Flu Treatment: How to Get Rid of Influenza

The next wave of flu is sure to come. Find out here how you can recognise an influenza and which treatment promises to help.

Influenza, as doctors call it, is often confused with a common cold, but the threat of infection is usually more sudden and severe. What are the classic symptoms, what treatment is appropriate for influenza and when does it become dangerous? We will explain them to you.

Flu symptoms

Influenza is a sudden, feverish viral disease caused by influenza viruses. It should not be confused with summer flu, which is in reality just a flu-like infection, i.e. a harmless cold.

After an incubation period of a few hours to three days, the effects of the viruses show themselves in the first symptoms of influenza. The course of the disease can vary from person to person. If you are lucky, you will only feel slight cold symptoms after the infection, but if you are unlucky, you will lie flat for three weeks.

These are typical symptoms of influenza:

• Fever
• Chills
• Lassitude
• Cough
• Sniffles
• Sore throat
• Pharyngitis
• Conjunctivitis
• Headaches
• Sensitivity to bright light
• Bloated face
• Joint and muscle pain

If you don’t know if it’s influenza, look here: Flu or cold?

Flu: The right treatment

In a normal course of flu disease and non-risk patients, treatment of flu symptoms is usually sufficient. The best thing to do is to take the remedies that will also help you with a cold, to get rid of the nasty flu virus.

• Nasal spray for congested nose
• Cough suppressant or expectorant (depending on the type of cough)
• Bed rest
• Sufficient ventilation
• Inhalation to calm the airways
• Drinking enough
• Paracetamol, Ibuprofen or ASS help against fever and pain
• Avoid contact with other people in order not to infect anyone

Helpful home remedies

• Calf compresses: Calf compresses are a tried and tested remedy against fever. Dip a towel into lukewarm water, wring it out and wrap it loosely around the calves. The resulting evaporative cold cools the body and the fever sinks.
• Tea: If you have the flu, you should drink a lot to balance the moisture balance and support the circulation. Tea made from elderberry and lime blossom is particularly suitable as it increases the production of mucus in the bronchial tubes. Ginger tea has an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. Chamomile tea stimulates the immune system, tea made from ginseng helps against exhaustion.
• Chicken soup: Grandma already knew: A proper chicken soup helps you to get healthy. It not only provides liquid, it also contains important salts. In addition, the miracle soup is said to have an antibacterial effect, which can be very useful in case of an additional infection.

Treatment for patients at risk

In some cases, however, home remedies are not enough. The differentiation from other illnesses such as a cold and a clear diagnosis is particularly worthwhile for older people, patients with previous illnesses, weakened organism or immunodeficiency, because those affected by this risk group should have their viral flu treated specifically. For the future, vaccination against influenza is recommended for patients at risk.

The doctor can initiate therapy with antiviral drugs, so-called neuraminidase inhibitors. The neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir, as inhibitors of the enzyme neuraminidase, prevent the flu viruses from multiplying, but cannot kill existing pathogens. Therefore, the use of neuraminidase inhibitors only makes sense if they are taken within 48 hours of the onset of the disease, because at this time the spread of influenza viruses in the body is not yet far advanced.

To prevent influenza, doctors recommend flu vaccination for people over 60 years of age and people at increased risk.

Possible complications

Although influenza is harmless in the vast majority of cases, the risk of infection increases. Because the body is severely weakened by the virus flu, bacteria have an easy job and can attack the organism with an infection.

This is known as a superinfection. Possible illnesses include bronchitis, meningitis, sinusitis, middle ear or heart muscle inflammation or pneumonia. If the symptoms are serious, a doctor should be consulted.