The Department of Respiratory Diseases - Central Military Hospital 108 received many cases of adults with measles with severe developments. The common point of many patients is late hospitalization due to confusion of initial symptoms with flu or common respiratory infections, leading to self-treatment at home and missing the "golden time" for intervention.
Typically, the case of a 45-year-old male patient admitted to the hospital in a state of continuous high fever of 39-40 degrees Celsius, severe cough and rash all over the body. Previously, the patient claimed that he was just having the flu, so he bought medicine for treatment himself. When he came to the hospital, the patient was very tired, red eyes, sore throat, diarrhea many times and rash all over the body.
Examination and testing results determined that the patient had measles on the 5th day, and had a series of complications such as pneumonia, purulent acute sinusitis, enteritis and liver damage. The patient was actively treated with fluid and electrolyte replenishment, fever reduction, superinfection control, liver function support and comprehensive care measures. After more than a week of treatment, his health condition improved significantly and stabilized.
Nurse Nguyen Thi Thanh Hieu - Department of Respiratory Diseases (A4C) - said that the above case is a warning that measles is not a "benign" disease in adults. In particular, the elderly, people with chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease or people with immunodeficiency are at risk of more severe complications, prolonged treatment time and complex prognosis.
Doctors recommend that measles is no longer a disease only seen in children. Adults can completely get sick and face many serious complications if they are subjective or come to the hospital late. Proactively vaccinating, recognizing early signs of the disease and going to a medical facility immediately when symptoms appear are important measures to protect the health of themselves, their families and the community.
