Members of the Walla system get vaccinated (photo: Ido Shaham, editing: Hadas Naor)
Influenza is a viral and contagious disease, and probably the most severe of the winter viruses.
Its symptoms vary from person to person and in most cases they will be mild.
However, in more severe cases, the flu can cause life-threatening complications.
In Israel dozens of people lose their lives every year as a result of the flu, and unfortunately, this reality repeats itself every winter.
According to global data, this year's impact, also in Israel, is more severe and powerful, this after two years of relatively low morbidity as a result of the Corona virus and the policy of closures.
Leading hospitals in the United States and Canada are collapsing under the strain, closing their doors and urging the public to avoid visiting emergency rooms because waiting times for a doctor are longer than 12 hours.
In Israel, even though we are only at the beginning of the wave of morbidity, you can see very large loads in the internal wards, emergency rooms with long waiting times, and patients who cannot be hospitalized.
In some wards there is not even an oxygen cylinder for a child lying in the corridor.
Who is at risk of suffering from flu complications?
There are different groups in the population that have an increased tendency to suffer from flu shots.
First, the complications of the flu are directly related to age, and as you get older, the risk increases - especially among adults over 65. Even small children, under the age of two, are at risk, since their immune systems are weak, and therefore they suffer more from complications of the flu.
More about the flu:
7 things you shouldn't do if you have the flu
What exactly does the flu do to the body and why does it feel like the end of us?
Men in principle have a higher tendency to morbidity and complications from infectious diseases compared to women.
Another risk group is the group of patients with chronic diseases of the respiratory system, among them smokers who suffer from chronic lung disease.
The flu causes the lung disease they suffer from to worsen, to the point of hospitalizations in intensive care with lung infections caused by violent bacteria, which can reach the bloodstream and even in fatal cases.
Patients with heart disease and diabetes are also at a higher risk of having serious flu complications.
Pneumonia is probably the 'classic' and most familiar complication of the flu, and is accompanied by secondary bacterial infections and sinus and ear infections.
However, there are visible complications that the public is less familiar with, such as pneumonia caused by the virus itself.
This inflammation may also appear at young ages.
This is a very serious disease, and unlike bacterial pneumonia, it causes rapid deterioration to the point of respiration and the need for transfer to intensive care.
More in Walla!
My child is sick all winter.
What to do?
To the full article
The complications of the disease are lifelong.
Influenza virus (Photo: ShutterStock)
In addition, there are also complications of the flu that are not visual, such as inflammation of the heart muscle, which can develop even without connection to pneumonia.
In one of the studies it was found that about 13 percent of those hospitalized with flu complications suffered from inflammation of the heart muscle.
This is not a disease of old age, but on the contrary, 70 percent of the cases of inflammation of the myocardium appear in young people, under the age of 40, and in some cases it can get complicated and cause very difficult situations, to the point of needing to connect the patient to an ACMO machine and even a heart transplant.
Another complication following the flu, which often appears in people who suffer from chronic lung disease, is an increase in heart rhythm disorders.
Unfortunately, we encounter many cases of patients who arrive at the emergency room suffering from heart rhythm disturbances and atrial fibrillation as a result of the flu.
Complications of the flu also increase the risk of having a stroke and heart attack, and this for a whole year from the date of the illness.
The reason for this is apparently due to the inflammatory state and tendency to blood clotting that occurs in the body during and following the flu.
Another neurological complication that the flu can cause is inflammation of the brain (encephalitis), which often occurs in children.
It is a necrotic inflammation of the brain that causes severe damage.
Even prolonged hospitalization with the flu has its risks.
A female doctor near a monitor (Photo: ShutterStock)
Some of the complications of the flu may remain for life, and can leave a person with a significant disability.
For example, if cardiac damage was caused by the flu, a person can suffer from heart failure at the age of 40 for the rest of his life.
It is important to remember that hospitalization as a result of a complicated flu can last for many weeks.
The prolonged duration of hospitalization can lead to additional complications, which are not directly related to the flu.
For example, central catheter infections, urinary catheter infections, formation of pressure sores, pulmonary infection with molds due to prolonged breathing, acquisition of resistant bacteria that require isolation, and more.
How can you protect yourself from flu complications?
It is certainly possible to reduce the risk of suffering from complications, and this through a flu vaccine.
The vaccine does not prevent the disease, however the vaccinated will often get a mild flu, which is characterized by a runny nose, fever and cough, without complications.
Many studies, as well as the extensive experience we have gained over the years, show that people who come to emergency rooms and internal departments in hospitals with lung infections and bacterial complications are those who have not been vaccinated.
Studies conducted in recent years that examined the relationship between the flu vaccine and the degree of chance of complications found that the vaccine reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The studies showed a clear connection between coronary events (heart attacks, acute cardiovascular diseases) as a result of the flu, when the vaccine reduced the risk of a coronary event by about 20 to 50 percent up to one year after receiving it.
In fact, by giving a flu vaccine you can reduce the chance of a heart attack, in percentages similar to stopping smoking or taking statins.
The flu vaccine is a kind of 'vaccine' against heart attack and stroke, among those who are at risk
, the timing of receiving the vaccine is also important, and when it is already administered at the height of the flu epidemic, it may be too late, therefore those who have not yet been vaccinated - can and should be vaccinated now.
Today, there are also vaccines in increased doses for the population aged 65 and over that give them better protection.
In addition to vaccination, maintaining hygiene is also very important in reducing the risk of getting the flu.
It is important to wash your hands thoroughly, and sneeze into your elbow especially in closed places in order to protect those around you.
For those who belong to the risk group of developing a severe flu, there is an antiviral treatment that also slightly reduces the complications and it is recommended to consult the doctor if necessary.
Dr. Regev Cohen is a specialist in internal medicine and director of the infectious diseases unit at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center
health
my health
Doctor, what have I got?
Tags
the flu
Flu Vaccine
Heart Attack
Stroke
