Causes of bone flu and the choice of medicine

You may have heard the term bone flu, which is a condition when severe pain attacks the joints. It is not uncommon for this condition to make it difficult for the body to move because of the disruption in the joints that is so excruciating. Actually, what is the cause behind the appearance of bone flu? Read on for this article to find out the answer.

Bone flu in chikungunya disease

Bone flu is a term that doesn't exist in the medical world. This condition is described as excruciating pain in a joint or muscle, sometimes accompanied by other symptoms such as fever.

Many people still mistakenly think that bone flu is a term for chikungunya disease. In fact, both are different conditions.

Chikungunya is a disease transmitted through mosquito bites Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The most characteristic symptoms of this disease are high fever and severe joint pain.

Well, because of these two symptoms people often associate chikungunya with bone flu. In fact, bone flu is part of the symptoms that appear when you experience chikungunya.

Chikungunya is caused by infection with the chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The virus can be transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has sucked the blood of a previously infected person. This viral infection is known to directly affect joints.

Here are the characteristics and symptoms of chikungunya:

• Fever reaches 39-40 degrees Celsius
• Pain in joints in several parts of the body, such as the wrists, elbows, back, knees, ankles, and fingers
• Swelling of the painful joints
• The body is tired
• Muscleache
• A rash appears on the skin, especially on the face and neck

Symptoms of chikungunya usually appear 3-7 days after the patient is bitten by a mosquito Aedes the first time. After that, the symptoms will resolve in about 1 week, depending on how well the chikungunya treatment is being given.

However, symptoms in the form of bone flu, especially joint pain, may last longer for several weeks, months, even years. That's why the chikungunya virus is at risk of causing chronic joint and muscle pain.

Bone flu in other diseases

Apart from chikungunya, bone flu can also be found in several other diseases. The following are other diseases and medical conditions that are often associated or even mistaken for bone flu:

1. Dengue fever (DHF)

If you are familiar with mosquitoes Aedes aegypti, You may also already feel familiar with dengue fever. Yes, dengue fever or DHF is another disease that is also caused by mosquito bites Aedes, apart from chikungunya.

This disease also causes symptoms similar to chikungunya, namely sudden high fever, joint pain, and skin rash. That is why this disease is sometimes difficult to distinguish from chikungunya.

However, dengue fever carries the risk of more severe complications, such as a rupture of blood plasma that causes fatal bleeding. If the symptoms you experience are likely related to this disease, consult a doctor immediately.

2. Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is inflammation due to infection in the bones. However, what distinguishes osteomyelitis from the two previous diseases is the cause. Osteomyelitis is caused by a bacterial infection, one of which is bacteria Staphylococcus.

Like the hallmark of bone flu, the symptoms caused by osteomyelitis are fever, pain and swelling in the infected body part, and the body feels tired.

However, it is not uncommon for people with osteomyelitis not to experience any signs and symptoms. In addition, the symptoms of this disease are difficult to distinguish from other diseases that are accompanied by symptoms similar to bone flu.

3. Influenza

Another disease that is also often associated with bone flu is influenza. Influenza or flu is a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system, such as the nose, throat and lungs.

This disease usually resolves on its own. However, it is possible that influenza can develop into a serious complication of the disease, especially in children under 5 years of age, seniors over 65 years, and patients with chronic diseases.

Symptoms of influenza are usually quite easy to recognize, such as fever, runny nose, headache, and cough. However, many influenza patients also report severe pain in the joints and muscles.

4. Rheumatoid arthritis

Bone flu can also be part of the symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is caused by the body's immune system attacking the tissues in the body itself, resulting in chronic inflammation of the joints.

Not only joints, if inflammation has spread to other parts of the body, rheumatoid arthritis can affect the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.

The signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are similar to those of the above diseases, namely pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints. Sometimes, rheumatoid arthritis also causes fever symptoms.

What is the cure for bone flu?

To treat this condition, you must first know what disease or medical condition causes the bone flu you are experiencing. Therefore, if you experience symptoms that resemble this condition, it's best to see a doctor as soon as possible.

By seeing a doctor, the doctor can diagnose what is the cause of your joint pain and provide appropriate treatment. The reason is, the drugs a doctor prescribes may vary, depending on the cause of the disease behind the bone flu.

The following are medicines that the doctor will give to relieve the symptoms of this condition:

1. Paracetamol

Paracetamol is the drug most often used to reduce fever and relieve pain due to inflammation or infection. This medicine can be obtained by prescription or purchased at a pharmacy freely.

Take paracetamol according to the dosage given by your doctor, or listed on the medicine package. Make sure you don't take paracetamol in excess to treat your bone flu symptoms.

2. Ibuprofen

Apart from paracetamol, you can also relieve pain due to bone flu with ibuprofen. You can buy this drug at a pharmacy with or without a doctor's prescription.

However, ibuprofen should not be taken by patients with dengue fever. The reason is, NSAID drugs such as ibuprofen have the risk of causing bleeding, which will worsen the condition of dengue fever patients.

3. Naproxen

To reduce inflammation in the joints and bones, especially in rheumatoid arthritis or osteomyelitis, doctors usually prescribe naproxen. Naproxen is an NSAID class of drugs that can help treat inflammation, aka inflammation.

The use of naproxen drugs should be done based on a doctor's prescription and recommendation. According to the NHS website, this drug should not be taken by patients with certain health conditions, such as hypertension, kidney disease, liver disease, or heart problems.

4. Antibiotics

In bone flu conditions associated with a bacterial infection, such as osteomyelitis, you may be treated with antibiotics.

Before determining what kind of antibiotic to give, your doctor needs to know in advance what type of bacteria is infecting your body. Therefore, you may need to undergo additional tests, such as a biopsy of infected body tissue.

For osteomyelitis caused by bacteria Staphylococcus aureusthe antibiotics to be prescribed are vancomycin, nafcillin, or oxacillin.

After reading the explanation above, now you know that bone flu is a symptom that appears in certain conditions or diseases. Immediately see a doctor if you feel signs of bone flu, such as severe joint pain and high fever. This is important so that your condition does not get worse in the future.