They are the most common community-acquired infections. It may be a mild upper respiratory tract infection such as flu, or it may be a severe pneumonia that requires intensive care monitoring and causes respiratory failure.
Adults may experience flu attacks 2-4 times a year. It is often caused by viruses. Transmission occurs through airborne droplet infections or secretions of the sick person. Complaints such as runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, and tickling occur, and sometimes it can last up to three weeks, depending on the cause and the person's defense system. Treatment is symptomatic, and frequent hand washing and attention to personal hygiene play an important role in prevention.
Flu are viral infections, also referred to as influenza, that begin acutely every winter and recur in the form of febrile respiratory infections. It can cause epidemics. There are types A, B and C, the rarest being type C. The antigenic proteins in their outer structure are divided into two: hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA). Depending on their type, antigenic differences and disease type occur. Epidemics usually occur between December and April. It is transmitted through small droplets taken from the air or through the belongings of sick people. Chills, weakness, headache, fever and muscle aches are the most obvious symptoms. People with heart and lung diseases and the elderly are higher risk groups. Influenza A causes more severe pneumonia. Antiviral drugs can be used in severe cases, but since preventive treatment is more important, risk groups should definitely get a flu vaccine in September - October, before the flu season.
Sinusitis, It is the accumulation of inflammation and secretions in the cavities called sinuses located within the facial bones, especially around the nose and above the eyes. Facial pain, phlegm, nasal congestion and fever are the most common symptoms. In patients with a typical history, diagnosis can be made with Woters radiography or tomography. Treatment may require antibiotics, nasal decongestants, antihistamines, and surgical treatment may be required in patients who do not respond to treatment.
Pneumonia is a sudden inflammation of the lung tissue. It is seen with a frequency of 12 per thousand, and its frequency increases with age or if there are additional diseases. Community-acquired or hospital-acquired pneumonia can be classified. Depending on the clinical course, it can be called typical or atypical pneumonia. The most common type of pneumonia is pneumonia that develops in the community.
Although the responsible agent cannot be shown in approximately 50% of cases, in others, the factors are microorganisms such as steptococcal pneumonia, mycoplasma pneumonia, hemophilus influenza, moraxella cataralis and viruses. Sudden onset of chills, fever, cough, phlegm, stinging side pain, muscle aches, nausea-vomiting, loss of appetite are the most prominent complaints. During physical examination, findings depend on the area where pneumonia develops and the severity of the disease. In the chest X-ray, there are areas of infiltration in the form of smoke in the area with pneumonia, and there may also be fluid and cavities. In laboratory examination, increased white blood cells and CRP elevation are usually observed.
In the treatment, the patient must rest, if there is an additional disease, they must be treated and appropriate antibiotics must be started. It is necessary to pay attention to whether hospitalization is required depending on the severity of the disease, and to organize the treatment after the responsible agent is determined. If complications such as fluid develop, it is vital to treat them and use antibiotics for a sufficient duration and dose.
Pneumonias that develop in the hospital are more severe and have a higher risk of being fatal due to both the difference in the causative agents and the weakness of the patients' body defenses. Generally, the disease occurs with more resistant microbes and it may be necessary to use more than one antibiotic at the same time in the treatment. Therefore, it is very important to take special precautions to prevent hospitalized patients from getting pneumonia, not to use patients' equipment for other patients, and to use gloves or hand disinfectant during care and examination.
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