Preventing infections after chemotherapy is very crucial. As chemotherapeutic medications kill cancer cells also kill normal cells in the blood. This involves red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. As white blood cells are the infection-fighting cells, increases the risk of infection.
The following are some types of infections that a patient can catch due to low immunity. The infection / disease-causing organisms are either inside the patient’s body, reside outside the body, or are from the environment.
Blood infections:(Preventing infections after chemotherapy)
. This usually occurs due to the invasion of bacteria into the bloodstream and spreading to the whole body. There are many sources through which bacteria enter the bloodstream, one of which could be a central line or a peripheral line. So, to prevent central line-associated infections, care of the central line is very crucial.
What are the symptoms of bloodstream infections?
The following are the typical symptoms of bloodstream infections.
Fever with chills or without chills
Body aches
Headache
Taste change
Lethargy
High pulse rate
Low blood pressure
How to prevent patients from getting bloodstream infections?
Blood infections can be prevented by following good hygiene practices such as proper hand washing, taking care of wounds by proper dressing, using antibiotics as prescribed by your physician or healthcare provider, avoid unnecessary hospital visits.
Furthermore, healthcare providers should use aseptic techniques for procedures such as inserting an intravenous cannula or taking blood samples, especially in patients with low immunity. By taking care of all the above-mentioned steps, bloodstream infections can be prevented.
Urine infections:
These infections are usually called urinary tract infections, in which bacteria enter the urinary tract and start growing there, and make the patient. UTIs usually occur due to poor hygiene of the genital area and can also be caused by sexual activity.
How can a low-immunity patient prevent UTIs?
Urinary tract infections can be prevented by following these measures.
Stay hydrated: Prevent infections after chemotherapy:
These things, such as staying hydrated by drinking more and more water, can prevent bacterial infections. However, dehydration can cause urine to be thick and sticky, which is a favorable environment for bacteria to grow. If a patient is well hydrated, the urinary tract will be clean, and there is less chance for bacteria to stick to the walls of the tract. This decreases the risk of infection.
Wash the genital area properly:
Washing the genital area properly after using the toilet can prevent the chances of getting an infection.
Avoid sexual activity: ( Preventing infections after chemotherapy)
As a person after getting chemotherapy, the cycle is weak and immune-compromised, doing sexual activity during this period can increase the risk of contracting an infection from the partner, so avoiding sexual activity can prevent urinary tract infection.
Uinate when needed: (Preventing infections after chemotherapy)
Do not hold urine for long hours; this could give a favorable environment for bacteria to grow. So as soon as you feel the urge to urinate, try to urinate at the same time.
Avoid going to swimming pools:
Avoid swimming in common swimming pools, as people usually pee in the swimming pools while swimming. You might get urinary tract infections from such common pools.
Chest infections: (Preventing infections after chemotherapy)
Chest infections are the most miserable infections after chemotherapy. If not given proper treatment on time, the patient ended up in the intensive care unit. Chest infections include bacterial or viral pneumonia, COVID-19 pneumonia, and respiratory tuberculosis if exposed to the tuberculosis bacteria from the environment.
How can you prevent yourself from chest infections?
You can prevent chest infections by following the measures.
Use Mask: Preventing infections after chemotherapy:
Wear a mask all the time when you are going out of the home. As most of the viruses or bacteria causing chest infections are hanging in the air, by inhaling such organisms, you may get chest infections. To prevent such infections you sho, you should wear a mask, which will help as a barrier to such organisms and help you stay away from getting chest infections.
Avoid visiting Crowded Places:
Avoid visiting crowded places such as markets and parks. You may catch infections from such places very easily.
Avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals:
A hospital is a place full of germs. It’s the place for sick people. Visiting unnecessarily, sitting in the hospital can increase your chances of getting chest infections very easily.
Infections in the abdomen or gastrointestinal system:
In immunocompromised patients, the gastrointestinal tract is most affected and hit by the chemotherapeutic drugs, which increase its susceptibility by damaging the protective mucosal barrier.
If a patient, after the chemotherapy cycle, eats unhygienic, raw, or uncooked food. The gut will be affected very soon. The most common bacteria are Clostridium defficille, ROTA viruses, etc.
Skin infections:
These kinds of infections are also common in patients with low or compromised immunity. Skin infections, especially scabies or other contagious diseases, are common among immunocompromised patients. These infections include fungal, viral, and bacterial infections.
Fungal skin infections: Preventing infections after chemotherapy
In an immunocompromised patient, fungal infection could develop in the blood, lungs, urine, or skin. The most common fungal infection is a yeast infection. The patient developed a fungal infection and has symptoms related to the area of infection.
High-grade fever with chills or shivering and sweating. Fever related to fungal infection usually does not respond to antibiotic treatment. For such a fever, antifungal treatment should be considered till the culture report verifies the specific organism.
Fungal infection developed on the skin expedites symptoms differently, such as redness, itching, rash, scaling, warmth to the touch, and foul-smelling discharge. Such superficial infections could be contagious,s i.,e. They could transfer or spread to other sick or even healthy individuals if not properly cared for.
In case of a urine infection, the patient will complain of itching, urinary burning, and foul-smelling whitish discharge.
If the fungal infection develops in the nails, the nail color will be greenish or whitish.
How can you prevent fungal infections?
Patients should be very careful regarding infection prevention, especially after receiving a chemotherapy cycle; one can prevent fungal infections by following helpful tips.
Always keep yourself neat and clean.
Keep the areas dry and clean, such as the digits of hands and feet, groin, genital areas, and axilla, because these areas are favorite places for fungus to grow and colonize.
Always keep yourself well hydrated, and drink plenty of fluid, especially if you have symptoms of a urinary infection, so that the organism will flush out of the body with urine.
Avoid going to beauty salons and swimming pools where you can catch fungal infections easily.
How to treat fungal infections?
Fungal infections are treated with specific antifungal medications. These medications are available in different forms such as intravenous, topical, and oral.
Your healthcare provider /physician will decide the route of medication according to the severity of the disease, sensitivity, and type of infection.
Must consult your healthcare provider in case of the above-mentioned symptoms, especially after your chemotherapy cycle.
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