Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a complex chronic disease involving disorders in carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism and the development of macro-vascular, micro-vascular, neurological complications that don’t occur over a few nights or weeks or months.  It is a metabolic disorder in where the pancreas organ ends up causing many disruptions in proper working of our body.  The pancreas is both an endocrine and exocrine gland.  The problem with diabetes is due to the endocrine part of the pancreas not working properly.  More than 1 million islet cells are located throughout the organ.  The three types of endocrine cells that the pancreas excretes into our blood stream are alpha, beta, and delta cells.  The alpha cells secrete glucagon (stored glucose), beta secrete insulin, and delta secrete gastrin and pancreatic somatostatin.   A person with DM has minimal or no beta cells secreted from the pancreas, which shows minimal or no insulin excreted in the person’s bloodstream.  Insulin is necessary for the transport of glucose, amino acids, potassium, and phosphate across the cell membrane getting these chemical elements into the cell.  When getting these elements into the cells it is like the cell eating a meal and the glucose, being one of the ingredients in the meal, is used for energy=fuel to our body; the glucose inside the cells gets carried to all our tissues in the body to allow the glucose to be utilized into all our tissues so they can do their functions (Ex. Getting glucose into the muscle tissue allows the muscles to have the energy to do the range of motion in letting us do our daily activities of living, like as simple as type or walk).  The problem with diabetes is the glucose doesn’t have the insulin being sent into the bloodstream by the pancreas to transfer the glucose across the cell membrane to be distributed as just discussed.  Instead what results is a high glucose levels in the blood stream causing hyperglycemia.  It should be apparent that when there is a deficit of insulin, as in DM, hyperglycemia with increased fat metabolism and decreased protein synthesis occur ( Our body being exposed to this type of environment over  years causes the development of many chronic conditions that would not have occurred if DM never took place in the body, all due to high glucose levels starting with not being properly displaced in the body as it should be normally.).

People with normal metabolism upon awaking and before breakfast are able to maintain blood glucose levels in the AM ranging from 60 to 110mg/dl.  After eating food the non-diabetic’s blood glucose may rise to 120-140 mg/dl after eating (postprandial), but these then rapidly return back to normal.  The reason for this happening is you eat food, it reaches the stomach, digestion takes place during digestion the stomach brakes down fats, carbohydrates, and sugars from compound sugars to simple sugars (fructose and glucose).  Than the sugars transfer from the stomach into the bloodstream causing an increase in sugar levels.  Now, your body uses the sugar it needs at that time throughout the entire body for energy and if still extra sugar left in the bloodstream that isn’t needed at that time to be utilized it now needs to go somewhere out of the bloodstream to allow the glucose blood level to get back between 60-110mg/dl.  That extra glucose first gets stored up in the liver 60-80% and then gets stored in our fat tissue=fat storage=weight increase.  Unfortunately this doesn’t take place with a diabetic since there is very little or no insulin being released by the pancreas and over time due to the high blood glucose blood levels (called hyperglycemia) problems arise in the body over years.   When diabetes occurs there is a resolution and you have the disease the rest of your life.  You need to control your glucoselevel.

2 TYPES OF DM: a.)Diabetes I  & b.) Diabetes ll. We have risk factors that can cause disease/illness; there are unmodified and modified risk factors. With unmodified risk factors we have no control in them, which are 4 and these are: Heredity, Sex, Age, Race.  Now modified risk factors are factors we can control, 3 of them that you can control is your weight, diet and health habits (which play a big role in why many people get diabetes II).  Look at what the Mayo Clinic (www.mayoclinic.com /health/diabetes)says about risk factors:

RISK FACTOR FOR TYPE  DIABETES ONE:

Although the exact cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown, genetic factors can play a role. Your risk of developing type 1 diabetes increases if you have a parent or sibling who has type 1 diabetes. Based on research, we also know that genes account for less than half the risk of developing type1 disease. These findings suggest that there are other factors besides genes that influence the development of diabetes. We don’t know what these factors are, but a number of different theories exist.  Environmental factors, such as exposure to a viral illness, also likely play some role in type 1 diabetes. Other factors that may increase your risk include:

The presence of damaging immune system cells that make autoantibodies. Sometimes family members of people with type 1 diabetes are tested for the presence of diabetes autoantibodies. If you have these autoantibodies, you have an increased risk of developing type 1 diabetes. But, not everyone who has these autoantibodies develops type 1.

Dietary factors. A number of dietary factors have been linked to an increased risk of type 1 diabetes, such as low vitamin D consumption; early exposure to cow’s milk or cow’s milk formula; or exposure to cereals before 4 months of age. However, none of these factors has been shown to cause

Race. Type 1 diabetes is more common in whites than in other races.

Geography. Certain countries, such as Finland and Sweden, have higher rates of type 1 diabetes.

RISK FACTORS FOR DIABETES TYPE 2 AND PREDIABETES
Researchers don’t fully understand why some people develop prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and others don’t. It’s clear that certain factors increase the risk, however, including:

Weight. The more fatty tissue you have, the more resistant your cells become to insulin.

Inactivity. The less active you are, the greater your risk. Physical activity helps you control your weight, uses up glucose as energy and makes your cells more sensitive to insulin. Exercising less than three times a week may increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.

Family history. Your risk increases if a parent or sibling has type 2 diabetes.

Race. Although it’s unclear why, people of certain races — including blacks, Hispanics, American Indians and Asians — are at higher risk.

Age. Your risk increases as you get older. This may be because you tend to exercise less, lose muscle mass and gain weight as you age. But type 2 diabetes is also increasing dramatically among children, adolescents and younger adults.

Gestational diabetes. If you developed gestational diabetes when you were pregnant, your risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes later increases. If you gave birth to a baby weighing more than 9 pounds (4 kilograms), you’re also at risk of type 2 diabetes.

Polycystic ovary syndrome. For women, having polycystic ovary syndrome — a common condition characterized by irregular menstrual periods, excess hair growth and obesity — increases the risk of diabetes.

High blood pressure. Having blood pressure over 140/90mm Hg is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Abnormal cholesterol levels. If you have low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good,” cholesterol, your risk of type 2 diabetes is higher. Low levels of HDL are defined as below 35 mg/dL.

High levels of triglycerides. Triglycerides are a fat carried in the blood. If your triglyceride levels are above 250 mg/dL, your risk of diabetes increases.

RISK FACTORS FOR GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Any pregnant woman can develop gestational diabetes, but some women are at greater risk than are others. Risk factors for gestational diabetes include:

Age. Women older than age 25 are at increased risk.

Family or personal history. Your risk increases if you have prediabetes — a precursor to type 2 diabetes — or if a close family member, such as a parent or sibling, has type 2 diabetes. You’re also at greater risk if you had gestational diabetes during a previous pregnancy, if you delivered a very large baby or if you had an unexplained stillbirth.

Weight. Being overweight before pregnancy increases your risk.

Race. For reasons that aren’t clear, women who are black, Hispanic, American Indian or Asian are more likely to develop gestational diabetes.

The key not to get diabetes is taking Prevention Measures (especially regarding type II) but even diagnosed with diabetes there are measures you can take in helping to control the glucose and decreasing the chances of increasing the side effects of what it can cause to the human body organs overtime especially cardiac disease, kidney disease, neuropathy, retinopathy to blind from having hyperglycemia frequently over years; in time it thickens the blood making circulation difficulty effecting tissues furthest from the heart= feet/lower extremities where skin ulcers occur for not getting enough oxygen to the tissues in the feet or lower extremities that can lead to necrosis causing amputation of toes to foot to below knee amputation to even above knee amputation.  It also increases chance of heart attack and stroke.  PREVENTION first and CONTROL second when diagnosed with DM, is so vitally important.

QUOTE FOR FRIDAY:

Trying to manage diabetes is hard because if you don’t, there are consequences you’ll have to deal with later in life.

Bryan Adams  (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, producer, actor and photographer. Best known for hit singles including “Summer of ’69“, “Run To You“, number one single “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” and “18 Til I Die“.

Diabetes is becoming more common in the United States. From 1980 through 2011, the number of Americans with diagnosed diabetes has more than tripled (from 5.6 million to 20.9 million). Do you know how much it is costing in our country?

 What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases marked by high levels of blood glucose resulting from defects in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can lead to serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes, working together with their support network and their health care providers, can take steps to control the disease and lower the risk of complications.

There are 2 types:

Type 1 diabetes was previously called insulin-dependent mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes.  This type of diabetes happens when the immune system ends up destroying beta cells in the body that come from our pancreas and they are the only cells in the human body that make the hormone INSULIN the regulates your glucose.  Insulin allows glucose to transfer into the cells and tissues of our body to give them their energy to do their job in the body and nutrition to work properly=sugar-glucose. To live with this diabetes the person must have their insulin delivered by injection or a pump.  This form of diabetes usually occurs in children or young adults but can occur at any age.

Type 2 diabetes was called non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes.  In adults, type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90-95% of all diagnosed cases of diabetes.  It usually begins as insulin resistance, a disease in which the cells do not use insulin properly due to the pancreas not making enough or the pancreas not secreting the correct form o of insulin to do its function.  Ending line the insulin isn’t working properly.  As the need for insulin rises, the pancreas gradually loses its ability to produce it. 

Type 2 diabetes is associated with older age, OBESITY, family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes, impaired glucose metabolism, physical inactivity and race/ethnicity.

Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance diagnosed during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes occurs more frequently among African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, and American Indians. It is also more common among obese women and women with a family history of diabetes. During pregnancy, gestational diabetes requires treatment to optimize maternal blood glucose levels to lessen the risk of complications in the infant.

Other types of diabetes result from specific genetic conditions (such as maturity-onset diabetes of youth), surgery, medications, infections, pancreatic disease, and other illnesses. Such types of diabetes account for 1% to 5% of all diagnosed cases.

Treating diabetes

Diet, insulin, and oral medication to lower blood glucose levels are the foundation of diabetes treatment and management. Patient education and self-care practices are also important aspects of disease management that help people with diabetes lead normal lives.

• To survive, people with type 1 diabetes must have insulin delivered by injection or a pump.
• Many people with type 2 diabetes can control their blood glucose by following a healthy meal plan and exercise program, losing excess weight, and taking oral medication. Medications for each individual with diabetes will often change during the course of the disease. Some people with type 2 diabetes may also need insulin to control their blood glucose.

Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. It focuses on self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood sugar.

Criteria for the diagnosis of diabetes:

• A fasting blood sugar level ≥126 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) after an overnight fast, which is just taking the finger stick right when you wake up before breakfast OR
• A 2-hour blood sugar level ≥200 mg/dL after a 2-hour oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), OR
• An A1c level ≥6.5%.  (The A1C test is a simple lab test that measures average blood glucose levels over the past 3 months. A small blood sample to check your A1C can be taken at any time of the day=simply a blood test)
• Pretty simple isn’t it.

Diabetes is not only common and serious; it is also VERY COSTLY!  Let us take a look:

 The cost of treating diabetes is staggering.  According to the American Diabetes Association, the annual cost of diabetes in medical expenses and lost productivity rose for $98 billion in 1997 to $132 billion in $2002 to $174 billion in 2007.

One out of every 5 U.S. federal health care dollars is spent treating people with diabetes.  The average yearly health care costs for a person without diabetes is 2,560 dollars; for a person with diabetes that figure soars to $11,744.  Much of the human and financial costs can be avoided with proven diabetes prevention and management steps.

Turn into PART 2 Monday and learn what the symptoms and complications are of Diabetes with how to decrease your odds of getting Diabetes with knowing what measures to take to better control your Diabetes, with your doctor’s approval.

 REFERENCES for Part 1 and Part 2 :

1. *Center for Disease (CDC) – “National Diabetes Fact Sheet”
2. *NYS Dept. of Health –Diabetes
3. *Diabetic Neuropathy.org   “All about diabetic neuropathy and nerve damage caused by Diabetes.”Copyright 2002 – 2013.
4.  *NIDDK  “National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases”
5.  *National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NIDC) – U.S. Department of Health and  Human Services.  “Preventing Diabetes Problems: What you need to know”

“With the absence of a flu vaccination last year, I did not take a flu shot; but there is still some immunity that carries over from year to year; but about every 30 years, there is a major change in the genetics of the flu virus.”

 
Michael Burgess (born 31 March 1946, is the Coroner of the Queen’s Household). 

FLU FACTS:

-Both colds and flu usually last the same seven to 10 days, but flu can go three to four weeks; the flu virus may not still be there, but you have symptoms long after it has left. Allergy can last weeks or months.

-The winter flu epidemic will be coming around us again and in a given locality it reaches its peak in 2 to 3 weeks and lasts 5 to 6 weeks.  Then is disappears as quickly as it arrived.  The reason for this is not completely clear.  The usual pattern is for a rise in the incidence of flu in children, which precedes an increase in the adult population.

-The flu virus can lead to serious complications, including bronchitis, viral or bacterial pneumonia and even death in elderly and chronically ill patients.  Twenty thousand or more people die of the flu in the America each year.  Know this that the frequency of human contact across the world and the highly infectious nature of the virus make this explanation difficult to accept.  Moreover there is no evidence of persistent or latent infection with influenza viruses.  In any case, this idea is not really very difficult from the notion that the virus circulates at a low level throughout the year and seizes its opportunity to cause an outbreak when conditions allow.

-Even harder to explain is why the flu disappears from a community when there are still a large number of people susceptible to infection. Than even harder than that is why flu is a winter disease, which is not fully understood or known.  However, flu is spread largely by droplet (aerosol) infection from individuals with high viral level in their nasal and throat secretions, sneezing, and coughing on anyone close at hand.  The aerosol droplets of the right size (thought to be about 1.5 micrometers in diameter) remain airborne and are breathed into the nose or lungs of the next victim.

-Situations in which people are crowded together are more commonly in cold or wet weather and so perhaps this contributes to spreading the flu at these times.  It is interesting that in equatorial countries, flu occurs throughout the year, but is highest in the monsoon or rainy season.  Enough about facts but onto logical thinking for when we or someone we know has it and what questions we might be asking ourselves.

LOGICAL QUESTIONS YOU MAY ASK YOURSELF:

Are the treatments for these illnesses the cold or the flu different?

For any of these things, if it affects the nose or sinus, just rinsing with saline that gets the mucus and virus out is a first-line defense. It’s not the most pleasant thing to do, but it works very well. There are classes of medicines that can help the flu — Tamiflu and Relenza — antivirals that block viruses’ ability to reproduce and shorten the length and severity of the illness. But they have to be taken within 48 hours or the cat is proverbially out of the bag [because by then] the virus has done the most of its reproduction. For a cold or flu, rest and use decongestants and antihistamines, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, chicken soup and fluids.

Zinc supposedly helps the body’s natural defenses work to their natural capacity and decrease the severity and length of a cold. Cells need zinc as a catalyst in their protective processes, so if you supply them with zinc, it helps them work more efficiently. You should also withhold iron supplements. Viruses use iron as part of their reproductive cycle, so depriving them of it blocks their dissemination.

The majority of these infections are not bacterial and do not require [nor will they respond to] antibiotics. My rule of thumb is that a viral infection should go away in seven to 10 days. If symptoms persist after that, you’d consider if it’s bacteria like Strep or Haemophilus influenzae. Those bacteria cause illnesses that are longer lasting and need antibiotics for ranging 3 to 14 days, depending on the med used.

Is that treatment approach the same for kids versus adults?

In general, the same rules apply: Most children will have six to eight colds a year in their first three years of life, and most are viral.  Adults have 3 or more a year. It’s very easy to test for strep and for that you should have a [positive] culture [before treating with antibiotics].  The principle behind that is knowing the organism the doctor will know what antibiotic to use to fight off the bacterial infection and you won’t build up antibodies from the antibiotic that you didn’t need in the first place if you are given the wrong antibiotic in the beginning.

Are the strategies for avoiding cold and flu different?

Avoidance is very similar: Strict hand washing, not sharing drinking cups or utensils, and avoiding direct contact with people who are sneezing.  Their transmission is similar.  As long as someone has a fever, they have the possibility to transmit infection. After they’ve had no fever for 24 hours, they’re not infectious anymore.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that just about everyone get the flu shot: kids 6 months to 19 years of age, pregnant women, people 50 and up, and people of any age with compromised immune systems. Is the shot beneficial to anyone who gets it?

Unless you have a contraindication, there’s no reason not to get it=PREVENTION. Contraindications include egg allergy (because the vaccine is grown from egg products), any vaccines within a last week or two, and active illness at the time of your vaccine.

The best to do is PREVENTION so you can avoid the cold or flu in its active phase or post phase, so doing the following will help prevent it:

Live a healthy lifestyle overall=Good dieting, living good healthy habits and maintaining exercise with rest daily or 2 to 3 times a week including get a vaccine yearly for the flu with maintaining good clean anti-infection habits like as simply as washing the hands as directed above.

If you need help in being given the knowledge in how routinely lose weight if not maintain your good weight, knowing what foods are lean to leaner to leanest out of the 4 food groups, understanding why portions of meals including exercise balanced with rest is so important, how all 4 interact with each other impacting your metabolism rate, and keeping a healthier body with a higher chance of increasing your immunity with fighting off simple colds to possibly the flu when near someone contaminated with the virus and making this a regular part not just a few months to a year but for life then you came to the right blog.  This is provided through Dr. Anderson and myself as your health coach if you need one in where we help you get started on this goal in your life.  You can order Dr. Anderson’s book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” that provides the information on foods to help you lose the excess of weight with so much more in learning about the body to diseases in prevention and Rx.  Most important, you make all the choices.   I needed to lose weight and lost 22 lbs. and hope to continue to lose another 20 lbs or so.  So if you want to prevent getting the cold to the flu with so many other diseases and illnesses go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and join me. Take a peek for no charge, no obligation and no hacking. I hope you have learned something new from my blog.

****Recommended is to check with your MD on any changes with diet or exercise especially if diagnosed already with disease or illness for your safety.****

References for Part 1,2, and 3 on the two bugs The FLU and The COLD:

1-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather?”  December 15, 1997.

2-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

3-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

4-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

5-Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

“With 30,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations from the seasonal flu, those numbers are certainly higher than what we’ve seen of the swine flu. Protecting yourself from both viruses is very important.”

 
Kristi Yamaguchi (born July 12, 1971) is an Americanfigure skater. She was the 1992 Olympic Champion in ladies’ singles.

People infected with an influenza or cold virus become contagious 24 hours after the virus enters the body (often before symptoms appear). Adults remain infectious (can spread the virus to others) for about 6 days, and children remain infectious for up to 10 days.  Factors that may increase the risk of catching a cold are fatigue, emotional stress, smoking, mid-phase of the menstrual cycle, and nasal allergies.  Factors that do not increase the risk of catching a cold include cold body temperature (Example being out in the cold or enlarged tonsils).  General health status and eating habits do in that they have impact on your immunity and “fight or flight” in  fighting off infection as opposed to getting sick due to a healthy body overall.

Watch for flu signs & symptoms (S/S) and in comparison here with the cold signs & symptoms (S/S) when trying to decipher what you have before going to the doctor:

FLU  S/S:                                                                              COLD S/S:

-High fever lasting 3 to 4 days                                   -Headache is rarely

-General Aches and pains=often & severe            -Slight for cold

-Fatigue and weakness lasts up to 2-3 wks.          -Mild, if even present

-Extreme Exhaustion-Early and Prominent         -Never occurs

-Chest Discomfort,Cough=common,severe          -Mild-moderate&hacking cough

-Sore throat is sometimes                                           -Common symptom

-Stuffy nose is present sometimes                            -Common symptom

-Diarrhea&vomiting(more common=children)  -Uncommon for any age

 ***Note weakness and tiredness can last up to a few weeks with the Flu.***

Regarding cold symptoms also be aware for these specifics, which include:

-Nasal Symptoms=runny nose and congestion to follow, along with a cough by the fourth or fifth day.

-Fever is uncommon in adults but a slight fever is possible but note in children they can likely have a fever with their cold.

-With the symptoms above you can also have the nose that teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days later these become thicker and darker.  Dark mucus is natural and does not mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

**Know several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms. A virus cannot be treated with an antibiotic since they only are treatment for bacterial infections.***

Now let’s review what we know now, which is the common cold and the types of flu (Types A,B, and C) with knowing their symptoms (the cold versus the flu) and The Flu statistics of how many are affected yearly with what complications can arise, based on Part 1 of yesterday’s article on the cold and flu lets now start in letting us be aware of factors in prevention of a cold vs. flu.

Let’s prepare ourselves in knowing factors for prevention of these 2 BUGS THE COLD and THE FLU (particularly) with knowing what to do when you or someone in the home has it.

 The biggest factor in prevention of the COMMON COLD or THE FLU and a great healthy habit and that would be washing your hands with soap and water often, especially:         

• Before, during, and after preparing food

• Before eating

• After using the bathroom

• After handling animals or animal waste

• When their hands are dirty

• When someone in your home is sick                                                                                                                                                       

• FOR AVOIDANCE IN GETTING THE FLU OBTAIN YOUR VACCINE YEARLY!

  What to do when you have the cold or, worse, the flu:

  Keep your face off-limits.  The flu virus enters through the eyes, nose, and mouth, so those with the flu or a simple cold should never touch their faces unless they’ve just washed their hands.

  Keep your distance.  Stay clear of people who are sick-or feel sick.

  Avoid sharing food, drinks, and utensils.   Do not share drinking glasses-and to break off portions of food and to pour off beverages before consuming them.

  Make sure you or your sick child who is sick gets enough sleep.  Too little sleep can cause the feeling of run-down and lower the immunity. Yet a National Sleep Foundation poll found that most children need 1 to 3 more hours of sleep than they’re getting every night usually. How much should they be getting? Experts recommend 11 to 13 hours a night for preschoolers and kindergartners and 10 to 11 hours for school-aged children.  Adults 8 hours of sleep a day if not more when sick with a cold or the flu. How to make sure this can be accomplished: Establish an earlier-bedtime routine, this just takes disciplining by the parent or yourself if an adult.

   Let your kids, including adults stay home when they’re sick. They’ll feel better sooner and won’t pass their illness on to their classmates or for an adult passing it on to colleagues at work especially the first few days when contagious so don’t go into work those few days.

  Keep tissues handy. The flu spreads when infected people cough or sneeze. So adults use them and encourage your kids to cough and sneeze into a tissue or their upper arm if tissues aren’t available. (Coughing into a bare hand can also spread germs if kids touch something before they can wash.)

  Use those wipes! Flu germs can live for several hours on surfaces such as countertops and doorknobs. Wipe down contaminated objects with soap and water.

  Ask your doctor about antiviral medications. Although not approved for use in children under 1, these drugs can be used in older children & adults to prevent influenza or even can treat the flu in the first 2 days of onset.

  Live a healthy lifestyle.  MOST IMPORTANT!!!  A healthy lifestyle may help prevent them from getting sick in the first place.

  *******Recommended is to check with your MD on any changes with diet or exercise especially if diagnosed already with disease or illness for your safety.*******

  REFERENCES FOR PART 1,2, AND 3 ON THE COLD AND THE FLU ARE:

  1-Kimberly Clark Professional website under the influenza.

  2-Web MD under “COLD, FLU, COUGH CENTER” “Flu or cold symptoms?” Reviewed by Laura J. Martin MD November 01, 2011

  3-2013 Novartis Consumer Health Inc. Triaminic “Fend off the Flu”

  4-Scientific American “Why do we get the flu most often in the winter? Are viruses virulent in cold weather? December 15, 1997.

• 5- Wikipedia “the free encyclopedia” 2013 website under the topic Influenza.

“Civilization, the orderly world in which we live, is frail. We are skating on thin ice. There is a fear of a collective disaster. Terrorism, genocide, flu, tsunamis.”

 
Zygmunt Bauman (87 y/o and born 19 November 1925) is a Polishsociologist. Since 1971, he has resided in England after being driven out of Poland by an anti-semitic campaign.

Those bugs that are common in fall, winter and spring are 2 Viruses =  The Cold & The Flu.

HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT:

Both influenza and the common cold are viral respiratory infections (they affect the nose, throat, and lungs). Viruses are spread from person to person through airborne droplets (aerosols) that are sneezed out or coughed up by an infected person, direct contact is another form of spread with infected nasal secretions, or fomites (contaminated objects).  Which of these routes is of primary importance has not been determined, however hand to hand and hand to surface to hand to contact seems of more importance than transmission.  The viruses may survive for prolonged periods in the environment (over 18 hours for rhinoviruses in particular=a common virus for colds) and can be picked up by people’s hands and subsequently carried to their eyes or nose where infection occurs. In some cases, the viruses can be spread when a person touches an infected surface (e.g., doorknobs, countertops, telephones) and then touches his or her nose, mouth, or eyes. As such, these illnesses are most easily spread in crowded conditions such as schools.

The traditional folk theory that you can catch a cold in prolonged exposure to cold weather such as rain or winter settings is how the illness got its name.  Some of the viruses that cause common colds are seasonal, occurring more frequently during cold or wet weather.  The reason for the seasonality has not yet been fully determined.  This may occur due to cold induced changes in the respiratory system, decreased immune response, and low humidity increasing viral transmission rates, perhaps due to dry air allowing small viral droplets to disperse farther, and stay in the air longer.  It may be due to social factors, such as people spending more time indoors, as opposed to outdoors, exposing him or her “self” to an infected person, and specifically children at school.  There is some controversy over the role of body cooling as a risk factor for the common cold; the majority of the  evidence does suggest a result in greater susceptibility to infection.

The SIMPLE COMMON COLD:

The common cold (also known as nasopharyngitis, rhinopharyngitis, acute coryza, head cold) or simply a cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract which primarily effects the nose.  There are over 200 different known cold viruses, but most colds (30% up to 80%) are caused by rhinovirusesThis means you can pass the cold to others, so stay home and get some much-needed rest for yourself and not passing it on to others for the contagious period at least.

If cold symptoms do not seem to be improving after a week, you may have a bacterial infection, which means you may need antibiotics, which only kill bacterial infections not viral.

Sometimes you may mistake cold symptoms for allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or a sinus infection (bacterial). If cold symptoms begin quickly and are improving after a week, then it is usually a cold, not allergy. If your cold symptoms do not seem to be getting better after a week, check with your doctor to see if you have developed an allergy or inflammation or the sinuses (sinusitis).

Influenza is commonly referred to as “the flu”, this is an infectious disease of birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae, the influenza viruses.  The most common sign or symptom are chills, fever, runny nose, coughing, aches and weakness to headache and sore throat.  Although it is often confused with other influenza-like illnesses, especially the COMMON COLD, influenza is a more severe illness or disease caused by a different virus.  Influenza nausea and vomiting, particularly in children but these symptoms are more common in the unrelated gastroenteritis, which is sometimes inaccurately referred to as “stomach flu” or “25 hour flu”.
The flu can occasionally lead to pneumonia, either direct viral pneumonia or secondary bacterial pneumonia, even for persons who are usually very healthy.  In particular it is a warning sign if a child or presumably an adult seems to be getting better and then relapses with a high fever as this relapse may be bacterial pneumonia.  Another warning sign is if the person starts to have trouble breathing.

Each year, 10% to 20% of Canadians are stricken with influenza. Although most people recover fully, depending on the severity of the flu season, it can result in an average of 20,000 hospitalizations and approximately 4000 to 8000 deaths annually in Canada. Deaths due to the flu are found mostly among high-risk populations, such as those with other medical conditions (such as diabetes or cancer) or weakened immune systems, seniors, or very young children. There are 3 types of influenza viruses: A, B, and C. Type A influenza causes the most serious problems in humans and can be carried by humans or animals (wild birds are commonly the host carriers). It is more common for humans seem to carry the most with ailments with type A influenza.  Type B  Influenza is found in humans also.  Type B flu may cause less severe reaction than A type flu virus but for the few for the many can still be at times extremely harmed.  Influenza B viruses are not classified by subtype and do not cause pandemics at this time.  Influenza type C also found in people but milder than type A or B.  People don’t become very ill from this Type C Influenza and do not cause pandemics.

The common cold eventually fizzles, but the flu may be deadly. Some 200,000 people in the U.S. are hospitalized and 36,000 die each year from flu complications — and that pales in comparison to the flu pandemic of 1918 that claimed between 20 and 100 million lives. The best defense against it:   a vaccine once a year, especially those living or working in high risk areas that put you in a high potential of getting the flu (Ex. poor area of living or working in the hospital).

Lets learn more tomorrow on signs and symptoms of COLDS versus THE TYPES OF FLUs (type A, B, C), and what to do if the symptoms are present.  See you Wednesday.

“There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences.”

 
P. J. O’Rourke  (American political satirist and author)