What are the symptoms of rheumatic cold?

Rheumatic colds are very common diseases in life and are diseases that many friends will encounter. Rheumatic cold is actually an influenza virus infection. Patients will experience obvious discomfort symptoms, such as headache, body pain, fever, difficulty breathing, etc. This type of situation will also cause very obvious discomfort to patients, so friends must be more vigilant.

1. Typical influenza

The systemic poisoning symptoms such as sudden onset of high fever, chills or chills, headache, body pain, fatigue, loss of appetite are obvious, while the respiratory symptoms are mild. A small number of patients may experience nasal congestion, runny nose, photophobia, tearing and other eye symptoms. Cough, discomfort or burning behind the sternum, dry throat, and sore throat are also common. The body temperature may reach 40°C, the face may be flushed, and the pharynx and outer canthus of the conjunctiva may be slightly congested. There may be dry rales in the lungs. The fever usually reaches its peak within 1 to 2 days and subsides within 3 to 4 days. After the fever subsides, respiratory symptoms are more obvious and last for 3 to 4 days before disappearing, but fatigue may persist for 1 to 2 weeks. This type is the most common. The fever of mild patients does not exceed 39°C, the symptoms are mild, and the course of the disease is 2 to 3 days.

2. Influenza virus pneumonia

Influenza virus infection can transform from simple type to pneumonia type, or directly manifest as pneumonia type. Pneumonia type is caused by the spread of influenza virus infection from the upper respiratory tract to the lower respiratory tract. Primary influenza virus pneumonia is prone to occur in patients with underlying lung and heart diseases (especially rheumatic heart disease, left atrioventricular valve stenosis), pregnant women or people in immunocompromised states, but up to half of the case reports have not yet been confirmed to have underlying diseases. After the onset of typical pneumonia-type influenza, high fever persists and symptoms such as dyspnea, cyanosis, severe cough, foamy mucus or blood in sputum quickly appear; physical examination reveals low breath sounds and wheezing in both lungs, but no signs of consolidation.

Chest X-ray shows scattered flocculent shadows on both sides of the lungs, spreading from the hilum to the surrounding areas; the manifestations are consistent with adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and the patient may die from heart failure or peripheral circulatory failure. The course of the disease may last up to 3 to 4 weeks. Blood gas analysis showed significant hypoxemia. Influenza virus can be easily isolated from sputum, and many neutrophils can be seen in Gram stain of sputum smear; however, no pathogenic bacteria grow in sputum or blood culture, antibacterial treatment is ineffective, and the mortality rate can exceed 50%. Influenza often affects the lower respiratory tract in infants, young children and the elderly, and the condition is especially serious when it causes pneumonia. Among pediatric hospitalizations due to lower respiratory tract infections, about 1/4 is caused by influenza viruses. The incidence of influenza pneumonia and bronchitis in the elderly increases with age, with the incidence rate being 36% in the 60-69 age group and as high as 73% in the group over 70 years old. Influenza pneumonia in the elderly often lacks early symptoms and is easily overlooked. By the time pneumonia is discovered, it is often accompanied by critical conditions such as obvious dehydration, acidosis, or impaired consciousness.

3. Toxic and gastrointestinal types

The poisoning type is extremely rare. The virus invades the nervous system and cardiovascular system and causes toxic symptoms. Clinically, there are symptoms of encephalitis or meningitis, mainly manifested as high fever and coma. Adults often have delirium, and children may have convulsions and meningeal irritation signs. The number of cerebrospinal fluid cells may increase slightly. In some cases, vascular and nervous system disorders or adrenal bleeding may lead to low blood pressure or shock. Gastrointestinal influenza is common among children, with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain as the main symptoms, and usually recovers in 2 to 3 days.