Coping with Colds and Influenza

Coping with Colds and Influenza

by Jim English

The end of summer marks the return to the comfortable and established routines of fall. Unfortunately, as we make the transition from the fresh, open air of summertime to the closed con-fines of the office, class-room, or home, we increase our risk for contracting colds, influenza, and other human-transmitted infections.

The five-month period ranging from October through February is commonly referred to as the cold and flu season. In fact, colds and influenza are the most frequent ailments in the United States, accounting for some 600 million total cases (averaging about 2.5 colds per person, per year). Each year colds and flu cost business billions of dollars, and studies show that nearly 200 million school days are lost to illness.

THE "COMMON" COLD

By definition, the common cold (acute coryza) is a mild viral infection of the upper respiratory passages, affecting the nose, throat, and windpipe.

Colds are caused by over 200 different viruses, including paramyxoviruses (parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus), picornaviruses (rhinovirus, echo-virus, and coxsackievirus), adenovirus, and influenza type C virus.

Though considered a winter malady, as anyone who has suffered a summer cold knows, colds actually follow a seasonal cycle. In the spring, summer and fall the predominant cold bug is one of the 100 or more rhinoviruses. In the late fall and winter the major cold viruses are parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial viruses.

People become infected when exposed to a virus particle, either by inhaling an air-borne virus or by contact with an infected surface. Typically a virus will infect healthy cells by passing through the walls of the mucous membranes in the nose, eyes or mouth.

The surface of a cold virus is reticulated, alternating deep canyons with stubby projections designed to fit tightly into molecules on cells lining the airways. Once a virus has gained entrance and successfully linked with a healthy cell surface, it quickly penetrates the cell membrane and takes over, reprogramming the cell. The invaded cell next becomes a miniature bioreactor, manufacturing millions of new viral particles. Eventually the cell interior expands with new viral copies until it literally explodes, releasing new viruses that are now free to search for fresh cells to infect.

COLD SYMPTOMS

Once infected, cells lining the respiratory tract become inflamed and start producing mucus, causing typical symptoms such as stuffy or runny nose, sore throat, coughing and general malaise.

Fever may go as high as 102 degrees F (39 degrees C) in infants and children. In adults fevers of this magnitude are more indicative of influenza.

During this phase, an infected person is, in essence, a highly infectious, mobile germ factory, releasing virus particles while moving about and spreading a trail of infection through the air and on any surface touched. Thus the cycle of infection continues.

TREATING COLDS

Typically a cold lasts for approximately nine days, or for as long as it takes the infected person's immune system to kill enough viruses to stop the symptoms. The stronger your immune system, the faster you recover.

Due to this large number of cold viruses, people do not develop immunity to colds as they do to many other viral diseases.

Exposure to one strain does not offer protection from others. This simple fact explains why it's been so difficult for researchers to devise a cold vaccine.

Current medical treatment for a cold, aside from hot chicken soup, is to get plenty of rest and fluids, and to use antihistamines, decongestants, and cough medicines as needed.

Aspirin may be recommended, but if possible should be avoided due to the fact that it increases viral shedding, making the infected sufferer more contagious. Most importantly, aspirin is strongly associated with Reye's syndrome and should never be given to children. Consider alternatives, such as acetaminophen.

Your best line of defense against a cold is your immune system. Maintaining a healthy immune system is not only a good preventive measure against infection, but will also assist in a quicker and more complete recovery. And just as stress, lack of sleep and poor nutrition can impair the immune system, using substances that boost one's immune system is a promising approach.

THE "UNCOMMON" FLU

Like the common cold, influenza is an infectious disease of the upper respiratory tract caused by a specific virus of the genus Orthomyxovirus. Unlike the common cold, influenza is highly contagious, and can be deadly. In fact, influenza and its accompanying complications, such as pneumonia and bronchitis, result in approximately 20,000 deaths in the United States each year.

At its most devastating, between 1917 and 1919 a global epidemic (pandemic) of the Spanish Flu killed between 20 and 40 million people around the world. In the United States alone, over 25 million people were infected and 500,000 died from the outbreak of this virus, now known as influenza type-A (H1N1).

Influenza, also called the flu or grippe, was originally described by Hippocrates in 412 BC. In 1580, the first well-described pandemic of influenza-like disease was recorded. An observer of the times noted that epidemics of the disease occurred more frequently at certain times of the year, particularly under the "influence" of particular constellations of planets, hence the name "influenza."

Since 1580 some 31 such possible influenza pandemics have been documented, with three occurring in this century: in 1918 (Swine flu), 1957 (Asian flu) and 1968 (Hong Kong flu).

There is evidence that the viruses which caused these epidemics originated from animals (1918, swine, 1957 and 1968, avian strains). In 1976, a new influenza virus caused human infections and severe illness. A vaccine against swine influenza was developed and administered in some countries, although no global epidemic in fact occurred.

More recently, in May 1997, a strain of influenza, A(H5N1), was isolated from a child in Hong Kong who had died with Reye's Syndrome. Prior to this death this strain of virus was only known to infect various species of birds, including chickens and ducks. First discovered in terns in South Africa in 1961, H5N1 can be deadly to chickens. In the spring of 1997, thousands of chickens died in Hong Kong after contracting it.

After the first human case occurred in May 1997, intensive surveillance uncovered 15 additional cases, all of them in Hong Kong. Although the exact means of transmission of H5N1 to humans has not yet been identified, there is no clear-cut evidence of any human-to-human transmission. Infection with the virus is believed to come through contact with infected birds.

Up to the end of 1997, there were four deaths among people infected by the H5N1 virus. The first case, the two year-old boy who died of complications from Reye's Syndrome, a 54 year-old man, a 13 year-old girl and a 60 year-old woman. However, the severity of infections identified so far may not be representative of the spectrum of illness caused by H5N1 infection in humans, as milder cases may not have come to hospitals for treatment.

EVOLUTION IN ACTION

Influenza viruses are divided into types: A, B and C, plus subtypes of A. Types A and B circulate in human populations and mutate constantly. Approximately every 10 years influenza pandemics have been caused by new strains of type-A virus. Epidemics or regional outbreaks have appeared every 2 to 3 years for influenza A, and every 4 to 5 years for influenza B, resulting in the need for a modified vaccine every year.

At times a new influenza virus can appear to which nobody is immune because no one has previously been exposed to it. This is called an antigenic shift, and it occurs at irregular intervals. Some antigenic shifts result in local epidemics or global pandemics.

FLU SYMPTOMS

In the United States the flu season generally appears in late December and lasts through March. Infection is generally the same as with colds. Inhalation of air-borne viral particles is believed to be the primary vector. Infection is highest among school-age children, due in part to their lack of previous exposure to antigenically related strains.

In humans, the spectrum of illness caused by influenza virus infection are similar to, but more severe, than the common cold, ranging from asymptomatic (no symptoms) to fatal. A high proportion of infected individuals do not develop symptoms but remain highly capable of transmitting this infection to others.

Flu symptoms can appear abruptly, starting with a high fever (103 degrees F, 39.4 degrees C) in adults, and higher in children. The onset of fever may be followed by chills, muscle aches (myalgia), runny nose, throbbing headache, fatigue, sore throat, hoarseness and a dry cough. It is not uncommon to experience diarrhea and stomach upset (nausea), and even light-headedness and disorientation.

Most influenza infections cause only self-limited illness that does not require hospitalization, though the elderly and young tend to have more severe symptoms in general. The disease, unless complicated by secondary bacterial infection (pneumonia) usually lasts from three to seven days. Following recovery patients may experience a period of general weakness and depression.

TREATING THE FLU

Bed rest and plenty of fluids constitute the first step. Aspirin may be given to adults but not to children, because children are at risk of developing Reye's syndrome. Flu victims 50 years old or older, however, may be given antibiotics to prevent pneumonia.

A persistent fever or worsening symptoms may indicate one of three types of the pneumonia form of influenza. The first is sudden, severe, and often fatal and is present from onset; the second, less severe, appears a few days after onset; and the third, also less severe, appears after apparent recovery.

FLU PREVENTION

An attack of influenza does confer temporary immunity against that specific type of virus. Unfortunately this does not offer protection against other strains of flu. Vaccines have been developed that have been claimed to be 70 to 90 percent effective for at least six months against either A or B types.

Orthodox medicine considers vaccination especially important for older people, patients with cardiac or respiratory diseases, and pregnant women. Since 1984 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has added to this list the physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel who have extensive contact with high-risk patients and has endorsed the dispensation of vaccine to members of the general public desiring such protection. (Previously, routine annual vaccination had not been recommended except during outbreaks and for high-risk groups because of the periodic changes in influenza viruses.)

Should you consider getting a flu shot? That's a decision only you can make. Many people say that "the only time I get the flu is when I have the "shot"." Many alternative physicians caution strongly against immunizations of any kind.

Of course, your best defense against flu is not to catch it in the first place.

The information in this article is not intended to provide personal medical advice, which should be obtained from a medical professional, and has not been approved by the U.S. FDA.

Copyright 2001 by Vitamin Research Products, Inc. (VRP) The use of information found in Vitamin Research News for commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission from VRP.