There is only one way out of this situation, which is very effective, although rather laborious - to assess both the condition of the child and the appointment of the attending physician. Yes, of course, even the district pediatrician, whom it is customary to only scold, is armed with a university diploma, not to mention the head of the department of pediatrics in the same district clinic, and even more so about the candidate of science, to whom you take your child every six months for an appointment or cancellation of preventive vaccinations. However, none of these doctors, unlike you, has the physical ability to watch your child on a daily and hourly basis.

Meanwhile, the data of such an observation in the medical language is called an anamnesis, and it is on them that doctors build the so-called primary diagnosis. Everything else - examination, tests and X-ray studies - serves only to clarify the actual diagnosis already made. So not learning to really assess the condition of your own child, whom you see every day, is simply not good.

Let's try - we will definitely succeed.

In order to distinguish ARI caused by viruses from the same ARI, but caused by bacteria, you and I need only minimal knowledge of how these diseases proceed. Data on how often a child has been sick lately per year, who and what is sick in the children's team, and, perhaps, how your child behaved over the past five to seven days before getting sick, will also be very useful. This is all.

Respiratory viral infections (ARVI)

There are not so many respiratory viral infections in nature - these are the well-known influenza, parainfluenza, adenovirus infection, respiratory syncytial infection and rhinovirus. Of course, in thick medical manuals it is recommended to do very expensive and lengthy tests to distinguish one infection from another, but each of them has its own "calling card", by which it can be recognized already at the patient's bedside. However, you and I do not need such deep knowledge - it is much more important to learn to distinguish the listed diseases from bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract. All this is necessary so that your local doctor does not prescribe antibiotics for no reason or, God forbid, does not forget to prescribe them - if antibiotics are really needed.

Incubation period

All respiratory viral infections (hereinafter - ARVI) have a very short incubation period - from 1 to 5 days. It is believed that this is the time during which the virus, having entered the body, is able to multiply to the amount that is already manifested by cough, runny nose and fever. Therefore, if the child does get sick, you need to remember when he last visited, for example, a children's team and how many children looked sick there. If less than five days have passed from such a moment to the onset of the disease, this is an argument in favor of the viral nature of the disease. However, just one argument will not be enough for us.

Prodrome

After the end of the incubation period, the so-called prodrome begins - a period when the virus has already unfolded in all its might, and the child's body, in particular its immune system, has not yet begun to adequately respond to the adversary.

It is possible to suspect something was wrong already during this period: the child's behavior changes dramatically. He (she) becomes capricious, capricious more than usual, lethargic or, conversely, unusually active, a characteristic glint appears in the eyes. Children may complain of thirst: this is a viral rhinitis, and the discharge, while it is not much, flows not through the nostrils, but into the nasopharynx, irritating the mucous membrane of the throat. If the child is less than a year old, sleep changes first of all: the child either sleeps for an unusually long time, or does not sleep at all.

What to do : It is during the prodromal period that all the antiviral drugs familiar to us are most effective - from homeopathic oscillococcinum and EDAS to rimantadine (effective only during an influenza epidemic) and viferon. Since all of the listed drugs either do not have side effects at all, or these effects are minimal (as with rimantadine), they can be started already during this period. If the child is older than two years old, ARVI may end without even starting, and you will get off with a slight fright.

What NOT to do : You should not start treatment with antipyretics (for example, with efferalgan) or with advertised cold drugs such as coldrex or fervex, which are essentially just a mixture of the same efferalgan (paracetamol) with antiallergic drugs, flavored with a small amount of vitamin C. Such a cocktail is not only will blur the picture of the disease (let's still hope for the competence of the doctor), but it will also prevent the child's body from responding qualitatively to a viral infection.

The onset of the disease

As a rule, ARVI begins sharply and brightly: body temperature jumps to 38-39 ° C, chills, headache, sometimes sore throat, cough and runny nose appear. However, these symptoms may not be present - the onset of a rare viral infection is marked by local symptoms. If, however, things still come to such a rise in temperature, you should tune in to the fact that the disease will drag on for 5-7 days and still call a doctor. It is from this moment that you can start the traditional (paracetamol, heavy drinking, suprastin) treatment. But now you should not expect a quick result from antiviral drugs: from now on, they are only able to contain the virus.

It is very important to remember that after 3-5 days, an already almost recovered child can suddenly worsen again, as doctors say. Viruses are also dangerous because they are able to drag a bacterial infection along with them - with all the ensuing consequences.

Important! A virus that infects the upper respiratory tract always causes an allergic reaction, even if the child is not allergic. Moreover, at a high temperature, a child may have allergic reactions (in the form, for example, of hives) to the usual food or drink. That is why with ARVI it is very important to have antiallergic drugs on hand (suprastin, tavegil, claritin or zirtek). By the way, rhinitis, which is manifested by nasal congestion and watery discharge, and conjunctivitis (shiny or reddened eyes in a sick child) are characteristic symptoms of a viral infection. With bacterial damage to the respiratory tract, both are extremely rare.

Bacterial infections of the respiratory tract

The choice of bacteria that cause infectious lesions of the upper (and lower - that is, bronchi and lungs) respiratory tract is somewhat richer than the choice of viruses. Here are corinbacteria, and Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella. And there are also pertussis pathogens, meningococcus, pneumococci, chlamydia (not those that venereologists recklessly deal with, but transmitted by airborne droplets), mycoplasmas and streptococci. I’ll make a reservation right away: the clinical manifestations of the vital activity of all these unpleasant microorganisms require doctors to immediately prescribe antibiotics - without antibiotic therapy started on time, the consequences of bacterial damage to the respiratory tract can be completely catastrophic. So much so that it is better not to even mention it. The main thing is to understand in time that antibiotics are really needed.

By the way, the company of dangerous or simply unpleasant bacteria that love to settle in the respiratory tract does not include Staphylococcus aureus. Yes, yes, the very one that is so recklessly sown from the upper respiratory tract, and then poisoned with antibiotics by some especially advanced doctors. Staphylococcus aureus is a normal inhabitant of our skin with you; in the respiratory tract he is an accidental guest, and believe me that even without antibiotics he is very uncomfortable there. However, let's get back to bacterial infections.

Incubation period

The main difference between a bacterial respiratory tract infection and a viral one is a longer incubation period - from 2 to 14 days. True, in the case of a bacterial infection, it will be necessary to take into account not only and not so much the estimated time of contact with patients (remember how it was in the case of SARS?), but also the overwork of the child, stress, hypothermia, and finally, the moments when the baby uncontrollably ate snow or wet your feet. The fact is that some microorganisms (meningococci, pneumococci, moraxella, chlamydia, streptococci) are able to live in the respiratory tract for years without showing themselves. The very stresses and hypothermia, and even a viral infection, can cause them to an active life.

By the way, it is useless to take smears on the flora from the respiratory tract in order to take action in advance. On standard media, which are most often used in laboratories, meningococci, streptococci and the already mentioned Staphylococcus aureus can grow. It grows the fastest of all, clogging, like a weed, the growth of microbes that are really worth looking for. By the way, the “track record” of chlamydia that is not sown in any way includes a quarter of all chronic tonsillitis, interstitial (very poorly diagnosed) pneumonia, and, in addition, reactive arthritis (because of them, in combination with chlamydial tonsillitis, a child can easily lose tonsils).

Prodrome

Most often, bacterial infections do not have a visible prodromal period - the infection begins as a complication of acute respiratory viral infections (otitis media caused by Haemophilus influenzae or pneumococci; sinusitis, originating from the same pneumococci or moraxella). And if ARVI begins as a general deterioration in the state without any local manifestations (they appear later and not always), then bacterial infections always have a clear "application point".

Unfortunately, it is not only acute otitis media or sinusitis (sinusitis or ethmoiditis), which are relatively easy to cure. Streptococcal tonsillitis is far from harmless, although even without any treatment (except for soda rinses and hot milk, which no caring mother will fail to use), she disappears in 5 days. The fact is that streptococcal tonsillitis is caused by the same beta-hemolytic streptococcus, which includes the already mentioned chronic tonsillitis, but, unfortunately, they can lead to rheumatism and acquired heart defects. (By the way, tonsillitis is also caused by chlamydia and viruses, such as adenovirus or Epstein-Barr virus. True, neither of them, unlike streptococcus, ever lead to rheumatism. But we'll talk about this a little later.) after recovering from a sore throat, it does not disappear anywhere - it settles on the tonsils and behaves quite decently for quite a long time.

Streptococcal tonsillitis has the shortest incubation period among bacterial infections - 3-5 days. If there is no cough or runny nose with angina, if the child retains a sonorous voice and there is no redness of the eyes, this is almost certainly streptococcal angina. In this case, if the doctor recommends antibiotics, it is better to agree - leaving beta-hemolytic streptococcus in the child's body may turn out to be more expensive. Moreover, when it first enters the body, streptococcus is not yet hardened in the struggle for its own survival, and any contact with antibiotics is fatal for it. American doctors, who cannot take a step without various tests, found that already on the second day of taking antibiotics for streptococcal tonsillitis, the vicious streptococcus completely disappears from the body - at least until the next meeting.

In addition to streptococcal tonsillitis, complications from which will either come or not, there are other infections, the results of which appear much faster, and can lead to much more nasty consequences.

The microbe that causes seemingly harmless nasopharyngitis is absolutely not accidentally called meningococcus - under favorable circumstances, meningococcus can cause purulent meningitis and sepsis of its own name. By the way, the second most common causative agent of purulent meningitis is also, at first glance, a harmless Haemophilus influenzae; however, most often it is manifested by the same otitis media, sinusitis and bronchitis. Very similar to those caused by Haemophilus influenzae, bronchitis and pneumonia (usually occurring as complications of SARS) can also cause pneumococcus. The same pneumococcus causes sinusitis and otitis media. And since both Haemophilus influenzae and pneumococcus are sensitive to the same antibiotics, doctors don’t really understand who exactly is in front of them. In one and the other case, you can get rid of a restless adversary with the help of the most common penicillin - long before pneumococcus causes serious problems in the form of pneumonia or meningitis to a small patient.

Rounding out the hit parade of bacterial infections of the respiratory tract are chlamydia and mycoplasma - the smallest microorganisms that, like viruses, can only live inside the cells of their victims. These microbes are not capable of causing either otitis media or sinusitis. The calling card of these infections is the so-called interstitial pneumonia in older children. Unfortunately, interstitial pneumonia differs from the usual one only in that it cannot be detected either by listening or by percussion of the lungs - only on x-rays. Because of this, doctors make the diagnosis of such pneumonia rather late - and, by the way, interstitial pneumonia proceeds no better than any other. Fortunately, mycoplasmas and chlamydia are very sensitive to erythromycin and similar antibiotics, so the pneumonia they cause (if diagnosed) responds very well to treatment.

Important! If your local pediatrician is not very competent, it is important to suspect interstitial chlamydial or mycoplasmal pneumonia before him - if only to hint to the doctor that you do not mind getting a lung x-ray.

The main symptom of chlamydial and mycoplasmal infections is the age of the children who are sick with them. Interstitial chlamydial and mycoplasmal pneumonias most often affect schoolchildren; the disease of a young child is a rarity.

Other signs of interstitial pneumonia are a prolonged cough (sometimes with sputum) and pronounced complaints of intoxication and shortness of breath with, as medical textbooks put it, "very poor physical examination data." Translated into normal Russian, this means that despite all your complaints, the doctor sees and hears no problems.

Data on the onset of the disease can help a little - with a chlamydial infection, everything starts with a rise in temperature, which is accompanied by nausea and headache. With a mycoplasmal infection, there may not be a temperature at all, but that same prolonged cough is accompanied by sputum. I did not find any intelligible symptoms of mycoplasma pneumonia in any Russian manual on pediatrics; but in the manual "Pediatrics according to Rudolf", which has survived in the USA, by the way, the 21st edition, it is recommended that against the background of deep breathing, press the child on the sternum (in the middle of the chest). If this provokes a cough, then most likely you are dealing with interstitial pneumonia.

A person is most susceptible to various colds in the autumn and spring. Viral infectious diseases - a type of disease that causes an infection that has penetrated into a weakened body. They can show up in an acute form or sluggish, but treatment should be carried out in both cases, so as not to aggravate the situation, to avoid dangerous complications. A person on average gets sick from 2 to 3 times a year with catarrhal pathologies, but the disease always develops due to viral DNA.

Types of viruses

Different types of bacteria can cause symptoms of pathology, which differ in the place of localization, the rate of development, and signs. Human viruses have a special classification, conventionally they are divided into rapid and slow. The second option is very dangerous because the symptoms are very weak and it is not possible to immediately detect the problem. This gives her time to multiply, to strengthen. Among the main types of viruses, the following groups are distinguished:

1. Orthomyxoviruses are all influenza viruses.
2. adenoviruses and rhinoviruses. They provoke SARS - an acute respiratory viral infection that affects the respiratory system. Symptoms are very similar to the flu, can cause complications (bronchitis, pneumonia)
3. Herpesviruses - herpes viruses that can live in the body asymptomatically for a long time, are activated immediately after the immune system is weakened.
4. Meningitis. It provokes meningococcal infection, the brain mucosa is damaged, the virus feeds on cerebrospinal fluid (cerebrospinal fluid).
5. Encephalitis - affects the membrane of the brain, provokes irreversible disturbances in the work of the central nervous system.
6. Parvovirus, which is the causative agent of poliomyelitis. A very dangerous disease that can cause convulsions, inflammation of the spinal cord, paralysis.
7. Picornaviruses are the causative agents of viral hepatitis.
8. Orthomyxoviruses - cause mumps, measles, parainfluenza.
9. Rotavirus - cause enteritis, intestinal flu, gastroenteritis.
10. Rabdoviruses are the causative agents of rabies.
11. Papoviruses are the cause of human papillomatosis.
12. Retroviruses are the causative agents of AIDS, first HIV develops, and then AIDS.

List of human viral diseases

Medicine knows a huge number of contagious viruses and infections that can provoke various diseases in the human body. Below are only the main groups of diseases that are likely to be encountered:

1. One of the largest groups of viral diseases is influenza (A, B, C), various types of colds that cause an inflammatory process in the body, high fever, general weakness and sore throat. Therapy is carried out with the help of restorative agents, antiviral drugs, if necessary, antibacterial drugs are prescribed.
2. Rubella. A common childhood pathology, less common in adults. Symptoms include damage to the membranes of the respiratory tract, skin. eyes, lymph nodes. The virus is transmitted by droplets, always accompanied by high fever, skin rashes.
3. Piggy. A dangerous viral disease affecting the respiratory tract, the salivary glands are severely affected. Rarely found in adult men, testes are affected by this virus.
4. Measles - often found in children, the disease affects the skin, respiratory tract, intestines. It is transmitted by airborne droplets, the causative agent is paramyxovirus.
5. Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis). Pathology affects the respiratory tract, intestines, then penetrates into the blood. Next, the motor neurons are damaged, which leads to paralysis. The virus is transmitted by droplets, sometimes a child can become infected through stool. In some cases, insects act as carriers.
6. Syphilis. This disease is sexually transmitted, it affects the genitals. Then it affects the eyes, internal organs and joints, heart, liver. Antibacterial agents are used for treatment, but it is very important to determine the presence of pathology immediately, because it may not cause symptoms for a long time.
7. Typhoid. It is rare, characterized by a rash on the skin, damage to blood vessels, which leads to the formation of blood clots.
8. Pharyngitis. The disease provokes a virus that enters the human body along with dust. Cold air, streptococci, staphylococci can also provoke the development of pathology. Accompanied by a viral disease fever, cough, sore throat.
9. Angina is a common viral pathology that has several subspecies: catarrhal, follicular, lacunar, phlegmonous.
10. Whooping cough. This viral disease is characterized by damage to the upper respiratory tract, swelling of the larynx is formed, severe coughing attacks are observed.

The most rare human viral diseases

Most viral pathologies are contagious diseases that are transmitted sexually, by airborne droplets. There are a number of diseases that are extremely rare:

1. Tularemia. Pathology in its symptoms strongly resembles the plague. Infection occurs after Francisella tularensis enters the body - this is an infectious bacillus. As a rule, it enters along with the air or when bitten by a mosquito. The disease is also transmitted from a sick person.
2. Cholera. This disease is very rare in modern medical practice. Vibrio cholerae virus, which enters the body through dirty water, contaminated food, causes symptoms of pathology. The last outbreak of pathology was recorded in 2010 in Haiti, the disease claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people.
3. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A very dangerous pathology that is transmitted through the meat of infected animals. The causative agent is considered to be a prion - a special protein that begins to actively destroy body cells after penetration. The insidiousness of the pathology lies in the absence of symptoms, a personality disorder begins in a person, severe irritation and dementia appear. It is impossible to cure the disease and the person dies within a year.

Virus Symptoms

Symptoms do not always appear immediately, some types of viral diseases can occur for a long time without obvious signs, which becomes a problem with further treatment. Each infectious disease goes through the following stages:

• incubation period;
• premonitory;
• the height of pathology;
• recovery.

The duration of the first stage always depends on the specific type of virus and can last from 2-3 hours to six months. Symptoms will differ depending on the developing disease, but, as a rule, the following manifestations are among the common symptoms of viral pathologies:

• soreness, muscle weakness;
• slight chills;
• persistent body temperature;
• sensitivity of the skin when touched;
• cough, sore throat, watery eyes;
• dysfunction of some organs;
• swollen lymph nodes.

Temperature during a viral infection

This is one of the main reactions of the body to the penetration of any pathogen. Temperature is a defense mechanism that activates all other immune functions to fight viruses. Most diseases occur with a high body temperature. Viral pathologies that provoke this symptom include:

• flu;
• SARS;
• tick-borne encephalitis;
• childhood diseases: chicken pox, infectious parotitis, rubella, measles;
• polio;
• Infectious mononucleosis.

Often there are cases of the development of diseases, in which the temperature does not rise. The main symptoms are watery compartments with a runny nose, sore throat. The absence of temperature is due to the insufficient activity of the virus or the immunity is strong, therefore, it does not fully use all possible methods of fighting the infection. If the growth has begun, then high rates are kept, as a rule, for about 5 days.

signs

Most viruses provoke the development of acute respiratory pathologies. There is some difficulty in identifying diseases that were caused by bacteria, because the treatment regimen in this case will be very different. There are more than 20 varieties of viruses that cause SARS, but their main symptoms are similar. The primary symptoms include the following:

• rhinitis (runny nose), cough with clear mucus;
• low temperature (up to 37.5 degrees) or fever;
• general weakness, headaches, poor appetite.

How to distinguish a cold from a virus

There is a difference between these two concepts. A cold occurs when you stay in the cold for a long time, severe hypothermia of the body, which leads to a weakening of the immune system and the appearance of an inflammatory process. This is not the name of the disease, but only the cause of the development of other pathologies. Viral pathology often becomes a consequence of a cold, because the body does not have enough defenses to resist the pathogen.

Virus Diagnostics

When contacting a doctor, he should conduct a visual examination and collect an anamnesis. Usually. viral diseases are accompanied by fever, cough, runny nose, but after 3-4 days a person feels better. Specialists can determine the type of disease by general symptoms or based on seasonal outbreaks of diseases, for example, influenza epidemics often begin in winter, and SARS in autumn. Determination of the exact type of virus will be required for specific treatment (HIV, syphilis, etc.). For this, a virological study is used.

This method in medicine is the "gold standard", which is carried out in a special laboratory. As a rule, such methods are used during epidemic outbreaks of viral infectious diseases. Methods of immunodiagnostics (immunoindication, serodiagnosis) have found wide distribution for diagnosing pathogens. They are implemented through a variety of immune responses:

• enzyme immunoassay (ELISA);
• radioisotope immunoassay (RIA);
• hemagglutination inhibition reaction;
• complement fixation reaction;
• immunofluorescence reaction.

Treatment of viral diseases

The course of therapy is depending on the type of pathogens. For example, if it is necessary to treat SARS, childhood viral pathologies (mumps, rubella, measles, etc.), then all medicines are used to eliminate symptoms. Subject to bed rest, diet, the body itself copes with the disease. Treatment of viruses is carried out in cases where they cause tangible discomfort to a person. Apply for example:

• antipyretics if the temperature is above 37.5 degrees;
• vasoconstrictor drops are used to relieve swelling of the nose;
• in rare cases, antibiotics (if a bacterial infection has joined);
• NSAIDs that relieve pain and lower the temperature, for example, aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen.

During treatment, doctors recommend drinking more fluids to combat intoxication of the body, moderate nutrition, bed rest and humidity in the room at least 50% where the patient is located. Therapy for influenza is no different, but the doctor must definitely monitor the patient, because this disease can cause serious consequences. One of them is pneumonia, which can lead to pulmonary edema and death.

If such complications have begun, then treatment must be carried out in a hospital with the use of special medications (Zanamivir, Oseltamivir). When diagnosing the human papillomavirus, the therapy consists in maintaining immunity in good shape, surgical removal of warts, genital warts. In cases of severe viral pathologies. For example, HIV requires a course of antiretroviral drugs. It cannot be eliminated completely, but it can be kept under control and prevent the spread of the disease.

When genital herpes is infected, it is necessary to take special preparations, their maximum effectiveness is confirmed in the first 48 hours. If you use the funds later, their medicinal effect is significantly reduced and the course of treatment can last from several weeks to several months. Herpes on the lips should be treated with local remedies (ointments, gels), but even without them, the wound heals within a week.

Antivirals

In medicine, there is a certain number of medicines of this group, which have proven their effectiveness and are used constantly. The entire list of drugs is conditionally divided into two types:

1. Medicines that stimulate the human immune system.
2. Means that attack the detected virus are direct-acting drugs.

The first group refers to broad-spectrum agents, but their use leads to serious complications. One example of such drugs is interferons and the most popular of these is interferon alfa-2b. It is prescribed for the treatment of chronic forms of Hepatitis B, and was previously prescribed for hepatitis C. Patients had a hard time tolerating such therapy, which led to side effects from the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. In some cases, pyrogenic properties are manifested - they cause fever.

The second type of PPD medications is more effective and easier to tolerate by patients. Among the popular drugs, the following treatment options are distinguished:

1. Herpes - acyclovir. Helps to overcome the symptoms of the disease, but does not kill it completely.
2. Influenza - influenza neuraminidase inhibitors (Zanamivir, Oseltamivir). Current influenza strains have developed resistance to previous drugs (adamantanes) and are not effective. Name of drugs: Relenza, Ingavirin, Tamiflu.
3. Hepatitis. For the treatment of group B viruses, interferons are used together with Ribavirin. For hepatitis C, a new generation of drugs is used - Simeprevir. Its effectiveness reaches 80-91% of a persistent virological response.
4. HIV. It cannot be completely cured, antiretroviral drugs provide a lasting effect, cause remission, and a person cannot infect others. The therapy continues throughout life.

Prevention

Preventive measures may vary slightly depending on the type of virus. For example, to prevent infection with hepatitis or HIV, it is necessary to protect yourself during sexual intercourse. There are two main areas of prevention of viral diseases:

1. Specific. It is carried out to develop specific immunity in humans through vaccination. A person is injected with a weakened strain of the virus so that the body develops antibodies to it. This will help protect you from measles, influenza, polio, hepatitis (liver disease). Most life-threatening diseases can be prevented with vaccines.
2. Nonspecific. Strengthening the immune defense of a person, a healthy lifestyle, physical activity and normal nutrition. A person must follow the rules of hygiene, which will protect him from intestinal infections, be protected during sexual intercourse in order to prevent HIV infection.

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