Headache in a child; the child has a headache

This type of ARVI differs from others in the most painful and long-lasting symptoms. For most people who get sick, the flu causes debilitating headaches. They appear in almost 90% of cases. The duration of illness depends on several reasons, including viral load, lifestyle, and the presence of chronic disorders.

Why do you get a headache when you have the flu?

Influenza viruses attack the body quickly. The state of health usually worsens within a day or several hours. First, causeless fatigue, muscle weakness, and aching pain in the joints appear. Then the symptoms increase like an avalanche:

• stuffy nose, throat;
• dry cough intensifies;
• the temperature rises sharply.

The infection significantly increases the load on the body, causing fever, intoxication and severe dehydration. Headache is their characteristic symptom. It develops in different ways. Sometimes it resembles a migraine: it pulsates on one side, accompanied by nausea, tinnitus and photophobia. In other cases, it squeezes the temples or the back of the head, getting worse with sudden movements.

With influenza, the pathology involves the vascular and central nervous systems. The body responds to the invasion of pathogens with hyperthermia. At high temperatures, the necessary antibodies are produced faster. But at the same time, severe physical discomfort occurs, the vessels, including intracranial ones, expand and experience great stress.

Sometimes the discomfort is aggravated by secondary bacterial infections: otitis media or sinusitis. In these situations, the pain is accompanied by a feeling of stupor or heaviness from the source of inflammation.

Another mechanism for the appearance of pain in the head is irritation of the sympathetic nerves during swelling of soft tissues, active production of mucous secretion and filling of the paranasal sinuses. In such cases, the malaise is accompanied by muscle stiffness in the cervical region, unpleasant tension and distension in the nasopharynx, which increases with swallowing.

How to get rid of headaches

Unlike fever and runny nose, which are protective-adaptive reactions of the body, headaches with influenza have no therapeutic basis. Therefore, experts advise not to endure unpleasant sensations. To get rid of them, at the first sign of a cold, you can take a headache remedy or a complex drug that will help relieve the main symptoms of colds and flu.

Symptomatic treatment

Among the drugs that help relieve headaches due to colds, the first ones to highlight are antipyretics and combination drugs. These include the anti-cold product line: RINZA® tablets and RINZASIP® powder* with vitamin C4.5. They are intended to relieve symptoms of flu, colds and other acute respiratory viral infections. These drugs contain paracetamol as one of the active ingredients, which has antipyretic and analgesic (pain-relieving) properties4,5. The dosage of the active substance in RINZA® tablets is 500 mg4, in the powder for preparing a hot drink RINZASIP® with vitamin C for adults - 750 mg5, which corresponds to the recommendations of the World Health Organization for the use of paracetamol in the treatment of colds and flu.

Bed rest

To get rid of annoying headaches, body aches, runny nose, nasal congestion and other negative symptoms, when treating a cold, the patient must be provided with proper rest, limit physical activity, and eliminate nervous tension and other irritating factors. When you feel the first signs of the flu (sore throat, chills, body aches, etc.), it is better to stay at home for 2-3 days. This time should be spent in bed, limiting the use of computers and electronic gadgets7.

Ventilation

The room in which the patient spends the most time must be ventilated regularly: 5–10 minutes every 2 hours. Thanks to the free movement of air, pathogenic bacteria and viruses will be removed from the room, and along with them carbon dioxide, which increases headaches and dizziness. Also, in order to quickly get rid of the symptoms of colds and flu, it is advisable to maintain a temperature in the room of 18–20 °C and air humidity of 50–60%6,7.

Drinking regime

To normalize thermoregulation, increase sweating and remove toxic products from the body that contribute to the development of pain syndrome during flu and colds, the patient needs plenty of fortified drinks: tea with lemon, fruit drinks, herbal decoctions, rosehip infusion, etc.6,7

If a long-lasting headache is accompanied by gastrointestinal disorders, tension appears in the neck and it is impossible to tilt the head to the chest, this may be a signal of the development of serious complications of ARVI that require immediate medical attention.

Up to contents

The information in this article is for reference only and does not replace professional advice from a doctor. To make a diagnosis and prescribe treatment, consult a qualified specialist.

Literature

1. A.A. Zaitsev. Influenza and acute respiratory viral infections: rational symptomatic therapy. // General Medicine No. 3, 2021, p. 21-28.
2. S.G. Nekhaev. Analysis of clinical symptoms, laboratory and instrumental data during various periods of illness in patients with influenza. / S.G. Nekhaev, T.L. Badakva // BULLETIN OF NEW MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIES. Electronic edition – 2021 – N 3, p. 184-193.
3. S.S. Yakimova. An integrated approach to the treatment of influenza and colds. // Medical Council No. 5, 2013, p. 14-19.
4. Instructions for use of the drug RINZA®. Registration number: P N015798/01.
5. Instructions for use of the drug RINZASip® with VITAMIN C. Registration number: LS-002579
6. A.N. Kupchenko. Modern principles of diagnosis and treatment of ARVI / A.N. Kupchenko, Zh.B. Ponezheva // Archives of Internal Medicine. No. 1(27), 2016; With. 6-12.
7. R.V. Gorenkov. Current issues in the diagnosis and treatment of acute respiratory diseases in medical practice. / Attending doctor. No. 11/10.

* This refers to powder for preparing a solution for oral administration (according to the instructions).

When relief comes

Sometimes this symptom appears suddenly, more often it increases along with signs of fever. With a mild course of the disease, a severe headache usually continues in the first 1–2 days. After this time, it gradually weakens, the temperature drops slightly and catarrhal symptoms develop: a wet cough and runny nose. Slight dizziness, dazedness and a feeling of heaviness may continue for several days.

In people who are seriously ill with the disease, the pain is protracted, haunts them around the clock, does not respond well to painkillers, and leaves them in their sleep for a short time. From the first hours until complete recovery, patients feel completely overwhelmed, cannot leave their bed for a long time, are unable to work or eat normally. In such cases, the headache may continue to hurt for up to 2-3 weeks.

Treatment of enlarged tonsils without fever

Before prescribing treatment, it is necessary to establish the cause of inflammation of the tonsils.

If the cause is an infectious or fungal infection, then the patient is prescribed a course of antibacterial therapy, treatment of the throat and mucous membranes with special preparations, infusions into the larynx, rinsing the tonsils, and taking vitamin complexes to support the immune system.

If conservative treatment is ineffective, a tonsillectomy may be prescribed - surgical removal of the tonsils. Most often, this is an indication for the treatment of chronic tonsillitis, which occurs with toxic-allergic manifestations and seriously interferes with a person’s comfortable life.

If swelling of the tonsils is associated with external factors - smoking, working in unsuitable conditions, attacks by allergens, the doctor will advise correction of lifestyle or environmental conditions, and taking supportive medications.

Headache after flu

The disappearance of an infection does not always mean a quick recovery. Depending on the general physical condition, mild or intense symptoms continue for many people for some time. More often this is asthenic syndrome - a consequence of exhaustion of the nervous system in the fight against the disease. Its usual signs:

• dull headaches: periodic, without clear localization;
• increased drowsiness, apathy;
• fast fatiguability.

The discomfort disappears within 1–2 weeks. The asthenic “tail” of the flu often indicates chronic fatigue syndrome, hypovitaminosis or hidden endocrine disorders.

You need to be wary of the development of complications if the pain does not go away for several weeks and even increases, although all the signs of the flu have completely passed. The most serious causes of this condition:

• arachnoiditis: infection of the arachnoid membrane of the central nervous system, headache is accompanied by nausea, sleep disturbance, memory loss, sharply intensifies with physical exertion and sudden movements;
• meningitis: acute inflammation of the brain, characterized by a severe course, manifested by intense excruciating pain, confusion, requiring immediate hospitalization.

Under what conditions can tonsils be enlarged without fever?

Without an increase in temperature, the tonsils can become inflamed due to:

• Allergies. Enlarged tonsils often occur in people prone to allergies. Allergens include various substances - animal hair, dust, pollen, food, insects, household chemicals.
• Fungal infection. The following symptoms are observed: sore throat, dry mouth, visible cheesy coating on the mucous membrane.
• Dry air. Due to constant inhalation of dry air, the mucous membrane of the larynx dries out, causing the tonsils to swell. Working in polluted conditions also leads to this.
• Smoking. Tobacco smoke burns the mucous membrane, which can result in swelling of the tonsils.
• Some forms of sore throat (tonsillitis). The biological meaning of an increase in temperature during infectious diseases is to accelerate the death of pathogenic carriers in an environment with high temperatures. Consequently, if the body temperature has not increased, it means that the number of infectious carriers that have entered the body is small. Usually, if the infection was minor, then the person easily and quickly suffers from this illness. But with enlarged tonsils and no temperature, we can talk about an untreated acute inflammatory process in the tissues of the tonsils and its transition to chronic. In this case, the recovery process will take longer, and in addition, there is a possibility of complications developing. Both variants of pathologies require examination and prescription of correct treatment by an otolaryngologist.

When to go to the doctor and not self-medicate

A sluggish runny nose without purulent discharge and unmotivated headaches at a body temperature of about 37 degrees are reasons to consult a doctor. These “harmless” symptoms may indicate the development of sinusitis.

In an advanced state, patients experience mucus flowing down the back of the throat and signs of migraine: photophobia, intense headache, nausea and vomiting. Self-medication in this case can cause serious harm to health and lead to severe swelling of the mucous membranes and narrowing of the nasal passages.

For which symptoms should you visit a doctor:

• chronic runny nose;
• regular headaches, especially severe ones;
• signs of ARVI and acute respiratory infections.

Insufficient treatment of the common cold causes the development of sinusitis, so even if the disease seems minor, you need to consult a specialist and undergo a full course of therapy.

Prevention

To prevent pathological enlargement of the tonsils, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• Increase immunity: eat properly and well, exercise, exercise, give up bad habits, and maintain proper sleep patterns.
• Avoid provoking factors: do not overcool, humidify the air in the room, remove allergens from the environment.
• Treat infectious diseases promptly at the very beginning and prevent them from becoming chronic.
• Carry out preventive gargling and rinsing of tonsil lacunae. These procedures are carried out in our clinic, and our doctors will be happy to advise you about them.

If you are concerned about enlarged tonsils without fever, make an appointment with otolaryngologists at the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic - you will receive comprehensive consultations and quality treatment.