Manisa City Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist Physician Specialist Dr. Berna Kalender Alyanak emphasized the importance of strengthening the immune system by providing information about acute upper respiratory tract infection, which increases especially in winter months.
Manisa City Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist Physician Specialist Dr. Berna Kalender Alyanak gave information about acute upper respiratory tract infection. Stating that the disease spreads as people spend more time indoors during the winter months and therefore the emergency departments are full, Uzm. Dr. Alyanak gave information about ways to prevent the disease. Alyanak said, “Especially with the cooling of the weather, we see a very serious increase in the number of patients presenting to our emergency department with acute upper respiratory tract symptoms, as we do every year. We actually see these infections in every season of the year. However, while the cold weather prepares a favorable environment for viruses and bacteria to live and spread, we are more in contact with these infections transmitted by droplets as we start to spend more time indoors. This leads to an increase in the number of our cases.”
Giving information about the disease, Uzm. Dr. Alyanak said, “First of all, colds are viral infections caused by rhinoviruses, also known as the common cold. We mostly encounter with simple clinics, these are not high fever, nasal congestion or runny nose, cough, sneezing, tearing in the eyes, mild throat and body pain are among the most common symptoms we see. Since they are viral infections, antibiotics have no place in the common cold. We usually advise our patients to rest and drink plenty of fluids. Of course, painkillers, antipyretics and some decongestant drugs can be added to the treatment depending on the symptoms of the patients. While the symptoms usually limit themselves in 3-5 days, we can see that these symptoms can last up to 3 weeks depending on the immune system of the patient. Infections that we call flu infections are viral infections caused by influenza viruses that appear with a noisier picture compared to colds. High fever, widespread body and joint pains, severe cough and fatigue are among the most common symptoms. Again, since flu infections are viral infections, antibiotics do not have any place or benefit in their treatment. We start supportive treatment for our patients according to their symptoms and we can also give antiviral treatments to some patient groups in appropriate patient groups.
However, if flu infections progress or are combined with other infections, they can lead to much more serious diseases depending on their location. Otitis, sinusitis, tonsillitis, bronchitis and even pneumonia can cause serious lung damage such as pneumonia. In such cases, antibiotics can be added to the treatment in line with a physician's examination and decision. Especially in the patient group that we call the risk group, that is, newborns, pregnant women, patients over the age of 65, especially in patients with chronic diseases such as COPD, heart failure, renal failure, diabetes and immunosuppressive patients, we unfortunately often see that flu infections cause very serious clinics, hospital and intensive care hospitalizations and even deaths. Therefore, it is of great importance that the treatment of these risk group patients should be planned and followed by a specialist physician.”
Stating the ways to prevent the disease, Alyanak said, “First of all, our immune system should be strong, we need to eat a regular and healthy diet, eat a diet based on vegetables, fruits and legumes, drink enough fluids and pay close attention to our personal hygiene. In addition, it is very important to regularly ventilate our indoor environments, try to spend time in the fresh air and avoid contact with infected people. It is also very important that especially our patients over the age of 65 and patients with chronic illnesses get the flu vaccine, isolate themselves with masks in crowded environments and reduce contact with infected people. The biggest problem we experience in emergency services during this period is that the occupancy rates in emergency services are very high. This can often disrupt the functioning of the emergency department. For this reason, it is very important for our patients who are not in the risk group and do not have high fever to apply to family physicians and polyclinics instead of emergency services for diagnosis and treatment for simple symptoms.”
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