What is the risk of enterovirus infection in adults?

Enterovirus infection in adults leads to the development of a wide variety of diseases - some of them are extremely dangerous, such as meningitis and polio, while others are completely harmless. The prevalence of this variety of viruses is of concern, since they can remain active for quite some time even when exposed to aggressive environmental factors.

Enterovirus infection in adults and its transmission

enterovirus infection in adults

To date, the group of enteroviruses consists of more than 100 species, each of which, under certain conditions, leads to the development of a particular disease. A feature of these pathogens is their ability to activate in the human intestine.

As for the transmission of infection, as a rule, infection occurs by airborne droplets. You can catch the virus almost everywhere - in public transport, at work, while walking or visiting the pool, etc. In addition, virus particles can be found in drinking water, on household items, on food, etc. In short, nobody is safe from such an infection.

Of course, in this case, the state of human immunity is important - the weaker the body's defenses, the greater the chance of developing a serious disease.

Enterovirus infection in adults: symptoms

enterovirus infection in adults

As already mentioned, enteroviruses can affect different organ systems, therefore, the clinical picture with a similar infection can look completely different. For example, in the adult population there are frequent cases of passive carriage of the virus - a person does not even suspect that there is a problem, at the same time becoming a source of viral particles for everyone around him.

The most commonly observed is the so-called enterovirus fever. Such a condition is accompanied by a sharp and strong increase in temperature, but the patient's condition returns to normal after a few days, and without any specific treatment.

Infection of the body is often accompanied by the development of meningitis. In this case, signs of enterovirus infection in adults come down to fever, severe headaches, nausea and vomiting.

In some cases, viral particles affect the digestive system, which leads to pain and bloating, vomiting, severe diarrhea with blood.

Enterovirus infection in adults can lead to the appearance of the so-called “Boston fever”, which is accompanied by an increase in temperature and a characteristic skin rash. Interestingly, all these symptoms disappear on their own after a few days.

Representatives of this group of viruses also cause conjunctivitis, tonsillitis, otitis media, hepatitis and other diseases.

signs of enterovirus infection in adults

Enterovirus infection in adults: treatment methods

Unfortunately, to date, there is no single effective treatment. In most cases, doctors are not even able to determine which virus caused a particular disease. Of course, therapy is primarily symptomatic. Patients are given antipyretic and analgesic drugs. It is imperative that the patient’s diet is complete and saturates the body with nutrients and vitamins. Patients are also recommended to use a large amount of fluid, which prevents dehydration and accelerates the process of elimination of toxins. Immunomodulators are also used for treatment, since the only way to protect the body is to strengthen its defense.


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