“Many people believe that flu is just a bad cold with body aches and fever, but it’s definitely not,” says Clicks pharmacist Madri Botha.
What makes flu so dangerous?
Flu is particularly dangerous for people with existing medical conditions such as asthma, lung or heart disease or for those receiving medical treatment such as chemotherapy. Children younger than five and adults over 65 are also at higher risk, along with pregnant women.
“While flu is a viral infection, it can lead to secondary bacterial infections,” explains Botha. “These can be anything from sinusitis and bronchitis to throat and upper respiratory tract infections. These secondary infections happen when your immunity is low.” She adds that further complications can easily arise from secondary infections that are not treated correctly or speedily. “Bronchitis can lead to pneumonia, which may require hospitalisation. Pneumonia can also be potentially fatal,” she says.
However, sometimes an infection can cause the body to overreact and actually fight itself by causing more inflammation, which can seriously damage the tissues and organs. In extreme cases this can lead to organ failure, sepsis and even death. In many flu-related deaths, the viral infection was not directly to blame. Rather, the viral infection sparked a chain reaction that proved fatal.
Botha warns that exercising while you are infected with flu can seriously damage your heart. “Recently a patient who continued running with flu was hospitalised with infection in the heart.” So any strenuous activity while you have flu is discouraged.
Treatment options
If your flu is diagnosed within two days of seeing symptoms, if you are aged, or if your child is very young, a doctor may recommend antiviral medication. While this isn’t a cure for flu, it helps to slow the spread of the virus so that the immune system has a chance to fight the virus. This also means you will feel sick for a shorter time, have fewer serious symptoms, and so have less chance of further complications.
“Most times though, the symptoms of flu are managed so that the patient stays comfortable while the immune system drives out the virus,” says Botha. While healing happens, it’s important to stay well hydrated, and pay attention to high or prolonged fevers as they may cause damage to the body’s tissues. Severe headaches and a stiff neck could indicate meningitis, which requires immediate medical treatment. Paying constant attention to symptoms is crucial.
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