What You Can Do About the Flu

By Lee Philips, M.D.
PersonalMD.Com Advisory Board

Influenza, or "the flu", is a viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs. The flu spreads quickly from one person to another. When someone infected with the flu coughs or sneezes, droplets with the virus spreads to other people, entering their body through the nose or mouth. There, the viruses can multiply and cause flu. After a person has been infected with the virus, symptoms usually appear within 2 to 4 days.

The infection is considered contagious for another 3 to 4 days after symptoms appear. Because of this, people used to think the flu was caused by the "influence of the stars and planets." In the 1500's, the Italians called the disease "influenza," their word for influence.

It is usually a mild disease in healthy people. However, flu can be life threatening in older people and in people of any age who have chronic illnesses such as heart disease, emphysema, asthma, bronchitis, kidney disease, or diabetes. Getting the flu shot is the best way to prevent the flu.

Each winter, millions of people suffer from the flu. One familiar aspect of flu is the way it can mimic the common cold. But, a cold usually doesn't cause a fever - the flu does. Also, a cold causes a stuffy nose more often than flu does. Usually, cold symptoms are milder and don't last as long as the flu.

Flu symptoms can differ from person to person. Some people, the lucky ones, have no obvious symptoms. Others, however are "knocked off their feet". People with the flu feel weak, develop a cough, a headache, fever, chills and body aches, and symptoms can last for up to 2 weeks.

Flu almost never causes gastrointestinal symptoms; the illness that people often call "stomach flu" is not influenza. For most people, the best treatment is bed rest, analgesics for the pain and fever, and plenty of liquids. Antibiotics are not effective against flu viruses.

The flu is important because of the seriousness of the complications that can develop. While your body is busy fighting off the flu, you may be less able to resist a second infection like pneumonia. Complications usually appear after you begin feeling better.

Older people and people with other medical problems have the greatest risk of developing these secondary infections. If this second infection is in the lungs such as pneumonia it can be life threatening. Pneumonia is one of the five leading causes of death among people 65 and older.

Treatment Options

Amantadine and rimantadine, two antiviral medications, can play a part in the prevention and treatment of influenza type A infection. They prevent the spread of influenza A by interfering with the production of the virus inside your body. They do not protect you against influenza B and other respiratory viruses. Amantadine and rimantadine can reduce the severity and allow flu sufferers to return to their daily routines more quickly. The medicine should be started within 48 hours of illness onset, and will need to be continued for 7 days.

During an outbreak, amantadine and rimantadine are approximately 70%-90% effective in preventing influenza A. To work best the medicine must be taken each day for the duration of influenza activity in the community, which can be as long as six weeks. People who might consider taking these medicines to prevent the flu include:

• people who are over the age of 65
• those who live in nursing homes
• people with chronic medical problems, diabetes, lung problems
• people who have weakened immune systems
• people who can not receive the vaccine because of egg allergies.

Additionally, people vaccinated after an outbreak of influenza A has begun in a community may consider taking amantadine or ranitadine. This is because the development of antibodies in adults after vaccination can take as long as 2 weeks.

Relenza is a drug available for the first time this year. Relenza, an inhaled medication, for adults and children 12 years and older for the treatment of both influenza A & B virus. Relenza stops the spread of the virus from cell to cell in the respiratory system. Patients with influenza who received Relenza recovered sooner from the flu. The medicine should be started within 2 days of getting symptoms. Relenza does not work as well for patients who do not have a temperature or severe symptoms. It is not know whether the drug is able to prevent influenza. Relenza is taken twice daily for five days using an inhaler device. Relenza has not been shown to be effective, and may carry risk, for patients with severe asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

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