When to Go to Emergency Room for RSV

What Is RSV?

It is an acronym for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. The condition is also known as human respiratory syncytial virus and human orthopneumovirus. It is a vigorously contagious virus that affects the respiratory tract. The virus enters your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth from air droplets.

Signs and Symptoms of RSV

RSV signs and symptoms in adults may look a little different from children and infants. In several cases, adults get RSV from their children. When they catch it, RSV symptoms will look like signs of a common cold in adults. Besides, the stage of infection can manifest different symptoms directly relative to the severity of the viral disorder. The common early signs of RSV are:

• Runny nose
• Decrease in appetite
• A wet and forceful cough
• Wheezing or difficulty breathing – usually when the cough persists for long
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion
• Mild headache
• Lethargy and irritability
• Cyanosis – occurs due to lack of oxygen, manifesting as a bluish skin color.

Causes and Treatment of RSV

Before considering the appropriate treatment for RSV, a doctor for ER treatment near you must account for various factors, including the following:

• The age of the patient – RSV is quite severe for infants younger than 1 year of age and older adults than other people.
• Accurate diagnosis – in many cases, patients are unaware of having RSV because they exhibit symptoms similar to the common cold. You may manage the wrong infections if you visit a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
• The underlying cause of the RSV

Common Causes of RSV

RSV transfers from one person to another during the first week of infection. However, younger infants have a low immune system that exposes them to infection even after the first week. Some of the ways you can catch RSV are:

• If someone with RSV coughs or sneezes near you.
• Shaking hands or kissing an infected person.
• Poor hygiene – never downplay good hygiene for your health. Not keeping your hands clean heightens the risk of infection since the virus can live for hours on hard objects.

Available Treatment Options for RSV

The good news with RSV is that it normally resolves within one to two weeks of its onset. Seeking treatment is the best way to ensure you contain the virus and speed up the healing period.

• Contact isolation mitigates the spread of the infection. A doctor in an emergency room for young children and infants will ask you to discontinue interactions with large crowds at schools or playgrounds to reduce the rate and risk of spreading the disease.

• Over-the-counter pain relievers manage pain and discomfort.

• Antiviral medicine: Doctors recommend palivizumab and ribavirin for RSV. The drugs prevent the multiplication of the virus, lowering the risk of progression and advancement.

Why Choose Memorial Village ER for RSV?

Visiting an emergency room near you for treatment should be among the first things you do when you or your child are experiencing symptoms of RSV. Although some viral infections resolve on their own after a while, medical care is necessary to address a few factors:

• To curb the infection and prevent nosocomial spread: Typically, RSV is very contagious. Since many people are not aware of this viral infection, they can spread it to many people, including young children and old adults.

• To prevent severe health problems: Some cases of RSV can be so severe that they lead to serious health issues like pneumonia and bronchitis. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the small airways in the lungs.

• To avoid reinfection: Usually, doctors are concerned for children’s health when they are younger since the severity risk is high when they get RSV. By age two, most children will have contacted RSV at least once. The goal of seeking treatment is to lower the risk of reinfection within a short period, which can lead to further health complications.

• To counter the risk of COVID-19: RSV and COVID-19 can occur together, heightening the severity of your infection to a life-threatening level. Seeking emergency care treats RSV to avoid lowering your immune system and compromising your health for other infections like COVID.

If you are worried that you’re experiencing symptoms of RSV, Memorial Village ER offers no wait emergency care treatment.