Can the flu permanently damage your lungs?

When the virus infects your lungs, your body tries to fight the infection. But, if the infection is hard to clear up you may develop viral pneumonia. And this may progress to a secondary bacterial infection of your lungs, or bacterial pneumonia.

Does H1N1 scar your lungs?

The H1N1 pandemic is over, but for those who suffered through the disease or watched loved ones ill with it, the scars remain. My 25-year-old son was felled by H1N1 last October and though he survived, his ability to breathe is severely limited by permanent scars the virus left in his lungs.

Does swine flu affect lungs?

Like the regular flu, swine flu can lead to more serious problems including pneumonia, a lung infection, and other breathing problems. And it can make an illness like diabetes or asthma worse.

How can I strengthen my lungs?

Tips for keeping your lungs healthy

1. Stop smoking, and avoid secondhand smoke or environmental irritants.
2. Eat foods rich in antioxidants.
3. Get vaccinations like the flu vaccine and the pneumonia vaccine.
4. Exercise more frequently, which can help your lungs function properly.
5. Improve indoor air quality.

How do you treat your lungs after the flu?

Ways to clear the lungs

1. Steam therapy. Steam therapy, or steam inhalation, involves inhaling water vapor to open the airways and help the lungs drain mucus.
2. Controlled coughing.
3. Drain mucus from the lungs.
4. Exercise.
5. Green tea.
6. Anti-inflammatory foods.
7. Chest percussion.

What does H1N1 do to the respiratory system?

H1N1 swine flu is an acute disease that infects the upper respiratory tract and can cause inflammation of the upper respiratory passages, trachea, and possibly the lower respiratory tract.

What are the complications of swine flu?

Complications

• Worsening of chronic conditions, such as heart disease and asthma.
• Pneumonia.
• Neurological signs and symptoms, ranging from confusion to seizures.
• Respiratory failure.

How long does H1N1 last in your body?

The symptoms of swine flu (H1N1), including fever, chills, cough, and body aches, last about eight days, on average. Some symptoms may continue longer than that.

How do you tell if your lungs are damaged?

Common signs are:

• Trouble breathing.
• Shortness of breath.
• Feeling like you’re not getting enough air.
• Decreased ability to exercise.
• A cough that won’t go away.
• Coughing up blood or mucus.
• Pain or discomfort when breathing in or out.

Can the lungs repair themselves?

Your lungs are self-cleaning, which means they will gradually heal and regenerate on their own after you quit smoking. However, there are certain lifestyle behaviors you can practice to try and accelerate the rate at which your lungs heal.

How long does it take an inflamed lung to heal?

“Recovery from lung damage takes time,” Galiatsatos says. “There’s the initial injury to the lungs, followed by scarring. Over time, the tissue heals, but it can take three months to a year or more for a person’s lung function to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.

How does swine flu affect the lungs?

Swine flu has also led to permanent lung damage in a few people. When the swine flu infection recedes, the lungs can have fibrosis or get damaged or have hardened tissue. How Can You Lower The Risk Of Contracting Swine Flu? Staying healthy is the best thing you can do to keep swine flu away.

Can swine flu kill you?

Severe cases of swine flu can prove to be fatal. Mostly the swine flu fatal cases occur in those with any chronic medical conditions, such as HIV and AIDS. Pneumonia is a serious complication of swine flu, which is the infection of tiny air sacs in one or both the lungs.

How long does swine flu cough last (and why)?

Cough and fatigue are the two symptoms which linger on for longer than 3-5 days after the swine flu. The cough from swine flu might last for two weeks or more, as an after effect of swine flu. Amongst the after effects of swine flu, cough at times becomes the cause of concern, i.e. if the symptoms return.

How long after swine flu can you return to work (and why)?

Patients suffering from swine flu should also keep themselves isolated to prevent the spread of the infection to other people. In case of swine flu, you should resume work only if 2 days have passed without taking the fever medication. The symptoms of swine flu subside after 3 days.