Viral diseases - symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

A person is most susceptible to various colds in the autumn and spring. Viral infectious diseases are a type of disease that is caused by an infection that has penetrated into a weakened body. They can occur in an acute form or in a sluggish form, but treatment must be carried out in both cases so as not to aggravate the situation and to avoid dangerous complications. On average, a person gets sick from colds 2 to 3 times a year, but the disease always develops due to viral DNA.

Types of viruses

Symptoms of pathology can be caused by different types of bacteria, which differ in location, rate of development, and symptoms. Human viruses have a special classification; they are conventionally divided into fast and slow. The second option is very dangerous because the symptoms are very weak and the problem cannot be detected immediately. This gives it time to multiply and strengthen. Among the main types of viruses, the following groups are distinguished:

1. Orthomyxoviruses- all influenza viruses.
2. Adenoviruses and Rhinoviruses. They provoke ARVI - an acute respiratory viral infection that affects the respiratory system. Symptoms are very similar to the flu, but can cause complications (bronchitis, pneumonia)
3. Herpesviruses– herpes viruses, which can live in the body for a long time asymptomatically, are activated immediately after the weakening of the immune system.
4. Meningitis. It is provoked by a meningococcal infection, the brain mucosa is damaged, and the virus feeds on the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
5. Encephalitis– affects the lining of the brain, causing irreversible disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.
6. Parvovirus, which is the causative agent of polio. A very dangerous disease that can cause convulsions, inflammation of the spinal cord, and paralysis.
7. Picornaviruses– causative agents of viral hepatitis.
8. Orthomyxoviruses– cause mumps, measles, parainfluenza.
9. Rotavirus– cause enteritis, intestinal flu, gastroenteritis.
10. Rhabdoviruses- rabies pathogens.
11. Papoviruses– the cause of human papillomatosis.
12. Retroviruses- the causative agents of AIDS, HIV develops first, and then AIDS.

List of human viral diseases

Medicine knows a huge number of contagious viruses and infections that can provoke various diseases in the human body. Below are only the main groups of diseases that you are likely to encounter:

1. One of the largest groups of viral diseases is influenza (A, B, C), different types of colds that cause inflammation in the body, high fever, general weakness and sore throat. Therapy is carried out with the help of general restoratives, antiviral drugs, and, if necessary, antibacterial medications are prescribed.

   Complex products help eliminate the unpleasant symptoms of influenza and ARVI, maintain efficiency, but often contain phenylephrine, a substance that increases blood pressure, which gives a feeling of cheerfulness, but can cause side effects from the cardiovascular system. Therefore, in some cases, it is better to choose a drug without components of this kind, for example, AntiGrippin from Natur Product, which helps relieve the unpleasant symptoms of influenza and ARVI without causing an increase in blood pressure.

   There are contraindications. It is necessary to consult a specialist.

2. Rubella. A common childhood pathology, less common in adults. Symptoms include damage to the lining of the respiratory tract and skin. eyes, lymph nodes. The virus is transmitted by droplets and is always accompanied by high fever and skin rashes.
3. Piggy. A dangerous viral disease affecting the respiratory tract, the salivary glands are severely affected. Rarely found in adult men, the testes are affected by this virus.
4. Measles– often found in children, the disease affects the skin, respiratory tract, and intestines. It is transmitted by airborne droplets and is caused by paramyxovirus.
5. Poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis). The pathology affects the respiratory tract, intestines, and then penetrates the blood. Next, motor neurons are damaged, which leads to paralysis. The virus is transmitted by droplets, and sometimes a child can become infected through feces. In some cases, insects act as carriers.
6. Syphilis. This disease is sexually transmitted and affects the genitals. Then it affects the eyes, internal organs and joints, heart, liver. Antibacterial agents are used for treatment, but it is very important to determine the presence of pathology immediately, because it may not cause symptoms for a long time.
7. Typhus. It is rare and is characterized by a rash on the skin, damage to blood vessels, which leads to the formation of blood clots.
8. Pharyngitis. The disease is caused by a virus that enters the human body along with dust. Cold air, streptococci, and staphylococci can also provoke the development of pathology. The viral illness is accompanied by fever, cough, and sore throat.
9. Angina– a common viral pathology, which has several subtypes: catarrhal, follicular, lacunar, phlegmonous.
10. Whooping cough. This viral disease is characterized by damage to the upper respiratory tract, swelling of the larynx is formed, and severe coughing attacks are observed.

The rarest human viral diseases

Most viral pathologies are contagious diseases that are sexually transmitted through airborne droplets. There are a number of diseases that are extremely rare:

1. Tularemia. The pathology, in its symptoms, strongly resembles the plague. Infection occurs after Francisella tularensis enters the body - it is an infectious bacillus. As a rule, it gets in with the air or through a mosquito bite. The disease is also transmitted from a sick person.
2. Cholera. This disease is very rare in modern medical practice. The Vibrio cholerae virus, which enters the body through dirty water and contaminated food, causes symptoms of pathology. The last outbreak of the disease was recorded in 2010 in Haiti, the disease claimed the lives of more than 4,500 people.
3. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. A very dangerous pathology that is transmitted through the meat of infected animals. The causative agent is considered to be a prion, a special protein that begins to actively destroy body cells after penetration. The insidiousness of the pathology lies in the absence of symptoms, the person begins to develop a personality disorder, develops severe irritation, and dementia. The disease cannot be cured and the person dies within a year.

Symptoms of the virus

Symptoms do not always appear immediately; some types of viral diseases can occur for a long time without obvious signs, which becomes a problem with further treatment. Every infectious disease goes through the following stages:

• incubation period;
• premonitory;
• the height of pathology;
• recovery.

The duration of the first stage always depends on the specific type of virus and can last from 2-3 hours to six months. Symptoms will differ depending on the developing disease, but, as a rule, the following manifestations are included in the general symptoms of viral pathologies:

• soreness, muscle weakness;
• slight chills;
• persistent body temperature;
• sensitivity of the skin to touch;
• cough, sore throat, watery eyes;
• dysfunction of some organs;
• enlarged lymph nodes.

Temperature due to viral infection

This is one of the body’s main reactions to the penetration of any pathogen. Temperature is a protective mechanism that activates all other immune functions to fight viruses. Most diseases occur with a high body temperature. Viral pathologies that provoke this symptom include:

• flu;
• ARVI;
• tick-borne encephalitis;
• childhood diseases: chickenpox, infectious mumps, rubella, measles;
• polio;
• Infectious mononucleosis.

There are often cases of the development of diseases in which the temperature does not rise. The main symptoms are watery discharge with a runny nose and sore throat. The absence of fever is explained by insufficient activity of the virus or the immune system is strong, and therefore does not fully use all possible methods of fighting the infection. If growth has begun, then high rates remain, as a rule, for about 5 days.

Signs

Most viruses provoke the development of acute respiratory pathologies. There is some difficulty in identifying diseases that were caused by bacteria, because the treatment regimen in this case will be very different. There are more than 20 varieties of viruses that cause ARVI, but their main symptoms are similar. Primary signs include the following manifestations:

• rhinitis (runny nose), cough with clear mucus;
• low temperature (up to 37.5 degrees) or fever;
• general weakness, headaches, poor appetite.

How to distinguish a cold from a virus

There is a difference between these two concepts. A cold occurs during prolonged exposure to the cold, severe hypothermia of the body, which leads to a weakened immune system and the appearance of an inflammatory process. This is not the name of the disease, but only the cause of the development of other pathologies. Viral pathology often becomes a consequence of a cold, because the body does not have enough protective forces to resist the pathogen.

Virus diagnostics

When contacting a doctor, he should conduct a visual examination and collect anamnesis. Usually. Viral diseases are accompanied by fever, cough, runny nose, but after 3-4 days a person feels better. Specialists can determine the type of disease based on general symptoms or based on seasonal outbreaks of diseases, for example, influenza epidemics often begin in winter, and acute respiratory viral infections in the fall. Determining the exact type of virus will be required for specific treatment (HIV, syphilis, etc.). For this purpose, virological research is used.

This method in medicine is the “gold standard”, which is carried out in a special laboratory. As a rule, such methods are used during epidemic outbreaks of viral infectious diseases. Immunodiagnostic methods (immunoindication, serodiagnosis) are widely used for diagnosing pathogens. They are realized through various immune reactions:

• enzyme immunoassay (ELISA);
• radioisotope immunoassay (RIA);
• hemagglutination inhibition reaction;
• complement fixation reaction;
• immunofluorescence reaction.

Treatment of viral diseases

The course of therapy depends on the type of pathogen. For example, if it is necessary to treat ARVI, childhood viral pathologies (mumps, rubella, measles, etc.), then all medications are used to eliminate the symptoms. If you follow bed rest and diet, the body itself copes with the disease. Treatment of viruses is carried out in cases where they cause significant discomfort to a person. Apply for example:

• antipyretics if the temperature is above 37.5 degrees;
• vasoconstrictor drops are used to relieve nasal swelling;
• in rare cases, antibiotics (if a bacterial infection has occurred);
• NSAIDs that relieve pain and lower fever, for example, aspirin, paracetamol, ibuprofen.

During treatment, doctors recommend drinking more fluids to combat intoxication of the body, moderate nutrition, bed rest and room humidity of at least 50% where the patient is. Treatment for influenza is no different, but the doctor must monitor the patient, because this disease can cause serious consequences. One of them is pneumonia, which can lead to pulmonary edema and death.

If such complications begin, treatment must be carried out in a hospital using special medications (Zanamivir, Oseltamivir). When diagnosing the human papillomavirus, therapy consists of keeping the immune system in good shape, surgical removal of warts and condylomas. In cases of severe viral pathologies. For example, HIV requires a course of antiretroviral drugs. It cannot be completely eliminated, but it can be kept under control and prevent the spread of the disease.

If the genital organs are infected with herpes, it is necessary to take special medications; their maximum effectiveness has been confirmed in the first 48 hours. If you use the products later, their medicinal effect is significantly reduced and the course of treatment can last from several weeks to several months. Herpes on the lips needs to be treated with local remedies (ointments, gels), but even without them, the wound heals within a week.

Antiviral drugs

In medicine, there is a certain number of medications in this group that have proven their effectiveness and are used constantly. The entire list of drugs is divided into two types:

1. Medicines that stimulate human immunity.
2. Drugs that attack the detected virus are direct-acting drugs.

The first group refers to broad-spectrum drugs, but their use leads to serious complications. One example of such drugs is interferons, and the most popular of them is interferon alfa-2b. It is prescribed for the treatment of chronic forms of Hepatitis B, and was previously prescribed for hepatitis C. Patients had a hard time tolerating such therapy, which led to side effects from the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system. In some cases, pyrogenic properties appear and cause fever.

The second type of PPD medications is more effective and is easier to tolerate by patients. Among the popular medications, the following treatment options are distinguished:

1. Herpes– acyclovir. Helps overcome the symptoms of the disease, but does not kill it completely.
2. Flu– influenza neuraminidase inhibitors (Zanamivir, Oseltamivir). Modern influenza strains have developed resistance to previous medications (adamantanes), and they are not effective. Name of drugs: Relenza, Ingavirin, Tamiflu.
3. Hepatitis. For the treatment of group B viruses, interferons are used together with Ribavirin. For hepatitis C, a new generation of drugs is used - Simeprevir. Its effectiveness reaches 80-91% of sustained virological response.
4. HIV. It cannot be completely cured; antiretroviral drugs provide a lasting effect, cause remission, and the person cannot infect others. Therapy continues throughout life.

Prevention

Preventive measures may vary slightly depending on the type of virus. For example, to prevent infection with hepatitis or HIV, it is necessary to protect yourself during sexual intercourse. There are two main directions for the prevention of viral diseases:

1. Specific. It is carried out to develop specific immunity in a person through vaccination. A person is injected with a weakened strain of the virus so that the body develops antibodies to it. This will help protect you from those with measles, flu, polio, and hepatitis (liver disease). Most life-threatening diseases can be prevented by vaccines.
2. Nonspecific. Strengthening the human immune defense, a healthy lifestyle, physical activity and normal nutrition. A person must follow the rules of hygiene, which will protect him from intestinal infections, and use protection during sexual intercourse to prevent HIV infection.

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