Symptoms of Influenza

Influenza is not as dangerous as it might have been in the past. It is a virus that can take on many forms; strains of the flu vary each year. This means that medical experts must work round the clock in making the proper vaccines to battle the flu. This is the reason why influenza has not been completely eliminated and there are people who still catch it. In fact, it’s very common to catch the flu. But when you catch it, it can be a nuisance and it can also be fatal. Know what the symptoms of the flu are so that you can prevent the flu from spreading and set yourself on the path to recovery quickly. Symptoms of Influenza - Headaches

True cases of influenza always start out with headaches. These headaches become worse and can be quite severe once the virus starts to affect a person’s body. But just because you have a headache doesn’t mean that you have the flu. At this point you cannot really tell if you are going to have the flu or not. This, however, is one of the initial or early symptoms of influenza.

Symptoms of Influenza- Chills and Cough

The next symptom that you should be on the lookout for is whether or not you are experiencing chills and a cough. This means that if your body is unusually cold, you may want to consider that as a flu symptom. Along with these chills that can be quite sporadic in nature, you may develop coughs. These two symptoms together are a high indication that you are most probably headed towards developing the flu. But the flu can still be prevented and you can control these symptoms by taking the right medicines to battle them. This is the reason why you should observe the symptoms you have at all times because prevention is the best cure against any disease.

Symptoms of Influenza - Fever

Almost simultaneous to experiencing the chills and cough, you will most likely fall into fevers and these fevers will start light and get worse as the flu develops and attacks your immune system. Fevers must be taken care of as much as possible and don’t allow them to get too high. Influenza can lead to very high fevers and this is very dangerous for the brain and for the body in general.

Symptoms of Influenza - Body Aches And Pains

The next thing you will notice is that your body will start to ache. Your joints will be very painful and your muscles will seem a lot weaker than usual. This is a common flu symptom and painkillers can be taken to battle this symptom especially if one cannot bear the pain of aching muscles and joints. However, painkillers are not advisable to be taken in huge amounts. These should only be taken when necessary and when pain is unbearable.

Symptoms of Influenza - Loss of Appetite

One of the most important symptoms to take care of is the loss of appetite. The flu will cause you to not want to eat or drink because of how weak your body has become. This should be a symptom you address as much as possible. Try to eat to keep up your energy and drink to keep your body hydrated.

How to Treat Influenza

Influenza is a potentially deadly disease. Iin the past, it was responsible for the deaths of millions of people but is now a disease that can be controlled, vaccinated against, and cured. However, even if a person is vaccinated, he or she can still catch the flu if it’s in the form of a stronger and a significantly different strain than you were vaccinated against. The strains of flu evolve and are different with each year and it is wise to keep in touch with a doctor regarding the new vaccines available to the public. However, if you already have the flu, then here are ways that you can treat it.

How to Treat Influenza - Keeping It Isolated

First and foremost, keep in mind that you must keep yourself away from other people as much as possible. If you have the flu, it is not advisable to talk to people personally or be around anyone in general. This will only encourage the disease to spread since it is airborne and something that can be spread through droplets of saliva or sweat. Spreading the flu can cause it to mutate into other diseases like pneumonia. Needless to say, you don’t want to be responsible for someone who develops that disease because of the flu that was passed on by you.

How to Treat Influenza - Resting

Although your mind may not feel like it, your body will need all the rest that it can get and it is advisable to sleep as much as possible when you have the flu. When you have the flu, some symptoms include pain and weakness of your body and muscles. This means that your body will be quite tired for the duration that you have the disease. Do not force yourself to work or do any strenuous activities because this will only make the flu worse. Your immune system is weakened at this point and you do not want your body to be open to any other diseases that can enter while you are in a vulnerable state. Rest as much as possible and only use your energy for things that you have to do like eating and minimal movement.

How to Treat Influenza - Fluid Intake

You are advised to take in a lot of liquids when you have the flu. This, however, does not mean that you can drink anything. You should be drinking fluids that can hydrate your body and this means drinking a lot of water. When you have the flu, your body will be very warm because of the fever that you will experience. This will result in a lot of sweating and your body will therefore lose a lot of water. You should continuously replace the fluids in your body with clean water. You are helping to flush out the toxins by drinking a lot of clean water. This is known as water therapy and is very effective in battling the flu.

Lastly, you will need to follow orders from your doctor. Any medicine that is prescribed to you should be taken and at all the right times before or after meals.

Influenza Vaccinations

Influenza is a viral infection and is something that can affect anybody. In fact, it affects all mammals and birds and can be passed on from person to person just by coughing, sneezing making it airborne. The disease itself was once known to have been responsible for millions of deaths long ago but with today’s medical technology improving each day, influenza can be treated. In fact, it can often be prevented before it happens just by taking a vaccination.

Influenza Vaccinations - What Is A Vaccination?

Basically, a vaccination is something that is created and injected into a person to make him or her immune to a particular disease. Influenza vaccinations are quite common and there are many strains of flu that we can be vaccinated against. Medically speaking, a vaccination will prevent an infection by a pathogen such as the flu or other disease like smallpox. What is interesting is that the vaccinations are actually weakened forms of the pathogens themselves or can be in the form of purified proteins. For example, to cure smallpox, you can use a weakened form of smallpox so that your body can adapt to battling it much more efficiently and so you are immune to it in the future.

Influenza Vaccinations - The Flu Vaccine

Vaccinations against flu are available in most hospitals and clinics. There are actually two types of influenza vaccinations that you can take. You can either opt for the injection which is the most common type of vaccination, or you can take a nasal spray which is painless and just as effective. It may be worth noting that there are differences in these two types of vaccines. The “flu shot” (or the injection) contains a dead virus and is given to a person through the arm. This is given to people who are older than 6 months. It doesn’t matter whether you are healthy or not, you should take the shot because everybody is vulnerable to the flu. The nasal spray is different because the vaccine is made up of weakened flu viruses that don’t cause the flu. These kinds of vaccines are recommended for anybody aged between 2 and 50 but cannot be given to pregnant women.

Influenza Vaccinations - When Should I Get Vaccinated?

The flu season begins at around October and be rampant all the way until May. This means that it is best to get a flu shot anywhere from October to early November. Keep in mind that flu strains do change and evolve rather quickly and you will have to stay updated with your family doctor on the strains that are out each year. This means that if there is a new strain of the flu, you have to take a different vaccination in order to battle it. Of course, the shots should be given only if advised by a licensed physician.

Influenza is not a disease that chooses its victims. It can infect anybody and this is why it is important that everybody be vaccinated against the disease. Encourage your family and friends to get their shots as early as possible to prevent the spread of the flu in your neighborhood.

Is Cellulitis Contagious Among People?

You cannot catch cellulitis from another human being. Cellulitis is an infection of the deeper layers of the skin, which are the dermis and subcutaneous tissue. On the other hand, most superficial skin infections such as impetigo are infectious because those kinds of infection are located at the skin’s top layer, which is the epidermis.

While cellulitis is not contagious, the cellulitis-causing bacteria from the infected person can transfer to your body. This can occur from direct contact with the open wound of the infected person. You won’t necessarily develop cellulitis. Rather, you can develop minor skin infections because of the bacteria.

Can I Catch Cellulitis From Animals?

While animal bites are one of the common causes or risk factors of cellulitis, an animal cannot “pass on” cellulitis to a human being. Any kind of injury such as puncture wounds, open sores, cuts, and lacerations pose a risk for developing cellulitis. Our skin is meant to protect us from pathogens and external hazards, so if it is broken or damaged, bacteria can easily get through and infect it.

You may develop cellulitis simply because of the cut or open wound made by an animal bite (even the tiny bite from mosquitoes can cause cellulitis). In other cases, an animal bite can greatly heighten your risk for developing cellulitis because the animal can be infected with pasteurella multocida. P. multocida is another type of bacteria that can lead to a diffuse localized cellulitis.

Can I Catch Cellulitis From Anthrax?

There have been many cases where anthrax has lead to cellulitis. Cutaneous anthrax, which involves infected skin, is a common type of anthrax. Anthrax infection is prevalent in those who process agricultural and animal products because animals or animal products can be contaminated by anthrax. However, contaminated meat is very rare and so are other natural causes of anthrax (anthrax is mostly used in biological warfare).

When you are infected with cutaneous anthrax, symptoms will often appear as raised, itchy bumps on the skin similar to a cellulitis symptom. In mild cases, patients feel slightly ill and in worse cases, a patient may experience chills, swollen lymph glands, and fever. With cutaneous anthrax, there is a risk of developing cellulitis. However, anthrax cannot be passed from person to person, so you are not at a higher risk of developing cellulitis because you are near/with someone who is infected with anthrax.

So, is cellulitis contagious? All the cases mentioned show that, although cellulitis can be caused by several factors such as physical injuries or other types of bacteria, it cannot be transferred from person to person or animal to person. In short, cellulitis is not contagious.

The signs and symptoms of periorbital cellulitis include the common signs of cellulitis in general: swelling, warmth, redness, and pain. These symptoms are most likely to first appear on the eyelid and skin surrounding the eye. When periorbital cellulitis is in its early stages of infection, it may cause periodontal aches and swelling as well as nasal discharge. Worse infections can cause more swelling and redness on the eyelid, vision problems, headaches, fever, and malaise.

Orbital cellulitis is characterized by inflammation of the soft tissues located in the orbit of the eye posterior to the orbital septum. The infection can be spread from the sinuses and periorbital cellulitis. Orbital cellulitis is generally more severe and serious than periorbital cellulitis. Its sings and symptoms include pain with eye movement, periorbital swelling, loss of colour vision, orbital pain, conjunctivitis and chemosis, and fever. If left untreated, the condition can cause loss of sight and cerebral complications.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that cellulitis of the eye is very much linked to sinus problems. Because there is not a large barrier between the eyes and the nose, rim of the eyes and base of the brain, infection can easily occur in the eyes if a sinus problem is present. One condition linked to cellulitis of the eye is cavernous sinus thrombosis, which is the blockage of a large vein in the cavernous sinus. The result of this infection is swollen eyes, drowsiness, headaches, fever, weak muscles, seizures, or coma.

Treatment of both periorbital and orbital cellulitis initially involves a proper diagnosis, which mainly consists of analysis of symptoms, analysis of medical history, physical exams, blood tests, and CT scans. The typical medication prescribed for cellulitis of the eyes is antibiotics. Oral antibiotics are often prescribed for mild infections, while IV antibiotics are needed for severe cases. Eye drops/ointments and oral painkillers are also used with the antibiotics to relieve symptoms.

Because cellulitis of the eyes poses a higher risk of severe complications and death, the condition must not be left untreated. Mild cases need to be administered with antibiotics right away after proper diagnosis. Furthermore, severe cases should be treated as an emergency.

First, cellulitis is basically caused by bacteria, which includes Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Pasteurella multocida, Steptococcus galactiae, Hemophilis influenzae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Most of these types of bacteria are actually triggered by the environment, contamination, sickness, and accidents. For instance, Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae is mostly prevalent among those who work in the meat industry, and bathing in contaminated water causes Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Diet

Believe it or not, having a poor diet is one of the causes of cellulitis. When your diet is poor, you tend to have poor blood circulation and a weakened immune system. These factors make it easy for bacteria to enter the body and infect it.

Poor blood circulation and a weakened immune system are essentially what cause cellulitis when it comes to a person’s health. This is why many of those who have diabetes suffer from skin conditions like cellulitis. Having diabetes increases blood sugar levels and extensively decreases blood circulation. This in turn causes chronic ulcers of the feet, which open doors to bacterial infection.

Furthermore, those with lymphedema are at risk of cellulitis also because of poor blood circulation. As a result of poor circulation, lymph fluid accumulates and produces cellular wastes that are rich in protein. The site of the build-up then becomes ideal for bacterial growth.

Finally, weakened immune system can leave your body highly susceptible to illnesses and health conditions in general. This means that your body’s defenses are not as effective in fighting off pathogens. When you become sick, all the more you are prone to infection, even if your illness is very different from cellulitis. This is one reason why older individuals are more prone to cellulitis. While anyone can get cellulitis regardless of age, our circulatory system and white blood cells generally become weaker as we get older.

Physical Activity

Stress is known to weaken the immune system and therefore plays a role in causing cellulitis. Having a sedentary lifestyle does nothing to balance and relieve stress, and therefore poses a higher risk for infection. When you sweat through physical activity/exercise, you eliminate toxins from your body that causes inflammations in the skin.

Hygiene

Everyone carries bacteria, however, some types of bacteria can cause infections once they pass through the skin. This is why washing your skin in a consistent manner is important. Not only that, you’ll need to clean other areas of your body, too. To prevent cellulitis in adults, visit your dentist regularly for cleaning (cellulitis can be caused by dental work) and cleanse your internal system with colonic irrigation when necessary. Children will also benefit from dental cleaning and most likely need to have parasites eliminated.

As you can see, the causes of cellulitis are varied and can come from our daily habits or activities. Taking preventive measures is always the best treatment. If you suspect an infection, get a diagnosis so you can be treated immediately.

Risk Factors Linked To The Onset Of Cellulitis

Cellulitis is often triggered by broken skin, such as with lacerations, cuts, puncture wounds, fissures, and animal/insect bites. Cellulitis can also be more prevalent among individuals who have lymphatic obstruction, toe web intertrigo, tinea pedis, pressure ulcers, venous insufficiency, obesity, impaired immune systems, and diabetes.

What Happens Under The Microscope

When the infectious bacterium invades a vulnerable area (such as an open wound), it overcomes the defensive cells in our body, which includes mast cells, eosinophils, basophils, and neutrophils. These defecnsive cells often act to hold inflammation in just one area. When infection further progresses cellular debris builds up, and infectious bacteria soon engulfs tissue surrounding and located at the affected area.

Cellulitis pathophysiology: Complications

If the affected area is left untreated, complication is a high possibility. When the skin turns red or a rash occurs, this may indicate a deeper and more severe infection. In this case, infection has most likely reached the inner layers of the skin. When the infectious bacteria are able to reach below the skin, they can spread faster. In this case, bacteria are able to get into the lymph nodes, reach the bloodstream and extend all throughout the body.

The infection can spread so easily that if left untreated, bacteria can spread to the deep layer of tissue, or fascial lining. This is called a deep-layer infection. This type of infection is characterized by the flesh-eating strep or necrotizing fasciitis. The prevalence of this condition is quite rare, but individuals who do not treat severe cellulitis definitely have a higher risk of developing necrotizing fasciitis.

Streptoccoccus pyogenes is responsible for the flesh-eating strep and actually belongs to the group A streptococcus type of bacteria that causes cellulitis. The flesh-eating bacteria spreads in the deeper skin layer, as that area of the body is softer. Bacteria initially break through the protective skin layer. These organisms contain enzymes that digest protein and therefore enable them to eat their way through the fascia. Soon the bacteria is able to reach muscles and tendons. The fascia becomes liquefied with the enzymes and provide bacteria with the perfect condition to thrive and proliferate at a faster rate. Extremely serious cases like this requires emergency treatment, which may involve surgical procedures, IV antibiotics, oral antibiotics, supportive therapy, or a combination of these.

Cellilitis pathophysiology may vary among the different types of celliulitis. For instance, the signs and symptoms surrounding orbital cellulitis (infection of the eye) can be a manifestation of other health conditions such as sinus problems. The most typical paths of infection in this case come from the sinuses or teeth and/or injury in those areas. Proper diagnosis will often determine any underlying cause of cellulitis or the severity of the infection.

What Starts The Infection?

The main cause or determinant of preseptal cellulitis is the staphylococcus, streptococcus, or Hemophilus influenza (most of the time in children). Other factors that can cause or trigger infection include lacerations, localized infectious processes, open wounds, and foreign bodies retained in the later-affected area.

How Do I Know If I Have Preseptal Cellulitis?

Since preseptal cellulitis affects the eye, one should be concerned just as when any other infection or irritation affects the eye. Red and tender eyelids and a mild fever often characterize the typical symptoms of the condition. In worse cases, the affected eyelid can become swollen, and sometimes so swollen that the eye is unable to open. Aside from those symptoms, preseptal cellulitis carries the typical symptoms of cellulitis in general, which are swelling, itchiness, redness, and some degree of pain.

How Can I Tell Between Preseptal Cellulitis And Other Similar Conditions?

The more difficult part of determining preseptal cellulitis is that its symptoms can be shared by the symptoms of other health conditions like severe allergic reactions (where the eye also swells up) and pink eye (although diagnosis is always helpful). Basically, inflammation associated with the condition is analyzed by severity and location.

Preseptal cellulitis should not be mistaken as orbital cellulitis. Orbital cellulitis involves infections that occur or have progressed to the eyeball itself or the eye socket. Preseptal cellulitis is mainly characterized by the infection of tissue surrounding the eyelids. When it worsens, the infection may spread and develop orbital and subperiosteal abscesses. Further infection can cause meningitis or cavernous sinus thrombosis.

Moreover, you may experience conditions that will bring your further from suspicion of preseptal cellulitis. These conditions generally precede preseptal cellulitis, and these include paranasal sinusitis and upper respiratory tract infections.

How Can I Be Sure About The Condition?

Getting a proper diagnosis should always be your first decision if you are suspecting infection. Normally a diagnosis for cellulitis involves your doctor analyzing your medical history, conducting physical exams, and performing blood tests. Your doctor may ask when you first noticed you weren’t feeling well or were experiencing discomfort. Preseptal cellulitis does not always display obvious symptoms in the initial stages of the infection. In fact, symptoms can manifest as a completely different condition such as sinus problems. Worse cases of cellulitis may require a CT or MRI scan.

Anyone can develop preseptal cellulitis. There is no known association between the condition and age, sex, or race. The risk of getting infected is generally higher during winter, as sinus problems easily arise during this time.

Signs And Symptoms

The symptoms of periorbital cellulitis are shared with the symptoms of other types of cellulitis. Typical symptoms include redness, itchiness, warmth, swelling and pain. But since periorbital cellulitis affects the eye, you may have a different experience. First of all, periorbital cellulitis should not be confused with orbital cellulitis, which is another type of cellulitis that causes protrusion of the eyeball (however, if cellulitis surrounding the eye is untreated, orbital cellulitis may develop and movement of the eyeball becomes difficult).

Initial symptoms of periorbital cellulitis include nasal discharge, periodontal swelling and pain, and bleeding with sinusitis. You may also experience headaches, malaise, and fever but is not always the case with the early progression of infection. Further signs and symptoms may include vision impairments (seeing double, etc.), swelling and redness of the eyelid, pain while the eye is moving, and general pain in the eye.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis for periorbital cellulitis begins with the diagnosis of cellulitis in general. Individuals who have just encountered the symptoms above oftentimes visit a doctor, who will most likely refer them to an ophthalmologist if periorbital cellulitis is suspected or determined. Diagnosis for periorbital cellulitis initially begins by analyzing a patient’s medical history, conducting a physical exam, and giving further tests such as blood tests and CT scans.

Treatment

It is important to have treatment as soon as a diagnosis has been made. Periorbital cellulitis that is untreated can trigger further complications and even death. The very first thing your doctor will most likely do is put you on antibiotics. Oral antibiotics such as penicillin often treat mild cases of orbital cellulitis, however, always inform your doctor about any allergies you may have (some patients are allergic to penicillin). You may also be given eye drops or ointments and pain relievers such as ibuprofen to ease the discomfort associated with the condition’s symptoms. Warm compresses, fluids, and lots of rest may also be a solution done at the hospital or at home.

For worse cases of periorbital cellulitis, adults or children may be required to stay in the hospital for 48 to 72 hours while being given IV antibiotics. Following hospitalization, taking oral antibiotics and further supportive therapy may still be required to make sure infection doesn’t recur. If an orbital abscess exists, surgery and drainage may be performed.

In most cases, periorbital cellulitis can be completely cured just by taking oral antibiotics. However, if the condition is untreated or not treated properly, the eyeball and/or eye socket can be infected, which results in orbital cellulitis. This is a deadly condition, which requires immediate hospitalization. Thus, preventive measures should always be taken to avoid the occurrence of eye infection in the first place. Avoid frequently rubbing or touching the eye area as much as possible, and always practice good hygiene.

Non-severe Cellulitis

The symptoms for mild or non-severe cellulitis include redness, swelling, warmth, itchiness soreness, pain and generally an inflammation on the skin. Skin with non-severe cellulitis often appears as reddish in color with bumps. Bacterial infection is one of the main symptoms of cellulitis and is a cause or determinant of the condition. Cellulitis can very much resemble rashes and many other skin conditions—this is why you need to have proper diagnosis if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Severe Cellulitis

Worse cases of cellulitis carry additional symptoms that can be more severe. A person with severe cellulitis may experience chills, fevers, shaking, and inflammation of the lymph nodes. If left untreated, the condition can result in an impaired immune system or death.

Types of Cellulitis

One should be aware that cellulitis could occur anywhere on the body and regardless of your age, sex, and race. Cellulitis symptoms typically appear on the leg, however, it can appear on the breasts and even on the eyes. Here are the types of cellulitis:

• Facial Cellulitis

• Leg Cellulitis

• Breast Cellulitis

• Perianal Cellulitis (bacterial infection occurring around the anal orifice)

• Orbital Cellulitis (bacterial infection occurring in the eye)

• Periorbital Cellulitis (bacterial infection occurring around the eyelid)

All these types of cellulitis all carry similar or the same symptoms including redness, swelling, pain, itchiness, soreness, and warmth. However, some types of cellulitis such as facial cellulitis, perianal cellulitis, and orbital cellulitis may have more specific symptoms such as permanent vision impairment (as in the case of orbital cellulitis). After being diagnosed for cellulitis by a doctor for the first time, you may be referred to other doctors for further examination. For instance, if symptoms occur in or around the eyes, you may be referred to an ophthalmologist.

Symptoms Related To Other Conditions

There are predisposing factors and other health conditions linked to cellulitis. Thus, if you are diagnosed with any of these conditions, symptoms that have been analyzed might also indicate cellulitis, which must be treated as early as possible. On the other hand, the existing health condition may also require treatment in order to treat cellulitis as well. Diabetics are at higher risk of having cellulitis because of their high susceptibility to many skin conditions. A diabetic suffering from any symptom found on the skin may be diagnosed for cellulitis. Other symptoms related to cellulitis include ulcers, abscesses, and osteomyelitis.

In short, the symptoms of cellulitis can be easily confused for symptoms of other skin conditions. However, cellulitis symptoms are just as typical as most skin problems and can be analyzed and determined right away by a healthcare professional during a diagnosis.