A doctor warns of the risk of death from influenza

Dr. Natalia Logachova indicates that influenza causes complications in 10-12 percent of those infected, and kills the lives of 600,000 people annually.

According to her, infection with any type of influenza can cause complications in children and adults alike. More than this can cause death. Pointing out that when infected with influenza, shortness of breath, bluish skin, and resulting symptoms of pneumonia can occur, which is the cause of 90 percent of complications. Influenza is also accompanied by severe poisoning, and the patient often suffers from disturbance of consciousness and lethargy or, on the contrary, from agitation and hallucinations.

“Against the background of severe or fulminant forms of influenza, an acute, life-threatening condition can develop - infectious toxic shock. A low level of blood pressure, pronounced tachycardia, a sharp drop in temperature and loss of consciousness indicate such complications,” she says.

The doctor indicates that there are complications outside the lung, such as damage to the nervous and cardiovascular systems, but they are rare.

It is advised to call a doctor when the first signs of infection appear, especially if the infected person suffers from chronic diseases. If the injured person suffers from shortness of breath, high temperature, and low blood pressure, an ambulance must be called to transport him to the hospital.

She says: “The greatest risk appears in the case of mixed infection, that is, when a person is infected with several viruses at the same time, for example, influenza A and metapneumovirus, or influenza A and SARS-CoV-2. Infectious toxic shock can develop in any patient.” Absolutely sick person."

Males have weaker immunity compared to females?!

Scientists have debated for decades whether the phenomenon of “guy flu,” in which males have weaker immunity compared to females, is real or not.

In a new book entitled “How to Stay Healthy,” nutrition expert Jenna Hope says that “evidence shows that the female immune system is stronger than the male immune system,” and indicates that the matter is due to hormones, as the female sex hormones: progesterone and estrogen, tend to support The immune system, while the male hormone testosterone can suppress immunity.

The role of estrogen in female immunity was highlighted by immunologists at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

They infected cells from the linings of men's and women's noses with a common influenza virus, before adding the most common form of estrogen in women, called estradiol, to all the cells.

In cells in women, estrogen significantly reduced levels of influenza virus. But the levels of the virus in the men's cells remained unchanged, the American Journal of Cellular and Molecular Lung Physiology reported.

Both sexes produce estradiol, which is found in small amounts in the testicles in men (possibly to help with sperm production), while women secrete large amounts in the ovaries, mainly to build their reproductive systems.

In contrast, testosterone appears to dampen immune defenses, perhaps because it drives activities, such as building muscle, that require energy.

Why do women have stronger immune systems than men?

From an evolutionary perspective, having a strong immune system enables a woman to better protect the fetus from infections passed from her to the baby in the womb, says Francisco Ubeda de Torres, a professor of mathematical biology who studies development and health at Royal Holloway, University of London.

“When pregnant women become infected from people around them, they can pass it on to their offspring in the womb via the placenta,” he says. “Evolutionary pressures mean that women and their babies survive better if mothers’ bodies mount a strong immune response to pathogens, to protect the offspring as much as possible from Effectiveness".

But he says women can sometimes pay a painful health price for this ability to protect their unborn children.

Meanwhile, men could pay a high price for their weaker immune responses, adds Úbeda de Torres, and this could go far beyond “man flu.”

“Men produce a weaker response and are at greater risk of developing many types of cancer than women,” he says. “This is because a weaker immune response means that pathogens are able to infect men for longer, giving viruses or bacteria more time to manipulate the genes of the cells they infect.” "It helps the infection spread through men's bodies, but it also increases the risk of cells multiplying rapidly out of control and turning into cancer."