7 Diet Tips to Help Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis

Why You Should Feed Both A Cold And A Fever

Respiratory viruses like rhinovirus – the cause of the common cold – flu and SARS-CoV-2 make the rounds during the winter season, and many people claim to have a remedy to help illness pass quicker. But how much merit do these cures have? An expert with Baylor College of Medicine explains why the coldest time of the year brings sickness and how to prevent and power through some seasonal illnesses.

"These seasonal viruses are easily transmitted from human to human as the cold weather brings people closer together indoors and kids are in school," said Dr. Pedro Piedra, professor of molecular virology and microbiology and of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "Colder temperatures also allow for viruses to survive on surfaces longer, and the humidity we experience here in Houston also contributes to these viruses being able to survive outside of a host." 

Although the adage encourages you to "feed a cold, starve a fever," Piedra says people should be trying to get an adequate caloric intake for any illness. Fever, like excess mucus production, is one of many defense mechanisms your body relies on when it is threatened. These mechanisms require energy, which you gain by eating a well-balanced diet. Sick-friendly meals like soup often contain the appropriate elements of diet, which is why they are commonly recommended to make you feel better overall. Malaise caused by illness may lessen your appetite but try to maintain your eating habits while you are sick. 

In addition to caloric intake, adequate hydration is also important to helping your body get over a virus. People will often turn to warm tea to soothe sore throats; this also will help keep you hydrated. Those experiencing excessive mucus production that settles in the back of the throat can also benefit from a salt-water gargle as this helps remove blockages and temporarily eases any irritation. 

"There is also a saying that if your hair is wet and you are in a cold environment, you will get sick. That is partly true," said Piedra. "You won't contract a virus, but you may weaken your immune system, which might invite sickness." 

Time may be the best medicine for letting viruses pass, but preventative measures are the best defense against respiratory viruses during the colder seasons. For people 6 months of age and older, flu and COVID vaccines are available. Also, for the first-time, an RSV vaccine is available for people 60 years old and older and pregnant women at 32 to 36 weeks gestational age. For infants up to 8 months old, a long-acting monoclonal antibody is available to prevent severe RSV infection. Masking and proper hand-washing hygiene also are key to disease prevention. 

"Antiviral drugs can be prescribed by your physician and are available to ease symptoms of various viruses, like influenza and SARS-CoV-2, but they need to be taken early on in the infection to make sure they are effective," said Piedra. "If your cold, flu or COVID infection advances and you begin having difficulty breathing, or if you move around and you don't feel well, reach out to your physician as this may be a sign that your condition is worsening."

Fife Patient Left With Nerve Damage After Failings In DVT Care

A PATIENT was left with permanent nerve damage, chronic pain and reduced mobility after a delay in diagnosing a complication with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) treatment.

NHS Fife have now apologised for failures in the treatment of the patient, known as 'C', and been ordered to carry out improvements in care.

'C' complained to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman about the treatment provided between April and May 2021.

They had received Dalteparin injections, a heparin-based treatment, from the Board's outpatient DVT clinic for a superficial vein thrombophlebitis.

READ MORE: Picture worth more than £1,000 as new mural aims to ease kids surgery fears

Around nine days later, C reported to the clinic new symptoms of weakness, numbness and difficulty moving their leg. C was admitted to hospital where they received investigations to rule out either peripheral nerve entrapment or a stroke.

Symptoms continued to worsen including new onset of severe leg pain, and it was later confirmed that C had developed limb ischaemia – inadequate blood supply due to blockage of the blood vessels – due to Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT), a serious complication associated with heparin-based products.

Although C was transferred to another health board for emergency vascular surgery which saved their leg, they were left with permanent nerve damage and suffer from chronic pain and reduced mobility.

C complained the delay in treating them for HIT resulted in the permanent harm caused to their leg said the outcome would have been better had the condition been diagnosed and treated earlier.

They also complained that the Board's handling of their complaint had been unreasonable.

The ombudsman said the DVT clinic appointments were a "key opportunity" to manage C's condition before harm had happened, particularly as blood results which were available indicating that C's platelet count had dropped.

READ MORE: Dunfermline dad thanks friend for life-saving kidney donation

"HIT is a very difficult condition to treat even when treatment is commenced immediately, however, had action been taken earlier, in their view, it may have significantly changed the outcome for C," they stated.

"It was of significant concern that although junior and general medical staff correctly suspected HIT, they did not then receive appropriate specialist support and advice which meant C was not urgently treated for HIT as they should have been."

The Ombudsman found that there had been a failure to appropriately review and monitor C's platelet count at the DVT clinic, a failure to appropriately assess and diagnose C for suspicion of HIT, provide appropriate haematology advice to medical staff and review and document C's response to pain relief.

It also deemed that the Board's handling of C's complaint was unreasonable including their handling of the Local Adverse Event Review.

The Ombudsman ordered NHS Fife to apologise for the identified failings and provide evidence that the findings of the investigation had been fed back to relevant staff in a supportive way for learning and improvement and to avoid a similar mistake being made again.

They also ordered the board to provide them with evidence that they have reviewed the DVT clinic's management and review of patients receiving heparin injections to ensure blood results are timeously reviewed and acted on appropriately.

Responding to the decision, NHS Fife's Medical Director, Dr Chris McKenna, said: "Healthcare staff in Fife work tirelessly in their efforts to provide patients with the best possible quality of care.

"While the vast majority of the care we provide is of a very high standard, we accept that errors were made in this case, and we have apologised to the patient involved.

"As the Ombudsman acknowledges in their report, Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is unpredictable, and the symptoms reported in this case occur only infrequently with this condition. While ruling out other serious conditions was initially deemed to be the immediate clinical priority, we accept that opportunities were missed that could have enabled the cause to be identified sooner.

"We also note the acceptance within the report that the condition is difficult to treat even when recognised early and that initiating an alternative treatment sooner may not have fully worked.

"We constantly strive to provide patients with the safest and most effective care possible and recognise the importance of learning from this case.

"A series of actions have already been taken following our own local review to prevent such an incident from being repeated in future. The recommendations of the Ombudsman are also in the process of being implemented in full."

---