RSV Treatments when you are over 60 years of age might be more critical than you realize. RSV or Respiratory Syncytial Virus might masquerade as a cold.
However, it can quickly become more serious with complications when you are sixty years of age or older. We covered some facts about the disease and its symptoms in our previous article.
In fact, FLASS doctors and staff recommend that you read or review it before proceeding to this, Part 2 of our early coverage of RSV. We call it early because this disease is famous for appearing in the early fall. However, as we have noted previously, recent studies have shown it to thrive in July in some areas.
Diagnosis Comes Before Treatments
If You Are Over 60 Years Old, You Could Be at High Risk For Severe Symptoms of RSV. Be Aware of the Tell Tale Signs.
You already know RSV attacks your system and makes it feel like you have a cold. Go to the doctor.
You see, your doctor knows your history, and if you have other conditions, he might suspect RSV could do worse damage to your system.
According to Mayo Clinic, “During the exam, the doctor will listen to the lungs with a stethoscope to check for wheezing or other abnormal sounds.”
RSV Treatments Come After Tests for RSV Diagnosis
Often you won’t need tests beyond the exam. However, sometimes you can expect a few to rule out complications or other diseases with similar symptoms.
As Mayo Clinic suggests, you might need “Blood tests to check white cell counts or to look for viruses, bacteria, and other germs.”
- If you have coughing and a sore throat, sometimes you require “a chest X-ray to check for lung inflammation.” Remember, typically, RSP is a lower respiratory infection. Thus, X-rays can show if you have any other part of the respiratory system infected.
- Do not be surprised if your doctor swabs secretions from inside your mouth or your nose. This procedure can show signs of the virus responsible for different types of viruses.
- Have you ever noticed your doctor put a thing like a clothespin on your finger? That instrument is an oximeter. It measures the percentage of oxygen in your blood.
Homecare for RSV: First Among RSV Treatments
After a Diagnosis of RSV, Rest at Home. Avoid Working and Socializing.
Supportive care at home is usually the treatment for RSV. The challenges of resting and relaxing can be very difficult for high-energy individuals who are used to working or socializing in spite of a stuffed-up nose, cough, and sore throat.
RSV is tenacious, so permit yourself to take some rest and relaxation. Listen to your body. Be aware that your 60-year-old immune system is not as strong as it was in your 30s, 40s, or even your 50s. A weakened immune system is a natural side effect of growing older.
Supportive care: First Step in Treatment–Take the Time to Rest
- You can take Tylenol to reduce your fever.
- Simple saline nasal drops can help you escape the stuffy nose.
- If your doctor sees the need, you might have antibiotics to take as prescribed. Antibiotics are not for RSV per se but for common bacterial “complications like bacterial pneumonia.”
An Important Reminder: Water!
As with any virus or flu, you should drink fluids. Know the symptoms of dehydration, and watch for them.
They include dry mouth, sunken eyes, and little to no urine output. Lack of fluids can also manifest in irritability and sleepiness.
RSV Treatments for Severe Infections: Hospitalization
Know Your At-Home Treatments And Follow Your Doctor’s Advice.
If your symptoms become severe, you might need hospitalization. “In the US, approximately 177,000 hospitalizations in adults 65 years and older due to RSV are reported each year. Of those hospitalizations, an estimated 14,000 cases result in death.”
We give you the above statistics not to incite anxiety, but to emphasize your understanding of the importance of going to the hospital if your symptoms become severe. Options in the hospital include Intravenous fluids and humidified oxygen. In extreme cases, you might require treatment with a breathing machine. Likewise, according to Johns Hopkins Hospital, “Antiviral medications may be used in the treatment of some patients with severe cases in the hospital.”
A Warning from the CDC: RSV Treatments and You
When older adults contract an RSV infection, they normally exhibit symptoms of a cold. But RSV can sometimes instigate serious problems with a large list of complications.
Remember, older adults already have a weakened immune system and less protection against a virus than younger people. The list of complications can be scary. However, FLASS wants you to be aware of them.
- Pneumonia can result from your RSV infection.
- If you have asthma, your symptoms can become severe quickly.
- Likewise, beware of RSV if you have COPD. You already have trouble breathing and RSV can add to it and put you in an exacerbation.
- RSV can even lead to congestive heart failure. This happens “when the heart cannot pump blood and oxygen to the tissues of the body.”
Thus, if your doctor has already diagnosed you with a heart condition, do not delay getting treatment if your RSV symptoms worsen.
RSV Treatments: Prevention is the Best Over 60 Option
As we stated in our previous article, “On May 3 of this year, the FDA approved the first vaccine for Respiratory Syncytial Virus, RSV.”
Thus, the Arexvy vaccine is a safe and effective preventative for RSV in people over 60 or at high risk for RSV. As it turns out, the best option among RSV Treatments is to avoid getting RSV in the first place. Remember, the vaccine, Arexvy, is currently limited to people over 60.
According to the CDC, “Arexvy is approved for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by RSV in individuals 60 years of age and older. ”
Terrific Take-Aways from RSV Treatments
Even if You Have an Active Life Style, Beware of RSV When You Are Over 60 Years Old.
Remember, as the above statement indicates, the CDC has currently approved Arexvy only for patients who are 60 years old or older. Also, we must note that Arexvy might only be available in certain locations or seasons.
Florida Lung, Asthma and Sleep Specialists (FLASS) thank you for reading our blog on RSV. We hope you will remember the cautions about RSV in this and our previous blog. Take care of yourself and breathe deeply.