Chronic Infection
All About Chronic Infection & Illnesses
There are a variety of different illnesses that are associated with chronic infection, including such diseases as Hepatitis C, and HIV. Other diseases that researchers suspect may be caused by chronic infection include gallstones, and arthritis, though the evidence suggesting that these diseases are due to chronic infection is still circumstantial.
Anytime someone suffers from a chronic infection it is important that they see their healthcare provider to get an accurate diagnosis so that the illness can be treated appropriately. There are many different illnesses that tend to display similar symptoms, though treatment for these different diseases can vary widely. This is why it is so important to get a professional diagnosis; if you attempt to try and treat the illness yourself, you could be delaying necessary treatment that can help to make you well again.
Today, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that the common germs that cause colds, and flu, as well as other short lived illnesses, can actually cause long term health problems. Evidence suggests that these bugs may cause chronic infection and contribute to such diseases as asthma, heart disease, cancer, and arthritis, as well as obesity.
Researchers now believe that long after you have recovered from a flu or cold virus, that the bugs will stay around and continue to cause damage to tissue and other areas of your system, resulting in permanent damage. It has been discovered that in people with certain health conditions there is a microbe chronic infection present, which is not present in healthy individuals.
Many scientists now believe that at least half of the chronic illnesses that plague humans today, will one day be explained by chronic infection by microorganisms. Research has linked germ bugs to a variety of illnesses that would never have been linked to chronic infection in the past. These include kidney disease, diabetes, and even some mental health illnesses.
From the time people are born they are constantly in contact with invasive germs, though in most cases the body defenses are sufficient enough to fight off these germs, this isn’t true in all cases. If you have a weakened immune system, or you happen to come into contact with a very invasive organism, your body may not be able to fight back. In addition to this, the way people live today has helped these microorganisms take hold on people more easily. This is due to international travel and the misuse of antibiotics, as well as an environment plagued with pollution. These are just a few of the conditions of modern life that help germs cause chronic infection in people.
Researchers are still not sure exactly why these germs lead to chronic infection and long term disease, but one theory is that they trigger the production of white blood cells, that over time cause inflammation, which lead to such illnesses as asthma and heart disease. There is also the possibility that the germs cause an autoimmune response, which basically means that when the person is infected their immune system actually attacks their own tissues. Researchers have also discovered a link between chronic infection and a large percentage of cancers, such as cervical cancer, stomach cancer, etc.
If these theories are correct, then it gives medical professionals additional weapons in fighting these chronic diseases, such as antiviral medications, and bacterial fighting medications. It will even make it likely that people can get vaccines against viruses that can help prevent many of these illnesses later in life.
Understanding how chronic infection can influence other health problems is the first step in helping to rid mankind of many of the diseases that have plagued us for thousands of years.