We're Drs. Chris Carroll, pediatric critical care physician, and Jayshil
Patel, pulmonary intensivist, and we're here to discuss all things flu.
AMA!
Abstract
Hi all! My name is Dr. Christopher Carroll. I am a pediatric critical
care physician at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, a Professor of
Pediatrics at the University of Connecticut, and I serve on numerous
committees within the American College of Chest Physicians including as
trustee of the CHEST Foundation, chair of the Scientific Presentations
and Awards Committee, past-chair of the Pediatric NetWork and steering
committee of the Critical Care NetWork. Most of research has focused on
the treatment of severe respiratory diseases in children (particularly
acute asthma and bronchiolitis) and the influence of genetics on
respiratory diseases in critically ill children. My name is Dr. Jayshil
Patel, and I currently administer to patients, teach and conduct
research as an academic intensivist for the Pulmonary and Critical Care
Division at the Medical College of Wisconsin. I received training in
internal medicine at the Cook County Health and Hospital System in
Chicago followed by subspecialty training in pulmonary and critical care
medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The majority of my career
has centered around a mixture of enhancing patient care, providing
education and mentorship to house staff and medical students and
advancing science through research, in which I primarily study the
impact of enteral nutrition on critical care patient outcomes.
Influenza, most commonly known as the flu, is a contagious respiratory
illness caused by influenza viruses. The flu can cause mild to severe
illness and at times can lead to death. Anyone can get the flu, and
serious problems related to the flu can happen at any age but may have a
higher risk of occurring in young children and patients 65+. We are in
the heart of a particularly severe flu season and it’s important to
understand the causes, symptoms and ways to treat and prevent the flu.
Since the flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses that
share very similar symptoms, it can become very tough to differentiate
one from the other. We’re here to provide the facts, share the latest in
research and help provide more information on how to best tackle this
flu season. Just a note, we won’t be able to give specific medical
advice or a diagnosis on this Reddit AMA. Conflict of Interest
Disclosure: Our thoughts and opinions are our own. We will be back at 1
p.m. CT to answer your questions; ask us anything!