{"id":608,"date":"2018-04-05T08:00:54","date_gmt":"2018-04-05T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/besthealth.guide\/?p=608"},"modified":"2021-10-05T04:09:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-05T04:09:34","slug":"12-serious-symptoms-of-west-nile-virus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/12-serious-symptoms-of-west-nile-virus\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Serious Symptoms of West Nile Virus"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, West Nile Virus (WNV) is a disease mostly transmitted to people by mosquitos. The virus originated from the West Nile region in Uganda and spread throughout the world. In some countries, the virus is prominent during the wet season, which is also the best time for mosquito breeding. In the U.S. several WNV cases have been reported throughout the country.<\/p>\n

Studies show that there are no vaccines or medicines designated for this type of virus, but there are medications to alleviate some of its symptoms. It\u2019s usually rare for infected people to show vivid symptoms, however, 1 in 5 may show signs of fever and diarrhea. Also, 1 in 150 people with WNV develop fatal illnesses.<\/p>\n

For prevention purposes, people make use of mosquito repellents, nets, and wear long-sleeved clothes. Below listed are 12 serious symptoms of the West Nile virus.<\/p>\n

1. Coma<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Even though WNV patients don\u2019t usually show any severe symptoms, there are some rare instances where patients show serious and fatal signs. If a patient frequently experiences severe headaches and not get effective treatment, they end up slipping into a coma<\/a>. This is because some primary causes of severe headaches like meningitis and encephalitis can stimulate the inflammation of tissues around the brain and the spinal cord. The pressure exerted on the tissues can restrict sufficient blood flow to the brain hence losing brain functionality.<\/p>\n

Research shows that untreated severe symptoms of WNV have the ability to sustain permanent damage to the patient. Serious symptoms of WNV should not be ignored because they can be treated or monitored if found at an early stage. If a person becomes unresponsive or suddenly unconscious, call an ambulance immediately for early hospitalization. This will decrease the rate of serious damage to the brain.<\/p>\n

\"\"2. Stupor<\/strong><\/h3>\n

WNV in some cases causes disorientation to the patient. This happens especially if the person frequently complains about headaches<\/a>. It would have been caused by the swelling of brains and an individual end up in a stupor state. Stupor refers to a condition whereby a person loses cognitive function and becomes totally impassive. You can recognize that the patient is in a stupor when they sound or act confused, show derangement, or disorientation.<\/p>\n

Treatment should be administered to a person at this stage. If it happens when they are under treatment, the doctor must look into the treatment plan and maybe consider changing it as it would not be working for the patient. If left untreated, chances are high that the patient will slip into a coma as inflammation on the brain would have become excess. Secondary infections caused by this virus are prone at this stage, hence calls for urgent treatment.<\/p>\n

\"\"3. Headache<\/strong><\/h3>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this is the most common and serious symptom of WNV stimulated by the prevalence of encephalitis. Encephalitis<\/a> promotes brain tissue inflammation. This causes a pattern of different types of headaches such as migraine, tension, and clusters headaches.<\/p>\n

Headaches are a common symptom of various illnesses and health conditions. A journal on the Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes of WNV Infection vol.2 revealed that it can be difficult to trace the presence of WNV through a headache. Headaches can just be caused by anything that can irritate the immune system and they usually fade with time.<\/p>\n

This is the major reason why WNV headaches end up becoming severe and increasing the chances of stupor and coma in patients. They are frequently ruled out and left untreated, hence further damage to the patient. In WNV patients, headaches are accompanied by body ache and fatigue.<\/p>\n

\"\"4. Rash<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another typical WNV symptom is a red-patched rash<\/a> that\u2019s scattered on the back, chest, and stomach. The factsheets found on the WHO website elaborate that 20% of WNV patients experience a skin rash that wildly spreads into patches right across the body trunk. In some cases, the rash caused by WNV is mistaken for measles or just an allergic reaction. If left untreated, the rash spreads to the rest of the body. In rare cases, it doesn\u2019t start on the back or on the chest, but in the head spreading down to the lower limbs.<\/p>\n

In addition, unmonitored rash causes secondary dermatological conditions that can leave permanent damage or scarring on the skin. Topical creams are usually used for treatment, this way the skin is left without any scars. The WNV history shows fluctuating graphs on the patients who got rashes, but this symptom was there in all the outbreaks.<\/p>\n

\"\"5. Swollen Glands<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The body has a way of letting people know if something is wrong with the immune system<\/a>. These signals come in the form of symptoms that will help you determine the type of condition you are likely to suffer from. Glands are important in playing their part along with the system. If they get damaged or infected, the body shows the signs. In this case, when a person gets infected by WNV, their lymph glands get inflamed in the process of fighting the infection.<\/p>\n

This is how the body shows you that there is a foreign body in the system.<\/p>\n

However, not everyone infected with the WNV shows this symptom. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that 20% of WNV patients are prone to have WNV fever. Therefore, chances of having inflamed glands, in this case, would be moderately low as swollen glands are generally the system\u2019s way of fighting infections.<\/p>\n

\"\"6. High Fever<\/h3>\n

According to the WHO fact sheet, even though WNV is an asymptomatic<\/a> condition with about 80% showing no symptoms; the remaining 20% can portray severe fever amongst other symptoms. It goes on to state that the West Nile fever is usually accompanied by tiredness, nausea, extreme fatigue, and headaches.<\/p>\n

In other cases, the high fever comes out as flu and mild, but it has the potential of becoming extreme. This is when the fever gets to be associated with influenza because of the flu-like symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, and muscle aches. Patients should be treated for high fever because it can rapidly worsen and cause serious issues.<\/p>\n

However, fever can also be caused by other health conditions that pop up as secondary issues triggered by the WNV. If this is the case, it would be important to track and treat the fever in order to curb the development of other illnesses.<\/p>\n

\"\"7. Stiff Neck<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another serious symptom of the WNV that patients experience is the stiff neck<\/a>. This symptom is usually a sign that you have a problem with your spinal cord. It is commonly accompanied by severe headaches. This is because when there are virus infection meninges usually get affected and inflamed. The inflammation affects the neck and brain tissue. This causes a very stiff neck accompanied by severe headaches.<\/p>\n

Some people don\u2019t take this symptom as seriously as they should. Stiff necks are associated with inflamed meninges and brain tissue. Also, if you get a stiff neck and suspect WN meningitis you should immediately seek medical help as it is always a result of severe WNV illnesses like meningoencephalitis and encephalitis. There is no specific treatment for a stiff neck as there aren\u2019t any medications for other severe WNV symptoms. Patients are advised to consume enough fluids at this stage.<\/p>\n

\"\"8. Tremors<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The swelling of the brain (encephalitis<\/a>) and meningitis which is the swelling of the spinal cord and the tissues surrounding the brain are the prominent causes of tremors in WNV patients. According to WHO, severe WNV circumstances cause serious neurological effects. Patients start to experience seizures, convulsions, and tremors. In this case, these severe tremors can be depicted as seizures, whilst seizures are also prone to occur in WNV patients.<\/p>\n

A recent study illustrates that some of the patients of WNV don\u2019t show tremor or seizure symptoms whilst they are still hospitalized. The symptoms tend to manifest after a few months to several years after the patient was successfully treated. The National Institutes of Health further states that the tremors may not be completely healed, but can stop after 24 months. Patients who continue having tremors after this period are likely to have it for the rest of their lives.<\/p>\n

\"\"9. Paralysis<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Another symptom that can be a threat to WNV patients is the risk of paralysis. Patients in a critical stage of WNV can get numb or lose the sense of feeling. According to the National Health Institute, the paralysis<\/a> caused by encephalitis is called an Acute Flaccid Paralysis.<\/p>\n

This is a severe disorder that has the same effects of polio whereby an individual loses their muscle function ability. Even though not usual, it is possible in some cases for patients to go through the experience because of the WNV.<\/p>\n

Unlike other severe symptoms that can be permanent, paralysis caused by WNV is not permanent; most patients recover fully from the symptom. However, for some, it can be unfortunate that they die from the WNV condition still bedridden because of paralysis. For full recovery, physical therapy would be vital so as to help get your muscles back into action again.<\/p>\n

\"\"10. Eyesight Loss<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Research that was conducted at Oxford University showed that WNV has the ability to damage the optic and ocular nerves of some patients. Even though it occurs in rare cases, acute eyesight loss to WNV patients has been reported. Some patients who quickly lost were later notified that they had vision problems prior to the infection.<\/p>\n

This problem is sometimes accompanied by pain in the eyes. The study shows that the eye can be affected in one part, causing a patient to be partial eye sighted; or can affect the whole eye, hence total vision loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Other journals and articles that published the spread of WNV in the U.S. also mentioned that the virus causes temporary and permanent damage to the eyes, thereby resulting to complete vision loss to patients. The eye parts that are said to have the potential of being affected are the optic neuritis, retinitis, and uveitis.<\/p>\n

\"\"11. Joint Pain<\/h3>\n

WNV patients show arthritis-related symptoms. They sometimes fail to stand or walk because of painful and stiff joints. Studies show that 60% of patients, both male and female exhibit the inability to walk due to inflamed joints.<\/p>\n

In Houston, Texas, 2-year research was carried out on 108 patients who did not show any severe symptoms to find out how long it would take them to exhibit any joint-related symptoms. In a period of 6 months, 30% of the patients started having difficulties walking. They described the effect as bones rubbing against each other and their lower limbs were getting inflamed.<\/p>\n

Treatment of this symptom is not specific but most patients are treated under other joint-related conditions like arthritis<\/a>, diabetes, etc. This is because joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation are common symptoms of these other health conditions. This makes it hard for doctors to diagnose it under WNV illness.<\/p>\n

\"\"12. Fatigue<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Fatigue<\/a> is one of the prominent symptoms that patients suffering from WNV experience. In a recent study of 144 participants, 31% of them got prolonged fatigue due to the illness. In this case, prolonged means for a period of 6 months and above.<\/p>\n

The fatigue post-infection was claimed to last an average of 5 years. With these findings, it is evident that fatigue is a severe symptom of WNV. In some cases, fatigue can be experienced during the treatment period, whilst in other cases it comes after treatment, accompanied by anxiety, weakness, and depression.<\/p>\n

Fatigue in WNV patients is usually caused by being restless, dehydrated, and lack of sleep. These symptoms are not initially caused by the viral condition, but by other disorders caused by the virus. For example, severe headaches can result in a patient not resting enough. Also, vomiting and excessive sweating can result in them being dehydrated.<\/p>\n

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