Acute Sick Visits in Kernersville CA

Acute sick visits to health care centers typically refer to short-term, active illnesses that can range in severity, but are most commonly non-emergent medical conditions. These types of visits will typically be brought to primary care clinics, urgent care clinics, and walk-in clinics as they will typically not require treatment from a specialist and will not need long-term care for this specific condition. Acute illnesses include any short-term illnesses, often requiring immediate or quick treatment to prevent the condition from worsening or to alleviate symptoms. Acute conditions can be differentiated from chronic conditions as chronic conditions will require long-term management and treatment to reduce symptoms and prevent the condition from worsening. Acute illnesses should not have lasting effects, otherwise the condition would then be considered chronic.

Acute illnesses will typically appear suddenly but will not last for very long, with most illnesses that are considered acute being diagnosed based on the displayed symptoms. The most common symptoms that are likely indicative of an acute illness include:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Sneezing
• Runny nose
• Fever
• Nausea
• Diarrhea
• Earache
• Headache
• Rash

The healthcare provider will likely need to perform a physical examination and identification of the symptoms to provide each patient with an accurate treatment plan. The more serious acute illnesses may require more rigorous testing, such as an ultrasound, CT scan, or MRI for an accurate diagnosis. Some of these more severe illnesses may produce life-threatening symptoms, making a diagnosis quick to determine. These life-threatening symptoms associated with severe acute illnesses include:

• Pneumonia
• Acute bronchitis
• Asthma attack
• Heart attack
• Organ failure
• Appendicitis

The course of treatment that is recommended by the health care provider for an acute illness will depend entirely on the type of illness and other health conditions of the patient. There are many cases where mild acute illnesses will go away on their own once they have run their course, but many may require medication or antibiotics (in the case of infections) to treat the illness. In some cases, there will be no available treatment for the illness itself, but treatments can be provided to alleviate some of the symptoms. Many mild acute illnesses can often just be treated with home remedies or over-the-counter medication if the symptoms do not warrant a trip to the doctor. However, suppose a patient is unsure of the cause of their symptoms or there is a chance that the illness cannot go away safely without medical interventions. In that case, they should always seek medical attention when appropriate to prevent the illness from worsening or developing long-term complications. It is also possible that medical attention should be sought after home remedies prove unproductive. Since there are so many different types of acute illnesses and everyone has a unique medical history, there is no one effective treatment option that is suitable for all patients.

Acute illnesses typically include viruses or infections, with examples of mild acute illnesses including:

• The common cold
• Flu
• Respiratory infections
• Acute bronchitis
• Strep throat
• Urinary tract infection
• Yeast infection
• Pink eye

The viruses will typically go away on their own and just require some management of the symptoms to ensure a speedy recovery and the overall comfort of the patient, whereas other illnesses such as infections will likely require both symptom management as well as antibiotics to help the body fight off the infection quickly. Some of the more severe acute illnesses that require medical attention include:

• Acute liver or renal failure
• Appendicitis
• Asthma attacks
• Heart attacks
• Pancreatitis
• Pneumonia

For adults and children, Kernersville Primary Care’s physicians deliver the best possible sick visits. For further assistance, contact us or schedule an appointment online. We are conveniently located at 420 West Mountain St. Kernersville, NC 27284. We serve patients from Kernersville NC, Colfax NC, Walkertown NC, Oak Ridge NC, Wallburg NC, Belews Creek NC, Winston-Salem NC, and surrounding areas.