Doctors juggle diagnoses as patients present with a variety of symptoms for dengue, cholera, influenza, swine flu, and other conditions.
One of the reasons individuals are admitted to hospitals in critical condition, according to doctors, is self-medication. Additionally, they claim that it causes additional spread and a loss of crucial time for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
As many other tropical illnesses start to affect people with the onset of the rainy season, fever, severe body aches, headache, and malaise may not be the only signs of general "viral fever."
A rise in illnesses with similar symptoms but different diseases is being seen by doctors in outpatient departments throughout Indian cities.
While some, like dengue, malaria, and chikungunya, are transmitted by mosquitoes and sandflies, others, like influenza A, influenza C, and swine flu, are viral diseases. In addition to these disorders, occasional elevations in Covid cases are seen periodically.
According to Dr Animesh Arya, unit head of respiratory medicine at Delhi's Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute, "Starting in June, we started noticing the fresh onset of acute febrile illnesses (fever) accompanied by upper respiratory tract symptoms such as cough, throat pain or irritation, or runny nose, that would typically last for two to three days." Everyone in the family is likely to become infected once it enters, although only for a short time.
The majority of people who have a case of seasonal fever, also known as "viral fever," will recover quickly on their own, but for those who do not get better or exhibit slightly different symptoms, doctors have begun testing for the presence of mild influenza A, serious influenza C, and swine flu (H1N1).
If the fever is not a typical viral fever, people test positive for these conditions. Some instances tested positive for both influenza and Covid, according to Arya. "Covid positives are now down, whereas dengue diagnoses are increasing along with influenza,"
Doctors In Numerous States Observed A Similar Pattern.
While it can often be challenging to distinguish between symptoms, several traits may be useful, according to Dr Sakshi Manchanda, an internal medicine consultant at Medanta in Lucknow.
For instance, people with dengue will experience significant bodily aches in addition to a fever.
Given that both swine flu and Covid-19 can cause serious illness, a strong index of suspicion is necessary, and frequently tests for both of these viruses are requested. In particular, if platelets are low, dengue should be examined, she advised.
The great majority of respiratory tract infections start in infants and then spread to adults, says Dr Sudha Menon, director of internal medicine at Fortis, Bengaluru. The past few weeks have seen an increase in the number of viral illnesses. While dengue and chikungunya are transmitted by mosquitoes, COVID, influenza A, and swine flu are prevalent airborne illnesses. Unfortunately, the earliest signs of all viral infections are fever, headache, a strong body ache, and malaise.
SELF-MEDICATION CAUSING SERIOUS Illness
When experiencing such symptoms, medical professionals advise seeking professional guidance rather than postponing care or self-prescribing medication.
Dr Manjeeta Nath Das, senior consultant in internal medicine at Haryana's Narayana Super Speciality Hospital, says it's critical to evaluate patients based on their symptoms as opposed to presuming they have the seasonal flu.
"Carefully assess the patients. It will provide guidance. For instance, we suspect dengue if there is acute back discomfort and retro-orbital pain. If a cough is present, we test for Covid; if Covid is negative, we send for H1N1 or swine flu testing, the doctor explained.
Menon From Fortis Hospital Brought Up A Comparable Issue.
She emphasised that a proper examination of fever is necessary. Self-medication and downplaying symptoms are causing individuals to present to the hospital in grave condition, according to research. Additionally, it causes additional spread and a loss of crucial time for an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment.
This Year Has Seen A Rise In Flu Cases
According to experts, this year has seen more incidences of flu-like sickness than in recent years.
"We've seen patients with quite serious flu-like conditions. According to my observations, the flu has returned after 12–13 years due to the significantly higher number of cases than usual, Arya said. Previously, flu cases would start registering and peak in the months of November and then February. However, this year, cases began to appear in June and persisted through July and August.
He claimed that while the majority of individuals will recover, those who already had health issues would be more in danger of being seriously ill.
Arya advises anyone with a medical history to receive flu vaccines, which protect against four different flu viruses, including influenza A, C, and swine flu.
It lowers the risk of sickness and illness by 66 to 70%. People with coexisting diseases like hypertension, cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and blood problems should think about getting the shot, he advised.
HOW DO YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN CONTINUING DISEASES?
According to Menon, a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and shortness of breath are signs of a respiratory infection, but eye pain, a higher fever, rashes, nausea, and a bitter taste in the mouth are signs of a dengue-like infection.
According to Manchanda from Medanta, patients who arrive with a stuffy nose, a cold, a cough, and sputum should be tested for swine flu. If coughing and shortness of breath are noticeable, Covid is also evaluated, she continued.
Patients are treated on an outpatient basis and urged to separate themselves if they only have minor symptoms.
"They need hospitalisation along with intravenous antibiotics, oxygen, and, if necessary, respiratory support by BiPap or ventilator, if dyspnea and severe cough with a high temperature are present, "She spoke. Additionally, antiviral medications are given for swine flu."
DNA Is Associated With Physical Activity, According to Research
In a comprehensive global study, scientists from Uppsala University found DNA regions associated with physical activity or leisure screen use. The findings indicate that a more sedentary lifestyle may be explained by how muscles adapt to training and demonstrate the health benefits of physical activity.
The study's results were released in the Nature Genetics publication.
It is commonly known that living an active lifestyle and spending less time sitting down are linked to greater health. People in better-income countries appear to be becoming less active, though, according to patterns across time. The genetic reason for why some people are more physically active than others is also known from twin and family studies, although the scientific underpinnings of this phenomenon are still poorly understood.
Researchers from Uppsala University combined genetic information from more than 700,000 participants in 51 research studies in order to better understand the mechanisms that affect physical exercise and its function in illness prevention. They did this in order to identify 99 DNA areas that are connected to the amount of time people report spending engaging in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity or watching a screen in their free time.
"We know that people tend to overestimate the amount of time they spend exercising, but almost half of the DNA areas we found also have strong connections with exercise as assessed by wearable devices that participants used in daily life. This gives our findings even more validity, says Ruth Loos of the University of Copenhagen's Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.
The researchers then demonstrated that decreased screen time lowers the risk of obesity using DNA variants as instrumental factors. Less screen time and more time engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical exercise also lower the risk of developing diabetes, ADHD, depression, and an earlier mortality age.
“We confirmed that physical activity has beneficial effects on health outcomes. We also discovered that the positive impact of physical activity on body mass drives all of the outcomes we looked at, says Zhe Wang, the paper's first author and a student at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.
Additional research revealed that DNA polymorphisms linked to screen time during leisure are more frequently found among genes whose activity in skeletal muscle is altered by strength training. This shows that by changing the response to exercise, these genes may affect the likelihood of pursuing an active lifestyle.
More in-depth research on one gene led to the discovery of a DNA variation that alters a protein building block found only in fast-twitch skeletal muscle fibres.
"Our findings demonstrate that this alteration leads to more elastic muscle fibres that have a lower force-delivery capacity but are probably more resistant to exercise-induced muscle injury. According to co-author Andrew Emmerich of the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology at Uppsala University, "We believe that this decreased risk of muscle damage after exercise makes it easier for people to lead a more active lifestyle.
The researchers found 46 genes in the 99 DNA areas that may be important for establishing a connection between ancestry and physical activity. The results imply that circuits related to locomotion and muscle weakness brought on by muscle fibre failure are likely involved.
"Although we cannot yet say that these 46 genes determine a person's level of daily physical activity, they do offer excellent starting points for future research. According to Marcel den Hoed, a researcher at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology at Uppsala University and the paper's primary author, it may someday be able to stimulate the health benefits of physical activity without actually engaging in any physical activity.
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