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Influenza virus infiltrates your brain, causing influenza-associated encephalopathy
Influenza, also known as flu, affects millions across the world every year. With moderate to severe symptoms like fever, cough, and cold, the flu not only causes infection in your respiratory system but also lowers your cognitive functions. Experts say many complications caused by flu-like pneumonia, respiratory failure, and neurological problems can affect the working of your brain.
How does the flu affect your brain?
Influenza-Associated Encephalopathy
Studies say the influenza virus infiltrates your brain, leading to a serious condition known as influenza-associated encephalopathy or IAE, in which the endothelial cells, which form the blood-brain barrier, become the primary entry points for the virus.
IAE can cause seizures, coma, and even death and is most common in young children, but cases in adults are also reported.
Doctors say that common antiviral drugs that stop virus growth may not work for IAE. However, drugs that block viral protein production do show promising results in animal studies—reducing brain damage and improving survival rates.
Sluggishness
According to experts, when you have the flu virus, the condition can send signals to your brain, triggering symptoms like fatigue, loss of appetite, and sluggishness. A study published in the journal Nature aimed to find out why this happened, and the scientists discovered it is because the infection leads to the production of chemicals called prostaglandins, which help the body fight illness but also make you feel unwell.
Long flu
Similar to COVID-19, many people who have been hospitalised with seasonal influenza can also suffer long-term, negative health effects, especially involving their lungs and airways.
Many studies have compared the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the flu, revealing that in the 18 months after infection, patients hospitalised for either COVID-19 or seasonal influenza faced an increased risk of death, hospital readmission, and health problems in many organ systems. Further, the time of highest risk was 30 days or later after the initial infection.
According to experts, the reason for this could be the widespread inflammation throughout your body triggered by the infection, which harms blood vessels.
Who is at higher risk for developing complications from the flu?
Doctors say certain health conditions can put you at higher risk for severe illness from the flu. This includes life-threatening complications that require hospitalisation, like:
- Asthma, COPD, or other chronic lung diseases
- A history of liver, kidney neurological, heart, or blood vessel diseases, including stroke
- Issues with muscle function that make it difficult to cough, swallow, or clear fluids from your airways
- Diabetes
- Weakened immunity
- Blood disorders like sickle cell disease
- A BMI greater than 30—obesity
- Pregnancy
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