Survey reveals top flu treatment mistakes
After catching the flu, only half of the patients are treated with modern drugs, the rest prefer folk remedies like raspberry and ginger, and every fifth person takes antibiotics, damaging his or her body. A survey conducted among 1100 Muscovites showed the main mistakes made by people who caught the disease.Only 47% of the sick cope with the flu with the help of antiviral drugs and about the same number - 48% - prefer to use honey, raspberries, ginger and other folk remedies. Abundant drinking, which is necessary in acute respiratory viral infections and flu to neutralize intoxication, practiced only 60% of respondents, and bed rest (another condition of flu treatment, preventing complications) adhere to only 43% of respondents - these are the results of a survey conducted in October by Roche in the capital.
The survey showed that many people underestimate the risks of such a serious disease as flu: more than a third of Muscovites continue to go to work during the illness. One in four (26%) work as usual if the disease is mild, and another 5% go to work with any form of flu. Only a quarter of respondents (25%) take sick leave until they are fully recovered. Perhaps this approach is due to the fact that only a third (30%) of respondents consider influenza a serious illness, and more than half (55%) begin treatment only if the disease is severe.
Another common mistake is taking antibiotics unnecessarily. They are taken by 19% of survey participants. This misconception causes concern, as these drugs have no effect on the flu virus, but at the same time cause resistance, which may in the future complicate their treatment of other diseases.
The overwhelming majority of Muscovites (88.4%) do not neglect preventive measures. The most popular of them was cleanliness and hygiene in the house: 40% of respondents expect to prevent the flu in this way. More than a third (36%) pin their hopes on taking vitamins and supplements (in particular, every fourth person takes vitamin C), and 29% reported that they try to minimize contacts with other people during the flu season.
But another common mistake is that people underestimate the importance of vaccination. Only 23% of survey participants mentioned vaccination as a protective measure. The use of antiseptics was mentioned by 18%, hardening - 14%. And only one out of ten (9%) considers it necessary to wear a medical mask.
At the same time, residents of the capital are sure that they do not get the flu so often - 46% say that they get it once in several years, and about 6% said that they have never had the flu in their lives. About a fifth of respondents (18%) found it difficult to answer this question because they do not know how to distinguish flu from other acute respiratory infections.
The survey showed the most common misconceptions about flu: it is supposedly caused by hypothermia or eating too cold food, as well as overwork (8 to 18% of respondents believe so). In fact, neither of these is true - flu is viral in nature.
Another indirect confirmation of the lack of awareness of the disease is the fact that more than half of the survey participants (55%) have never heard of rapid flu tests. Another 37% had heard of but never used one, and only 8% had used one at least once.
It is also alarming that only 12% of respondents consult a doctor at the first symptoms of the disease. The majority (64%) call a doctor when the disease is severe and has a high fever. At the same time, 15% said that they had never consulted a doctor at all when they had the flu.
Nevertheless, every fourth (25%) faced its complications.
"Influenza is a dangerous infection that can lead to serious consequences up to death. The infection is dangerous primarily for vulnerable groups of the population, such as children, people over 65 years old, patients with chronic diseases - bronchial asthma, diabetes, lesions of the cardiovascular system," warns Vladimir Chulanov, chief freelance specialist in infectious diseases of the Ministry of Health of Russia.
"The most common complication of influenza is pneumonia. It is important to see a specialist in time and start treatment, preferably in the first two days from the manifestation of specific symptoms, which usually occur acutely and suddenly: these include high fever, headache, nasal congestion, dry cough. There are antiviral drugs of direct action, which are used from 4-5 days several times a day, there are also innovative drugs of a single use scheme", - reminded the chief infectious disease specialist of the Ministry of Health.