A famous actress died of influenza! Doctors urgently remind: If these conditions occur, please seek medical attention immediately!

According to multiple media reports on February 3, Taiwanese actress, singer, and host Barbie Hsu (Big S) died at the age of 48 after contracting pneumonia caused by influenza while traveling in Japan.

After Big S passed away, some Taiwanese media quoted insiders as saying that the real cause of Big S's death was "septicemia", not pneumonia. What is sepsis? What is its relationship with influenza? How to determine whether you have severe influenza...

Let’s listen to what Dong Qiang, deputy director of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Changsha Taihe Hospital, has to say?

1. What is sepsis?

Deputy Director Dong Qiang said: Sepsis should be more accurately called sepsis. Sepsis is caused by pathogens invading the blood circulation, growing and multiplying in the blood, producing a large amount of toxins, and inducing a systemic inflammatory response syndrome, which can cause organ damage and even endanger life.

Symptoms include fever, chills, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, confusion, etc. If not treated promptly, it can develop into septic shock and multiple organ failure, causing death or severe disability.

2. What is the relationship between sepsis and influenza?

So what is the relationship between sepsis and influenza?

To be precise, influenza can cause sepsis. For example, after getting the flu, the influenza virus will damage the respiratory mucosa, open the door to bacterial infection, and allow pathogenic bacteria (such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus influenzae, etc.) to enter. Once these pathogens invade the lungs and trigger an inflammatory response, they can cause damage to lung tissue and exudation.

If it is not treated promptly and effectively at this time, it may develop into severe pneumonia and aggravate diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. For the elderly and heart patients, pneumonia will increase the burden on the heart, leading to insufficient oxygen supply, inducing respiratory failure, arrhythmia, and myocardial infarction. If bacteria and viruses that infect the lungs enter the blood circulation, it may even cause sepsis.

3. How to determine whether you have severe influenza?

When it comes to influenza, many people don't take it seriously, thinking it's just a "big cold."

In fact, influenza and colds are two different diseases. Common colds are mostly caused by rhinoviruses, with mild symptoms that heal on their own in a few days and generally without sequelae; while influenza is caused by influenza viruses, which are highly invasive and may cause viral pneumonia, myocarditis, encephalitis and other multi-system damage. Some patients may even develop acute respiratory distress syndrome within 48 hours. The World Health Organization estimates that influenza can cause 3 to 5 million severe cases and 290,000 to 650,000 deaths each year.

Severe influenza can be diagnosed when any of the following conditions are met:

①Continuous high fever for more than 3 days, accompanied by severe cough, coughing up purulent sputum, bloody sputum or chest pain;

② Rapid breathing rate, difficulty breathing, cyanosis of lips;

③Slow reaction, drowsiness, restlessness and other changes in consciousness or convulsions;

④ Severe vomiting, diarrhea, oliguria or other signs of dehydration;

⑤Combined with pneumonia;

⑥ The original underlying disease is significantly aggravated;

⑦ Other clinical conditions requiring hospitalization.

After getting the flu, we should pay close attention to changes in our condition and seek medical attention immediately if any signs of severe flu appear!

4. Which group of people is more likely to develop severe illness?

After being infected with influenza, the following five groups of people are at higher risk of death:

1. Elderly people: People over 65 years old are more likely to develop serious complications after being infected with influenza due to their weakened immune function and chronic diseases.

2. Children: Children under 5 years old, especially those under 2 years old, have an incompletely developed immune system and are prone to develop severe illness after being infected with influenza.

3. Patients with chronic diseases: Patients with cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, asthma, chronic respiratory disease and immunosuppressive diseases are prone to serious complications after infection.

4. Pregnant women and perinatal women: Women during pregnancy and within 2 weeks after delivery may have their condition worsened after being infected with influenza due to physiological changes and immune system adjustments, and the mortality rate is higher.

5. Obese people: Obese people with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 have an increased risk of pneumonia, hospitalization and death after being infected with influenza.

5. Don’t just endure it if you have the flu, seize the “golden 48 hours” to save yourself!

The golden period for influenza treatment is 48 hours after the onset of influenza. At this stage, timely use of antiviral drugs can effectively inhibit viral replication, alleviate symptoms, and shorten the course of the disease. Early antiviral treatment is very important for high-risk groups. If they do not use effective antiviral drugs within 48 hours, they are likely to develop pneumonia or severe illness.

Drugs for treating influenza include oseltamivir and mabaloxavir (please follow the doctor's instructions). In terms of relieving symptoms, the two drugs are equivalent, and mabaloxavir is better than oseltamivir in reducing viral load. When influenza-related symptoms appear, taking antiviral drugs within the "golden 48 hours" can help you save yourself.

For patients with high-risk factors for severe/critical illness and severe/critical illness whose onset time is more than 48 hours, if the influenza virus etiology is positive, antiviral treatment should still be given.

In addition, there are two non-steroidal antipyretics, acetaminophen and ibuprofen, and you can just have one at home. If the fever is more obvious or causes physical discomfort, you can use antipyretics.

Here, Deputy Director Dong Qiang kindly reminds everyone: This is the peak season for influenza, so do not take it lightly. If you have any abnormalities, please seek medical attention in a timely manner!

Source: Changsha Taihe Hospital

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(Edited by YT)