{"id":5718,"date":"2019-04-22T14:25:57","date_gmt":"2019-04-22T14:25:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=5718"},"modified":"2021-06-04T02:12:23","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T02:12:23","slug":"15-usual-symptoms-of-hantavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/15-usual-symptoms-of-hantavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"15 Usual Symptoms of Hantavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hantavirus is an extremely rare infectious disease that causes flu-like symptoms. The infectious disease can rapidly progress and cause breathing problems that are life-threatening. Hantavirus is carried by rodents, especially deer mice. When you become infected it\u2019s because you inhaled the air that is infected by hantavirus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rodents will leave their droppings and urine scent in the air that whenever you breathe it, you become infected. The treatment options for hantavirus are limited. The only way to prevent yourself from getting the disease is to steer clear of rodents. That can be difficult if rodents make their home in your house. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It doesn\u2019t matter if you have an older or newer home. Rodents who have hantavirus will make their way into your home if they want to. If you start to have symptoms it\u2019s important to seek medical attention right away since it can be life-threatening. There are eight usual symptoms of hantavirus to look out for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Fever and chills <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fever and chills <\/a>are the usual symptoms you will experience in the first stages of hantavirus. You will think that you have the flu, but it\u2019s hantavirus. At home, you can take Tylenol and stay in bed, but it won\u2019t go away because you have an infectious disease. You will need to go into the emergency room where they will give you the proper care that you\u2019ll need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They will most likely put you in intensive care and give you oxygen. If you go to the emergency room as soon as you develop symptoms, you will have a chance of surviving. The amount of time you\u2019ll be in the hospital is dependent on how fast you heal. You won\u2019t be able to go home until your fever goes down. The emergency room staff will suggest going to an infectious disease doctor for a follow up to make sure it hasn\u2019t come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Headaches <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Headaches <\/a>are the usual symptoms to have when you have hantavirus. You can take Tylenol to help with your headache. Since you believe you have the flu you may not seek treatment right away because you don\u2019t know that you have hantavirus. When you have the flu and you take medicine for it, your headache begins to go away, but with hantavirus, it won\u2019t. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The infectious disease is infected your body so much that any over-the-counter medicine is not going to work. It might even make your headaches worse because the disease is much stronger. After a few days, you should go into the hospital where they will place into intensive care. In intensive care, you will be made to feel comfortable. You may even need to be a respirator to help with your breathing. The infectious disease will go away in a few weeks or days if it\u2019s caught early enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Muscle aches<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Muscle aches are common with hantavirus<\/a>. Whenever you\u2019re sick, your muscles will begin to ache. You will take some cold medicine and lie down to get relief. When you get up, your muscles won\u2019t ache as much. You will start to feel better, but with hantavirus, your muscles will continue to ache even when you try to take medicine for it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may try topical ointments to help with your muscle aches, but that won\u2019t do any good either. In order to get relief, you will need to go speak with your primary care physician. Your physician will do a blood test to see what is going on. Your diagnosis will be hantavirus in which the doctor will immediately suggest you go to the hospital. At the hospital, they have all the medical tools that are needed to get you back feeling better and get rid of this disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Diarrhea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Diarrhea <\/a>is a usual symptom with hantavirus. You may not think anything of it because you believe you have the flu. With the flu, after it goes away, diarrhea will cease. With hantavirus, it won\u2019t cease. It will continue for days and even weeks. You shouldn\u2019t have diarrhea for weeks or even days for that matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to let your doctor know what is going on, so he or she can diagnose what you have. It may seem scary at first, but the only way to find out what is going on with your body is through the doctor. If you\u2019re diagnosed with hantavirus, you will have to be put into the hospital. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you seek treatment while it\u2019s in its early stages you won\u2019t have to stay in the hospital for too long. When you get out of the hospital, you\u2019ll just be careful of your surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Shortness of breath<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Shortness of breath is a common symptom to have in the second stage of hantavirus. You\u2019ll need to go into the emergency room so that you can get some oxygen<\/a>. During oxygen therapy, you\u2019ll be treated for the hantavirus as well. Your blood will be drawn on a regular basis to see if it\u2019s healing or not. This infectious disease is life-threatening and you don\u2019t need to wait too long to get treatment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your breathing should start to go back to normal. You can expect to be in the hospital for a couple of weeks until your body goes back to where it needs to be. If you waited too late to go to the hospital, you may have to stay on oxygen for a while or even have an inhaler. There is no reason to be embarrassed to have these on your person. They will save your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Low blood pressure <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Low blood pressure<\/a> is another symptom of hantavirus. Some people are worried about high blood pressure, but yours is too low. You don\u2019t want your blood pressure to get low because it can be just as bad as having high blood pressure. You can die from having both. Have someone take you to your doctor or the hospital, so you can get your blood pressure to a normal level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blood tests will be taken to see what is causing your blood pressure to drop. You will immediately be placed into the hospital because this is life or death. The doctor will explain to you what\u2019s going on and why you have to stay. He or she will tell you what to expect while you\u2019re in the hospital. You should make a full recovery and the disease will go away. There is nothing to worry about because you\u2019re in good hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Coughing <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Coughing <\/a>is usual to have when you have hantavirus. When you have a cough with this infectious disease it will produce secretions. It may be painful to cough at times because you could be having other symptoms along with this, including abdominal pain. The cough won\u2019t go away on its own. If you cough too often it could cause you to lose your breath. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why you\u2019ll need to be in the hospital in intensive care where they can get rid of the cough for you. They\u2019ll place you on oxygen therapy where you\u2019ll get much-needed air into your lungs. The medical staff will monitor you to see how you\u2019re progressing. Since you\u2019re in the second stage of hantavirus you may have to stay in the hospital for a few weeks. The reason for this is to make sure the infectious disease doesn\u2019t get worse and it goes away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Fluid accumulates in the lungs <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fluid accumulates in the lungs is a serious symptom of hantavirus. Once too much fluid is in your lungs, it makes it difficult to breathe. This could cause you to lose your life. Don\u2019t wait too long to seek help because if you do, it\u2019ll be too late. Hantavirus has taken over your lungs and in order for it to clear up, you\u2019ll need strong medicine and oxygen<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hospital is the only place you can go to get treatment for this. This isn\u2019t a disease that can be treated at home. It can be cured if you catch it early enough, but you need hospital treatment. One type of treatment you may expect is mechanical ventilation. It is a machine that moves air in and out of the lungs when you can\u2019t breathe on your own. Since fluid has accumulated in your lungs, you\u2019re probably not breathing correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9.    Nausea and Vomiting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients dealing with hantavirus infection may start to develop feelings of nausea as the virus passes through the digestive system<\/a>. Along with symptoms of diarrhea, patients may also experience bouts of vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient may experience these symptoms for the first day of the infection, and they subside as the patient recovers. During recovery, it’s best to try and get the patient to start eating again as soon as possible. If they can’t hold down a meal, then try feeding them dry crackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting the digestive system moving again ensures that the immune system receives the energy it needs to recover from the infection. Once the patient finishes digesting the crackers, they should feel okay about eating a solid meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient may find that it’s challenging to hold down food and liquids in this state, exposing them to the onset of dehydration, which is one of the most severe complications of hantavirus.
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10.    Dehydration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, dehydration is one of the more severe complications of nausea and vomiting symptoms associated with hantavirus infection. Dehydration <\/a>occurs when the patient loses vital body fluids through vomiting or diarrhea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The patient needs to replace these fluids after each bowel movement or purge, or they run the risk of developing dehydration. Since our body is more than 65-percent water, losing vital fluids leads to a host of adverse health complications. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the patient cannot hold down fluids for longer than 24 hours, take them to the emergency room for immediate treatment with IV fluids to rehydrate. Most patients make a full recovery within an hour after starting treatment.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s not only water we have to worry about losing to vomiting or diarrhea. Our body fluids contain minerals and electrolytes which exist in a balanced state. Losing electrolytes through vomiting can cause an imbalance that results in the development of seizures in the patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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11.    Electrolyte Imbalance and Seizures<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Patients that remain dehydrated are at risk of developing severe adverse health complications. The mineral and electrolyte <\/a>imbalances caused by vomiting and diarrhea result in the patient experiencing low levels of potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium responsible for regulating nervous system function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the nervous system experiences and electrolyte imbalance., it may result in the patient experiencing a seizure. Should the patient fail to receive fluids to rehydrate, they may fall into a coma. In most cases, the seizures are not severe enough to leave any permanent brain damage, and the patient makes a full recovery once the physician starts them on IV fluids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dehydration is not to be taken lightly in any circumstance, whether it’s due to illness or environmental factors. What the patient for signs of the condition and ensure that they rehydrate with a specialized electrolyte beverage after each purge. Avoid rehydrating with sports drinks as the sugar may exacerbate symptoms.
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12.    Changes in Urine Production<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, there are four phases of hantavirus, with the third and fourth stages presenting the most severe symptoms. In the third stage of the disease, the patient may start to experience issues with urine <\/a>output. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, the patient may find that they start to urinate more frequently than usual, with higher quantities than normal as well. Eventually, urine production begins to reduce, and the patient finds that they start to produce less than 150-milliliters per urination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Patients with urine problems may also find that their urine may start to turn dark brown or cola-colored. This change in color occurs due to the kidneys leaking proteins into the urine. Blood in the urine is a sign of issues affecting the organs, and patients may require immediate medical attention to avoid further complications with the renal system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In most cases, the patient’s urine production and color of their urine return to normal after receiving treatment for the disease.
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13. Risk Factors<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As with any other disease, there is a set of risk factors<\/a> that make some people more prone to developing the infection than others. According to medical science, the transmission of hantavirus occurs from rodents to humans. The bite of an infected rodent or from fleas feeding on infected rodents may cause hantavirus infection.
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Therefore, we find that hantavirus typically occurs in areas where living conditions are poor. People who are living in squalor experience rodent infestations in their communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recent rise of homeless communities across the United States is leading to outbreaks of previously unseen or forgotten preventable diseases. Fortunately, hantavirus cannot transmit with human-to-human contact and only occurs through rodent or parasite transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rural populations with exposure to rodents that live in wild environments are also at high risk of developing a hantavirus outbreak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you find yourself in any of the high-risk categories mentioned above, then it’s best to speak to a medical professional about steps you can take to prevent infection with the disease.
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14.    Treatment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Treatment for hantavirus infection varies depending on the type of strain <\/a>responsible for the virus. There is currently no known cure for hantavirus, and patients only receive supportive care from medical staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supportive care entails managing the patient’s symptoms as they arise, trying to keep them as comfortable as possible. In most cases, the patient will make a full recovery from hantavirus infection, with no lasting damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, some individuals with weakened immune systems may experience severe adverse health symptoms., such as shortness of breath that leads to respiratory failure. These patients require immediate treatment with a ventilator for assisted breathing, and physicians need to monitor their condition around the clock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some patients with severe symptoms may start to experience the kidney issues mentioned earlier. In such a case, the patient may require dialysis treatment to remove toxins from their bloodstream while they recover from the effects of the virus.
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