myths I held about viruses
A long time ago, when my son was a toddler and just learned to walk, he got some sort of respiratory virus. The virus passed through his system, or so we thought, and he got better. Then, he suddenly couldn't walk anymore. He went back to crawling and was fairly grumpy when we tried to get him to walk. We went to the doctor, and they sent us for x-rays. They found that one of his hip joints had a huge amount of inflammation. They did some bloodwork and discovered that his virus had decided to settle in his hip joint on its way out of his body. They gave us some super scary sounding name for what it was called when viruses do that. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/toxic-synovitis.html There are other causes, but viruses are the most common according to my son's doctor. But then she said it was fairly common and viruses do that sort of thing all the time.
Wait? What? Viruses settle in other parts of the body after they cause you misery?
Oh, yes, they do. They do it a lot, according to his pediatrician. But, most of the time, you don't realize it or think that the pain in an unrelated area is not related to the virus.
Take pericarditis, for example, sounds scary, feels scary, but in fact, it is inflammation around the tissues of the heart from, wait for it, a virus. Typically a respiratory virus. There are other causes, but it seems a viral infection is the most common. Also, fairly common, and rarely causes complications. More severe cases can make it feel like you are having a heart attack, but it is easily treated. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/pericarditis/what-is-pericarditis
So, it turns out that viruses are in fact systemic, causing the most problems in their common areas (head, sinuses, chest, stomach) but can wreak havoc in other areas.
Did you know that influenza can attack the nervous system and cause paralyzation? Yeah, I didn't either. But it can. Yikes! It can lead to Guillain-barré syndrome.
Turns out influenza isn't the only virus that can do this. We are all familiar with Polio doing this, but other, more common ones? Yep, they can too.
Everybody already knows that Scarlet Fever comes from a strep infection. But did you know that PANDAS or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus? Yes, you read that right, neuropsychiatric disorder. It can cause some very frightening and sudden personality changes in your child. Sometimes, the changes can lead to suicide. So, if your child has recently been sick, and suddenly starts acting out of character, have them tested for PANDAS. And, yes, this can affect adults as well, but it is more common in children between the ages of 3-12. https://www.healthline.com/health/pandas-syndrome
All of these things were super eyeopening for me. So, I had to wonder what other health-related myths I held and those around me held.
Swollen Lymph glands: Once upon a time, many doctors would give you antibiotics if your lymph glands were swollen. Turns out, the most common reasons for swollen lymph glands are viruses and can't be treated with antibiotics. Mono is the top reason, and influenza being a close third. Neither of those can be treated with antibiotics. So, it's always good to rule out bacterial infections before going on antibiotics, because taking antibiotics unnecessarily isn't actually good for you.
Influenza: Influenza is primarily a respiratory virus, but everyone always thinks it means you throw up or get diarrhea. This is not very common in adults, but it is in children. And, if you have vomiting and diarrhea without any respiratory symptoms, it is likely not the flu and a stomach virus instead. https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-is-flu#1
Below is a website listing the most common misconceptions regarding viruses and bacterial infections. https://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/cold-and-flu/top-10-myths-and-truths-about-viruses-and-bacteria/
So what common misconceptions did you have about viruses or health in general?
Wait? What? Viruses settle in other parts of the body after they cause you misery?
Oh, yes, they do. They do it a lot, according to his pediatrician. But, most of the time, you don't realize it or think that the pain in an unrelated area is not related to the virus.
Take pericarditis, for example, sounds scary, feels scary, but in fact, it is inflammation around the tissues of the heart from, wait for it, a virus. Typically a respiratory virus. There are other causes, but it seems a viral infection is the most common. Also, fairly common, and rarely causes complications. More severe cases can make it feel like you are having a heart attack, but it is easily treated. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/pericarditis/what-is-pericarditis
So, it turns out that viruses are in fact systemic, causing the most problems in their common areas (head, sinuses, chest, stomach) but can wreak havoc in other areas.
Did you know that influenza can attack the nervous system and cause paralyzation? Yeah, I didn't either. But it can. Yikes! It can lead to Guillain-barré syndrome.
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/dont-let-flu-paralyse-you-yes-its-possible-and-heres-how-to-prevent-it/articleshow/63374679.cms
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Turns out influenza isn't the only virus that can do this. We are all familiar with Polio doing this, but other, more common ones? Yep, they can too.
Everybody already knows that Scarlet Fever comes from a strep infection. But did you know that PANDAS or pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders associated with streptococcus? Yes, you read that right, neuropsychiatric disorder. It can cause some very frightening and sudden personality changes in your child. Sometimes, the changes can lead to suicide. So, if your child has recently been sick, and suddenly starts acting out of character, have them tested for PANDAS. And, yes, this can affect adults as well, but it is more common in children between the ages of 3-12. https://www.healthline.com/health/pandas-syndrome
All of these things were super eyeopening for me. So, I had to wonder what other health-related myths I held and those around me held.
Swollen Lymph glands: Once upon a time, many doctors would give you antibiotics if your lymph glands were swollen. Turns out, the most common reasons for swollen lymph glands are viruses and can't be treated with antibiotics. Mono is the top reason, and influenza being a close third. Neither of those can be treated with antibiotics. So, it's always good to rule out bacterial infections before going on antibiotics, because taking antibiotics unnecessarily isn't actually good for you.
Influenza: Influenza is primarily a respiratory virus, but everyone always thinks it means you throw up or get diarrhea. This is not very common in adults, but it is in children. And, if you have vomiting and diarrhea without any respiratory symptoms, it is likely not the flu and a stomach virus instead. https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/what-is-flu#1
Below is a website listing the most common misconceptions regarding viruses and bacterial infections. https://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-you/cold-and-flu/top-10-myths-and-truths-about-viruses-and-bacteria/
So what common misconceptions did you have about viruses or health in general?
When my daughter Cheyenne was 4 or 5, she got a cold virus in her knee joint. She was in horrible pain and we rushed her to the ER. They put her on a Motrin drip (IV) and kept her overnight and she was soon fine.
ReplyDeleteI roll my eyes at people saying they have "the flu" when they are puking. It might be Norovirus or food poisoning, but it's not likely to be "the flu".
Ah, the "fun" of diseases...
We treated Chris' hip virus with ibuprofun. Took about 3 days for him to start walking again.
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