It starts with a dry cough, chest pain, and then comes phlegm. Even a trivial winter illness, if neglected, can lead to complications that should not be underestimated.
The flu is an easily treatable disorder with a few days of rest in the heat, in a comfortable environment, with the intake, if necessary, of antipyretics to avoid excessive increases in body temperature and a whole series of symptomatic remedies to alleviate the typical discomfort of contour such as sore throat, cough and various soreness.
In some subjects at risk, however, the flu should not be underestimated, for the complications it can have, one above all bronchitis.
Leaving the house despite the fever has not yet disappeared or catching cold when significant respiratory symptoms are already present can, in fact, expose you to the risk of complications that prolong the disease and worsen its severity.
Viruses weaken the bronchi
As already mentioned, a possible evolution of the flu (or simple cold), for example, is bronchitis: an inflammation of the walls of the bronchi weakened by viruses and stimulated by the local immune reaction, which can sometimes be aggravated by a bacterial infection that overlaps at a later time.
The first symptoms of the disease usually appear a few days after the actual flu has passed.
There is no more fever, or it is very mild, and you would also feel quite good, if it were not for the persistence of a “dry” cough, associated with pain in the center of the chest, behind the sternum, which gradually turns into “fat”, with more or less abundant phlegm production.
When these conditions are found, it is essential to contact your doctor to understand the nature of the disorder and get guidance on the best treatment to follow.
The main diagnostic tests used for the diagnosis of bronchitis are as follows.
Examination | Function |
---|---|
Auscultation through stethoscope | Detect any abnormal noises when breathing |
Chest X-ray | Evaluate more extensive infections that affect the lungs as a whole (pneumonia)) |
TAC | Ascertain any structural anomalies |
Blood tests | Perform white blood cell counts and search for infectious states |
Sputum culture | Determine whether or not bacteria are present |
Spirometry | Measure the amount of air you put into your lungs |
Usually passes in two weeks
In general, acute post-flu bronchitis tends to heal on its own within a couple of weeks.
In this period of time it can, however, create discomfort due to breathing difficulties both during the day and, above all, during the night, because the production of mucus increases when lying down, preventing you from sleeping peacefully.
Repeated coughing also fatigues the body, increasing the general sense of tiredness and weakness and making it very inefficient in study and work. In addition, a significant sore throat may be present, sometimes accompanied by lowering of the voice.
Unfortunately, there are no specific medicines that can solve the situation. To relieve discomfort, if the phlegm is very dense, you can resort to mucolytic drugs that make it more fluid and easy to eliminate, while if the cough is very insistent and with poor secretions, cough suppressants may be indicated.
In both cases, however, it is better to seek advice from your doctor before taking them. Fever, if present and if it is mild (for example, around 37.5 ° C) and does not create great discomfort, should be endured because the modest increase in body temperature helps to heal.
On the contrary, if the fever is high, you can resort to the use of antipyretics to lower the temperature, perhaps opting for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that also act on any inflammation of the throat.
There is also a whole series of “natural” remedies, widely used for decades in popular tradition, to try to alleviate sore throats and facilitate the elimination of bronchial mucus: ranging from the intake of hot liquids several times a day (milk and honey, tea, herbal teas, chamomile, broths, etc.), to fumigations with added sodium bicarbonate or essential oils (menthol, eucalyptol etc.), from warm compresses on the chest (at a reasonable temperature to avoid burns) to menthol / eucalyptus lozenges to pure licorice (to be avoided if you are hypertensive), to propolis, in its countless formulations (throat spray, hydroalcoholic or glyceric extract, chewable tablets, pearls to dissolve in the mouth etc.).
No cold and cigarettes
Last trick, but absolutely essential: if you usually smoke, you will have to keep away not only the pack of cigarettes, but also the temptation to look for it, perhaps taking advantage of the period of forced interruption as an opportunity to definitively stop smoking.
Equally important for everyone is, then, to avoid exposing themselves to cold or sudden changes in temperature, remaining as much as possible in heated places and covering themselves very well when it is necessary to go out.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
The blog covers a wide range of topics related to health and wellness, with articles organized into several categories.