How Do I Tell the Difference Between the Flu and Pneumonia?

Influenza virus pneumonia is an infectious disease of the lungs caused by the invasion of the lower respiratory tract by the influenza virus. It can be caused by the virus itself or by secondary bacterial infection. Influenza virus pneumonia is prone to occur in patients with underlying lung and heart disease, pregnant women, infants, elderly, or immunodeficiency. Early symptoms of influenza and rapid disease progression have a higher mortality rate.

Basic Information

Visiting department

Respiratory

Multiple groups

People with basic lung and heart disease, pregnant women, infants, elderly, immunodeficiency

Common locations

Lungs

Common causes

Influenza virus invades lower respiratory tract

Common symptoms

Urgent onset, cough, sore throat, fever, headache, myalgia, persistent fever, paroxysmal cough

Causes of influenza virus pneumonia

Influenza virus belongs to the family Orthomyxoviridae, which is an RNA virus. It is spherical or elongated with a diameter of 80 to 120 nm. The internal dense core is a nucleoprotein composed of 8 fragments of single-stranded RNA and protein, and the outer membrane surface has glycoprotein protrusions composed of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Hemagglutinin is the main surface antigen of influenza virus. Antibodies against hemagglutinin can neutralize the virus and play a major role in anti-influenza virus immunity. Antineuraminidase antibodies can limit the release of influenza virus and reduce the incidence of infection. According to the specificity of nucleoproteins, influenza viruses are usually divided into types A, B and C. Type A viruses are prone to rearrangement of gene fragments and cause antigen replacement. Periodic antigen mutations are prone to occur, and new subspecies and variants are generated, which cause worldwide pandemics. Type B viruses only undergo point mutations in gene fragments and cause antigen drift. Because the antigenic variation is small and only variants are formed, it often causes local outbreaks and pandemics; type C viruses do not have antigenic variations and appear only in scattered forms.

Clinical manifestations of influenza virus pneumonia

Onset of symptoms often include general flu symptoms, such as sudden onset, cough, sore throat, accompanied by fever, headache, myalgia and discomfort, and the symptoms continue to resolve, followed by high fever, shortness of breath, cyanosis, paroxysmal cough. Vigorous, sputum volume is often small, but blood may be in the sputum. Secondary bacterial infections usually occur within 2 weeks after the onset of symptoms, with symptoms such as high fever or symptoms alleviating and then exacerbating. The sputum became purulent, and symptoms and signs of bacterial pneumonia appeared. The pathogens are mostly Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenza, and so on. It is common in patients with chronic heart and lung diseases, chronic metabolic diseases, and chronic kidney diseases, leading to worsening of underlying diseases. On physical examination, the breathing sounds of both lungs were low, and wet and dry rales were heard at the corresponding part of the lesion, but there were no signs of consolidation.

Flu virus pneumonia check

Laboratory inspection

The white blood cell count changes greatly, and may be normal or low in the early stage, and may increase slightly in the future, and the proportion of lymphocytes often increases. In the case of a significant viral or bacterial infection, severe white blood cell reduction can occur. When the white blood cell count exceeds 15 × 109 / L, it often indicates the existence of secondary bacterial infection.

2. Etiological examination

Smear detection of influenza virus antigens, PCR technology to detect virus genes and culture to isolate viruses.

3.X-ray inspection

Inflammation and infiltration along the hilum to the periphery can be seen at the beginning of the onset, and it can appear scattered flakes and flocculent shadows as the disease progresses. It is often distributed in multiple lung fields, but it is fused and changed in the later stages. It is mostly concentrated in the inner middle zone of the lung field. , Similar to pulmonary edema.

4. Other

Including hemagglutination inhibition test and complement binding test. Detection of sera in the acute phase and recovery phase using current domestic representative virus strains or local newly isolated virus strains, antibodies with a 4-fold increase in antibodies have diagnostic value. The diagnosis of secondary bacterial pneumonia can be confirmed by bacterial culture of sputum, lung tissue, and pleural effusion.

Diagnosis of influenza virus pneumonia

The diagnosis of influenza virus pneumonia depends on the onset and typical clinical manifestations of the influenza epidemic, the isolation of influenza virus in secretions such as sputum and lung tissues, and exclusion of bacterial and other pathogenic infections such as meningoencephalitis, Legionnaires' disease, and mycoplasma pneumonia; Depends on pathogenic examination.

Influenza virus pneumonia treatment

1. The treatment of influenza virus pneumonia is mainly to maintain the patient's organ function, especially the oxygenation function of the lungs, and to provide respiratory and hemodynamic support in a timely manner.

2. Antiviral drugs are only used for the early prevention and treatment of influenza A virus, so the drugs only prevent the influenza virus from entering the cells, and are not effective against the virus that has entered the cells. Therefore, early application is needed to reduce the symptoms and shorten the course of the disease.

3. Sensitive antibacterial drugs should be used early when bacterial infections are combined. In severe cases, or patients with underlying diseases, broad-spectrum antibiotics should be selected early to save patients' lives.

4. For those with severe symptoms of high temperature and poisoning, nutritional support is needed to maintain a stable internal environment and physical cooling. Other treatments include symptomatic treatment such as bed rest, drinking plenty of water, preventing and controlling secondary bacterial infections, and relieving cough and phlegm.

5. Appropriate treatment of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Chinese medicine is conducive to anti-virus, enhancing patient's immunity and cooling.

Influenza virus pneumonia prevention

Patients should be isolated to prevent cross-infection. Application of live attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccines has a certain preventive effect. Because the strain of each influenza epidemic often mutates, the vaccine strain should preferably be as close as possible to the epidemic strain. For people with underlying diseases, or the elderly and infirm, the outbreak should be minimized during the flu season to avoid crowded environments, and flu and pneumonia vaccines should be given.