ARVI (Acute Respiratory Viral Infection)

ARVI (commonly known as cold) is a widespread virus disease of upper respiratory tract. Major symptoms: running nose, cough, sneezing, headache, sore throat, fatigue. ARVI is most common infectious disease in developed countries where in average an adult gets sick 2- 3 times a year and a child 6 – 10 times.

ARVI may be caused by a number of agents including 5 different groups of viruses (parainfluenza virus, influenza virus, adenovirus, rhinovirus, reovirus) and over 300 their subtypes. All of them are infectious and are transmitted via airborne and are not treated with antibiotics. Also ARVI is transmitted via body contact, for example, during hand shaking.

At the onset of the disease virus is multiplied in nose, nasopharynx, throat showing with gripes, running nose, irritation and dry cough. Body temperature usually is not increased. Sometimes in this process are involved mucous of eyes and gastrointestinal ones.

Then virus enters the blood and causes symptoms of common intoxication: chill, headache, acute pains in back and limbs. Activation of immunity response helps body to produce antibodies to the virus, after which blood gradually becomes clean from virus and then symptoms of intoxication decrease.

At he final stage of the disease occurs respiratory tract cleaning from epithelium damaged by virus which shows with running nose and humid cough.

Treatment and prevention
Prevention against ARVI mainly consists of general health improvement, body strengthening, immune system stimulation, regular exercises, taking vitamins, consuming healthy food, fruits and vegetables. When epidemic occurs, it is necessary to abstain from visiting public places , avoid close contacts with diseased people and wash hands more frequently. And same rules for diseased people – they should take a sick day, not visit public places, avoid contacts with healthy people and wear flu mask.

ARVI treatment commonly is symptomatic: plentiful warm drinking (not hot), taking vitamin C. You should know that taking antibiotics without doctor's recommendation is strongly prohibited because they do not have any effect on viruses and instead they get immunity down and cause disbacteriosis. It is not recommended to take antifebriles and painkillers when temperature is below 38 degrees C because moderate body temperature increase is a natural protective reaction of human body which helps immunity to fight viruses. When comes to antifebrile taking, patient should take Ibuprofen, most safe and effective medication today.

Use anti-viral medications to treat and prevent ARVI.

ARVI Treatment

Patient with ARVI is treated at home. In case of fever it is recommended bed regimen, dairy and vegetative diet rich in vitamins, plenty of warm liquids (fruit drinks, tea with lemon).  Are prescribed symptomatic drugs: nasal vasomotorial drugs, mucolytics, anti-tussive medications, antihistamine drugs, ascorbic acid, polyvitamins.

In case of causal treatment (directed on fight with causative agent) within 48 hours from the onset of the disease it is necessary to start taking antiviral medications, for example, Tamiflu. In case of complications development and occasional temperature rise after its normalization, start using antibiotics (penicillins, aminopenicillins with beta-lactamase, cephalosporins).

For the specific prevention of influenza, vaccination  is recommended. It should be done before the epidemic rise. However, vaccination is useless in other ARVI cases which are registered all year round.

ARVI prevention:
- common health improvement
- body strengthening
- immunity promotion with exercises
- consumption of food rich in vitamins
Additionally, when pandemic, your doctor may advice you to take vegetative adaptogens and immunomodifiers.

Complications after ARVI
Past viral infection makes body more vulnerable to bacterial infection which results in bacterial complications especially in cases of late diagnostics and untimely ARVI treatment. Past ARVI frequently results in chronic pathology in respiratory ways such as bronchial asthma, sinusitis, tonsillitis, otitis.

Major Types Of ARVI

1) Influenza starts suddenly with severe intoxication, high temperature, photophobia, severe headache, body pain. By the end of first day appears dry cough. In most favorable course of the disease patient's common condition and temperature get normalized during five days.

2) Infection caused by parainfluenza virus starts gradually, with no intoxication, temperature never goes beyond 38C. Parainfluenza viruses mainly affect throat. The disease shows with symptoms of acute laryngitis (hoarseness of voice, dry cough).

3) Rhinovirus infection is characterized with nose hydrorrhea on the back of slightly frank symptoms of intoxication. Also patients suffer from tearing, frequent sneezing, no signs of affecting of trachea and bronchi. Temperature of the body is usually normal, in some cases it rises to 37-37,4°С.

4) Adenovirus infection is caused by viruses that affect not just epithelium of respiratory tract  but also lymphoid tissue. That is why besides symptoms of musous affection (nose hydrorrhea, unsymmetrical conjunctivitis, moderate cough on third day, fever on 8 – 12 day) are noticed increase of lymph glands, increased liver and spleen, abdomen pains. Despite high temperature, intoxication is not noticed.

5) Respiratory syncytial infection is characterized with affection of lower respiratory tract and has the same symptoms as bronchitis. Catarrhal syndrome is not significantly frank.

6) Coronaviral infection often affects upper respiratory tract. Clinical picture is similar to rhinovirus infection. Most frequently it affects children.

How to diagnose ARVI?
In order to make diagnosis it is necessary to make analysis of epidemical situation, symptoms, nature of cough, spit and nose mucus. To detect the agent it is necessary to make analysis that helps to detect viruses antigens due to immunofluorescence test.

ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection)

ARVI is an acute virus infection of respiratory tract that is characterized with high temperature (sometimes no temperature at all), intoxication symptoms, inflammation development. Inflammation may occur at any part of respiratory tract or at the whole respiratory tract (nose, paranasal sinuses, throat, trachea, bronchi). Also it may occur on conjunctiva.

Dramatic rise of the disease occurs in winter and in early spring. ARVI also occurs in autumn and some cases are registered all year round. Immunity after the diseases in past is strongly specific. It means that immunity is resistant to specific virus that causes ARVI. That is why one and the same adult may get diseased with ARVI up to 2 – 3 times a year and a child 6 – 8 times a year.

Agents of five virus groups cause ARVI. There are 300 viruses able to cause respiratory tract damage It is clear that each of them has its peculiarities. In summer and autumn the agents most frequently are agents of picornavirus group (rhinoviruses), in latest autumn and winter ARVI is caused by pneumotropic viruses (influenza)

Source of infection is diseased person with frank ARVI symptoms. Seldom source of infection are healthy virus carriers. Infection is transmitted via airborne. However, virus may be transmitted via contact with patient (handshake, kisses, objects). The immunity after carried virus infection usually remains resistant for a short period of time.

ARVI Symptoms

Any acute respiratory viral infection is manifested with next symptoms:
* acute onset of the disease
* body temperature increase
* symptoms of intoxication that are developed in first three days (headache, loss of appetite, weakness)
* appearing of catarrhal syndrome: stuffiness in nose, nasal discharge, sore throat, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, voice hoarseness, cough, eye conjunctiva.

Influenza

Influenza (flu) is a severe virus disease which affects men, women and children of all ages and nationalities. The disease is followed by high mortality, especially among little kids and old people. The epidemics of flu occur every year usually in cold season and it hit up to 15% of population in the world.

Periodically repeating, flu and ARD destroy about one year of our life. A man spends this period in inactive condition suffering from fever, common weakness, headaches, intoxication with toxic virus proteins.

Flu gradually breaks heart-vascular system shortening lifetime of an average man. During severe course of this virus disease often occurs irreversible affection of heart-vascular system, respiratory organ, central nervous system provoking heart and vascular diseases, pneumonia, tracheobronchitis, meningoencephalitis.

Term “Acute Respiratory Disease” (ARD) or “Acute Respiratory Viral Infection” (ARVI) comprises a vast number of similar diseases. They are similar because they are caused by viruses invading organism by respiring air via mouth and nasal pharynx, and also they have similar symptoms: increased temperature of the body, sore throat, cough and headache. The most common respiratory disease is acute rhinitis (cold) that is caused by a number of congenerous viruses called rhinoviruses. During recovery all those symptoms disappear and they do not leave any signs. However, it would be wrong to call “flu” all kinds of ARD and ARVI. Flu is caused by a flu virus (Myxovirus influenzae) that belongs to the family of orthomyxoviruses.

Flu and ARVI are leading in frequency and number of cases and are 95% of all virus diseases.

About the origin of word “influenza” there are several versions. According to one of them, the word has appeared in Italy in the mid of 15th century after a serous epidemic which people thought to be the result of stars influence. Another version says that the word is originated from Latin word “influere” (invade) or Italian "influenza di freddo" (cooling after-effect).