Winter is a much coveted time of the year for most parts of India. After the sweltering heat of the summer and the perils of rains, winter arrives in the country with much fanfare. However, the season brings with it common winter illnesses as well, and you need to be extra vigilant about your health. This is where preventive health checkups, such as a full body check-up, can play a pivotal role. Before discussing the advantages of health check-ups let us know about the most common winter illnesses.
Sore throat
Sore throat is when you experience a dry and painful feeling in your throat. It is a very common winter illness and is primarily caused by viral infection. However, factors like stepping out from cold to hot conditions can also lead to this issue.
Symptoms vary depending on the area of the throat that gets affected, but some common ones are –
- Abrasive and dry throat
- Tender throat
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Hoarse voice
Cold sores
Another very common winter affliction, cold sores are not easily identified and people consider it to be a stress-related problem. Remember! Cold sores can be highly contagious.
Asthma
It is a well know fact that winter is particularly harsh for Asthma patients. Moreover, winters can trigger Asthma symptoms on a major level. This is because the cold winter air causes shortness of breath. Hence, people suffering from Asthma must be extra careful during this season.
Painful joints
Yet another ailment that becomes more pronounced during winters is joint pains. This happens as the joints become stiffer during the winter season. As a result those afflicted with Arthritis suffer more during winters.
Dry skin
As we all know, in winter our dry skin gets worse and those with skin sensitivity suffer a lot during the winter days.
Also read: Show Your Skin Some Winter Love With These Tips
Influenza
Commonly known as flu, Influenza is also a common winter ailment. It shows symptoms like fever, sore throat, headache, muscle pain. Flu usually lasts for four to five days and is quite contagious.
To avoid this ailment, kids of 2-16 years of age should get a flu jab. A yearly flu vaccine is a very effective treatment for controlling the flu spread. Book an online session on DocGenie to know more about these vaccines.
Moreover, the new monthly packages on DocGenie site offer continuous proactive care including consultation with an experienced doctor. The tests help the doctor understand patients better, including their lifestyle, heredity risks, etc and bring in specialists if needed.
Also read: Know About Flu
The physiotherapy package particularly helps patients regain strength post-Covid. Weakness being one of the major issues with Covid, this package is specially designed to help you recover faster.
Whooping Cough
Also very common during winters, Whooping Cough or Pertussis mostly affects infants and children. Whooping Cough is spread by the bacteria, Bordetella pertussis. Initially the symptoms seem like that of common cold but it becomes severe, and those affected with it cannot stop coughing. Moreover, it can lead to pneumonia if not treated early.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a very serious condition and happens when your lungs are infected. This makes your air sacs filled with pus and other liquids. Symptoms are fever, mucus producing cough and lack of appetite. Primarily caused by viruses, Pneumonia can also occur from Fungal and Bacterial infections. It usually takes one to three weeks to recover from the condition.
Common cold
Nothing is more common that the issue of common cold during winters. Caused by Rhinovirus, common cold is generally a mild health problem and goes away on its own. However, it can make you feel very irritated and annoyed.
Heart attacks
Since the cold temperature of winter is more prone to blocking the blood vessels, winter increases chances of heart attack. Available data says incidents of heart attacks in winters are much more than in summers. This is also because the cold weather thwarts the supply of oxygen-rich blood.
Benefits of a preventive health check-up
It is axiomatic that precaution is better than cure. Getting a full body health check-up before winter can help prevent you from a host of diseases. It helps you have clear understanding of what can afflict you during the winter days. Besides, it helps you seek treatment beforehand and at the early stages of the conditions. The tests help promote better health while enhancing your lifestyle quotients.
You can consult a doctor online and get guided on the tests you should do before the onset of winter. A general physician can help you understand how to take extra care of your body to avoid potential winter ailments. DocGenie offers the most comprehensive health check-ups. You can consult one of our GPs today and get guided on the tests.
It is a wrong practice to be negligent of your health and to only visit a doctor when the situation is critical. An annual whole body check-up helps in identifying underlying diseases in your body. It also enables you to seek preventive measures on time. Also, with age it becomes all the more important to stay vigilant and be regular about your check-ups.
You can get your regular check-up done on DocGenie platform. With our health checkups, you get complete and quality tests assessing the functionality of all your body parts.
DocGenie is an online telemedicine platform that provides you with quality healthcare from the comfort of your own space. On DocGenie, you can book an online consultation with highly-qualified doctors as well as book lab tests for home collection.