The doctor explained the danger of an abrupt return to sports with acute respiratory viral infections

After a viral infection, the body does not recover immediately. It takes time for a full recovery, so returning to intense training during this period can be harmful. Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, an expert at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia on March 6 how to take care of yourself after an illness and what symptoms to be afraid of.

According to the expert, the key risk factor is the impact of the virus on the myocardium. Influenza viruses, adenoviruses and other ARVI pathogens are tropic to cardiomyocytes, that is, they have the ability to infect heart cells. In the acute phase of the disease, the immune system attacks the virus, but after the main symptoms subside, the inflammatory process in the myocardium may persist or develop after a while.

"Intense physical activity at this time can lead to an overload of the myocardium, which can become critical in conditions of vulnerability of the heart muscle after an infection," the doctor warned.

Demyanovskaya also noted that the young body has a high compensatory reserve, which makes it possible to ignore rhythm disturbances or incipient heart failure at rest for a long time. When a person starts exercising at full strength, the backup mechanisms can fail, which increases the risk of stretching the chambers of the heart and fatal cardiac arrhythmias.

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As the doctor emphasized, the second significant aspect is the condition of the bronchopulmonary system. After a viral infection, the so—called hyperreactivity of the mucosa persists for a long time - hypersensitivity to external stimuli. Even if you feel well, taking a deep breath while running or exercising can trigger bronchospasm — a sharp narrowing of the airways. This can trigger the development of bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and bronchiectasis.

The state of the immune system deserves special attention, the specialist added. During the recovery period, the body's immune cells usually do not have time to regain their activity. Intense exercise triggers the release of stress hormones, which naturally suppress the immune system. At this point, instead of getting stronger, a person runs the risk of getting sick again, and often a new wave of the disease is more severe than the first.

"In addition, even a mild infection leads to a temporary decrease in protein synthesis in muscle tissue. Returning to training before replenishing energy reserves and restoring muscle fiber resources is fraught not with progress, but with overtraining and microtraumatization," the expert added.

A safe return to sports should be gradual. Guidelines can serve as a complete disappearance of all symptoms, a period of additional rest after that, as well as completing a full course of rehabilitation, if required.

"The minimum interval of low physical activity after mild acute respiratory viral infections is about a week. Then you can start with physical therapy, breathing exercises, depending on your well—being and indications," the doctor concluded.

Virologist Viktor Zuev said on February 26 that "tourism on an unimaginable scale" is the cause of a large number of diseases, including the spread of swine flu. The expert also added that in spring, an additional risk factor is the habit of dressing too lightly, which can contribute to an increase in morbidity.

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