Recently, "38-year-old internet celebrity mother of second child caught a cold while breastfeeding and developed into severe pneumonia without seeking medical treatment" became a hot search topic, triggering widespread attention and discussion among netizens. Experts reminded -
Don’t ignore a minor cold, be alert if these symptoms appear
In the past few days, "38-year-old Internet celebrity mother of second child developed severe pneumonia due to a cold she caught during breastfeeding but did not seek medical treatment", which has attracted widespread attention and discussion among netizens. As a common disease, why does the cold cause such serious consequences? Which groups of people should pay special attention to? What symptoms should you seek medical attention immediately after a cold? How to prevent it? Jiang Yongliang, director and chief physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, gave a detailed answer.
The scary thing is not the cold, but the severe pneumonia and other complications caused by the virus
Recently, news about severe pneumonia caused by colds has attracted more people's attention and vigilance. As a common disease, why does the cold cause such serious consequences?
Generally speaking, 70% to 80% of colds are caused by viruses such as rhinovirus, coronavirus, influenza virus, enterovirus, adenovirus, and respiratory syncytial virus. After the human body is infected with these viruses, most of them can produce specific antibodies in about a week, and the body gradually recovers. Therefore, there is a saying that "a cold does not need to be treated, it will get better on its own within a week."
Can all colds be cured on their own? actually not. A study on the etiology of pneumonia published in Nature in 2021 showed that the spectrum of viruses that cause viral pneumonia and the spectrum of viruses that cause colds almost completely overlap, and mycoplasma infection also exists in the pathogenic spectrum of both diseases. In other words, if a cold is not treated promptly and effectively, it may turn into pneumonia.
How to tell if a common cold has developed into pneumonia? Jiang Yongliang explained that colds are generally self-limiting, which means that symptoms can improve after a few days of treatment. However, if the body temperature does not drop or even rises after treatment, or if a person who originally had no cough, light cough, or no sputum has a worsening cough, a change in the color of the sputum, or even chest pain or difficulty breathing, it often indicates the occurrence of pneumonia. . The symptoms of early pneumonia and early cold can be the same, so if the symptoms do not improve after 3 days of treatment, it is recommended to go to the hospital for a chest X-ray or CT examination to understand the lung condition and then provide targeted treatment. In addition, there are clinical mixed infections with various respiratory viruses. If symptoms do not improve after treatment, you need to seek medical treatment in time.
"Patients with pneumonia combined with shock or pneumonia need to use a ventilator for respiratory support. They are severe pneumonia. The mortality rate of patients admitted to the ICU due to severe pneumonia is as high as 30% to 40%." Jiang Yongliang said that most patients with severe pneumonia have certain symptoms. Underlying diseases or low immunity. The same virus and the same viral load may cause mild or even no symptoms in a normal adult, but for people with underlying diseases or low immunity, it may be a "trigger."
"Recently, the incidence of influenza has been high, and the population is generally susceptible. Even young people or people who are usually in good health have a certain probability of infection. If other bacterial or viral infections are combined with influenza, the condition may be further aggravated. Of course, even if you get it As for influenza, only a small number of people develop severe pneumonia, so you don’t need to worry too much,” Jiang Yongliang said.
What kind of colds should I be wary of? 5 Signs Don’t Ignore
"Since last year, there has been a high incidence of respiratory diseases involving influenza A, B, mycoplasma, adenovirus, new coronavirus and other pathogens. Many patients have been found to have complications such as lung infection and myocarditis in the outpatient clinic," Jiang Yongliang said.
Generally speaking, the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with weak bodies have poorer body resistance and are more susceptible to virus infection and have a longer recovery period. In this case, it is often more likely to cause other complications, such as pneumonia, myocarditis, etc.
People with underlying diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and diabetes are prone to pneumonia after being infected with the virus due to poor resistance, and are prone to recurrent lung inflammation, aggravating original asthma, tracheitis, COPD and other diseases. , seriously affecting the ventilation and ventilation functions of the respiratory system.
Nowadays, many people are under great pressure and like to stay up late, which leads to a decrease in the body's resistance, and a cold can easily be delayed into pneumonia. Generally, pneumonia is not serious as long as it is treated in time. However, some people do not take it seriously after catching a cold, thinking that they are in good health and can resist it. They develop severe pneumonia without timely or correct treatment. They wait until problems arise in multiple organs and systems throughout the body. It is very difficult to treat.
"For common cold patients whose symptoms are not very serious, you can use some drugs that do not require a doctor's prescription to treat symptoms and relieve symptoms. If the cold symptoms do not relieve after 3 days, or symptoms such as shortness of breath, shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness that affect normal life occur, , you should go to the hospital for treatment in time." Jiang Yongliang said, especially when the following symptoms appear, you need to be alert to some signs of serious diseases:
High fever that doesn’t go away: If you have a high fever that doesn’t go away after a cold, especially if you still can’t control your body temperature after using antipyretics, you need to be vigilant. This may be the body’s overreaction to infection, or it may be a high fever caused by other diseases in the body.
Dyspnea: Difficulty breathing after a cold, especially when accompanied by chest pain, cough and other symptoms, requires vigilance. This may be a sign of serious diseases such as pneumonia and heart disease.
Severe headache: Severe headache occurs after a cold, especially when the headache is accompanied by vomiting, neck stiffness and other symptoms, you need to be vigilant. This may be a sign of brain infection, such as meningitis.
Fast heartbeat or irregular heartbeat: If you have a fast heartbeat or irregular heartbeat after a cold, you need to be vigilant, especially if it is accompanied by chest tightness, fatigue and other symptoms. This may be a sign of heart disease.
Severe cough: Severe cough after a cold, especially when accompanied by shortness of breath, chest tightness and other symptoms, requires vigilance. This may be a sign of serious diseases such as pneumonia and heart disease.
How to prevent colds? Pay attention to these aspects in daily life
Jiang Yongliang reminded that colds are a self-limiting disease that will not cause serious problems in most cases, but may lead to serious complications or adverse reactions in some special cases. Therefore, although colds are common, we should take them seriously and understand the causes and prevention methods of colds.
Pay attention to protection: Avoiding contact with sources of infection is the key to preventing colds. In order to reduce the risk of infection, during the period of high incidence of respiratory diseases, you should try to reduce the number of visits to crowded places, wear masks scientifically when going out, wash hands frequently, and maintain indoor ventilation.
Enhance your own immunity: To enhance your body's immunity, you must develop a healthy lifestyle, such as a reasonable diet, balanced nutrition, and ensure adequate intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and high-quality protein; maintain adequate sleep and moderate exercise, as well An effective way to improve immunity.
Pay attention to high-risk groups: The elderly, children, pregnant women and people with weak health are at high risk of cold complications and need to be particularly vigilant. These people have relatively weak body functions and low resistance, and are easily infected with cold viruses. Once infected, their condition is often more serious. Therefore, when these people develop cold symptoms, they should take early measures for treatment and care.
Vaccination: Vaccination is an effective way to prevent influenza and other infectious diseases. It is recommended to get vaccinated in time according to your own situation. Especially for the elderly, children, pregnant women and people with frail health, annual influenza vaccination can not only help them resist the invasion of influenza, but also effectively reduce the risk of infection.
Scientific treatment: If the symptoms cannot be relieved after a cold, it is recommended to go to the hospital to find out the cause and receive treatment under the professional guidance of a doctor. Avoid self-abuse of medications, especially antibiotics and antipyretics. When symptoms such as high fever, cough, and difficulty breathing occur, you should seek medical treatment in time.
Changsha Evening News all-media reporter Yang Yunlong correspondent Zhang Weixia