Seasonal Change: What Are the Symptoms and Effects on Health?

The end of summer brings with it the first seasonal ailments such as cold, cough, sore throat, muscle and joint pain.”It is common to attribute these disorders to the flu– immunologist Mauro Minelli, responsible for Southern Italy of the Foundation for Personalized Medicine, told Adnkronos Salute – although it is certainly not yet time for influenza”. “In addition to actual influenza viruses,” Minelli explains, “other infectious agents are in fact capable of causing respiratory infections that recall those of the most classic winter syndromes. In the mildest forms, influenza-like disorders can be caused by rhinoviruses that cause the common cold. In the most serious clinical pictures, in addition to the ‘new entry’ Sars-CoV-2, other infectious agents come into play, such as, for example, viruses that belong to the paramyxovirus family, among which the respiratory syncytial virus and the parainfluenza viruses stand out. Then there are enteroviruses that can also spread through feces and can cause intestinal as well as respiratory disorders”.

What Happens to the Body When Temperatures Drop

“When climate changes occur – continues Minelli – such as the transition from the great heat that characterized the summer of 2024 to lower temperatures, our body reacts by activating a thermoregulation mechanism. When the thermometer drops, in order to maintain a constant body temperature of 37 degrees, the body generates heat through the metabolism of energy coming from muscular activity and food, differently from what happens on muggy days when, to disperse heat, the organism activates various compensatory processes, especially sweating”.

Since this complex thermal regulation mechanism involves vital systems, such as the cardiovascular, pulmonary, nervous and hormonal systems, “It is not easy to adapt quickly to sudden changes in temperatureespecially for those who suffer from chronic diseases or whose immune defenses are not at their best, such as the elderly or young children”. “In particular – the immunologist points out – the system that seems to be most affected by the change is the respiratory system: It is no coincidence that colds and pharyngitis are very common when the seasons change. In fact, when temperatures drop, many species of microorganisms (be they bacteria or viruses) find an environment more suitable for their survival and promote a series of action strategies aimed at making the first-line defenses available to the human organism less efficient”.

“In particular, the sudden prevalence of ‘cool’ or even cold and even worse ‘damp cold’ in several days and evenings of this in-between time – concludes Minelli – causes the compromise of a sophisticated respiratory mucosa protection system capable of blocking and driving away intruders before they can do damage, thus making life easier for microbes”.

How to protect yourself from temperature changes

Considering that for parainfluenza forms, “unlike influenza ones, there is no specific vaccination prophylaxis, the most valid prevention strategy for pathologies caused by viruses that spread through the air through drops of saliva or mucus and through contact with contaminated surfaces remains the observation of some simple hygiene measures – suggests Minelli – Let us therefore worry about keep your hands clean; sneeze or cough without dispersing droplets of saliva in the surrounding environment; in the absence of water, use alcohol-based hand sanitizers; ventilate the rooms; avoid or limit as much as possible close contact with sick people; protect the throat from wind and cold; choose appropriate clothing”.

“Let us also remember avoid the illogical, as well as harmful, intake of antibioticsunless the doctor recognizes the symptoms of a bacterial superinfection. In viral infections, as everyone knows, antibiotics are ineffective. If anything, in particular cases, especially in high-risk patients, the doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs – continues the immunologist – It is also important to adopt adequate measures to protect oneself at the table, definitively archiving the excesses and binges of the summer to make room for a nutritious and varied dietwhile also slightly increasing daily caloric intake. Very restrictive diets with very few calories could slow the ability to regulate body temperature.”