The surprising reason you feel awful when you're sick - Marco A. Sotomayor

Prevodilac: Ivana Krivokuća Lektor: Tijana Mihajlović

It starts with a tickle in your throat that becomes a cough.

Počinje sa grebanjem u vratu pre nego što preraste u kašalj.

Your muscles begin to ache,

Počinju da vas bole mišići,

you grow irritable,

postajete razdražljivi,

and you lose your appetite.

a zatim gubite apetit.

It's official: you've got the flu.

Zvanično ste dobili grip.

It's logical to assume that this miserable medley of symptoms

Logično je pretpostaviti da je ovaj mučni skup simptoma

is the result of the infection coursing through your body,

posledica infekcije koja vam prolazi kroz telo,

but is that really the case?

ali da li je stvarno tako?

Zbog čega se zapravo osećate loše?

What's actually making you feel sick?

What if your body itself was driving this vicious onslaught?

Šta ako samo vaše telo podstiče taj grozni napad?

You first get ill when a pathogen like the flu virus gets into your system,

Najpre se razbolite kada patogen kao što je virus gripa uđe u vaš sistem,

zarazi i ubija vaše ćelije.

infecting and killing your cells.

But this unwelcome intrusion has another effect:

Međutim, ovaj nepoželjni upad ima još jedno dejstvo -

it alerts your body's immune system to your plight.

on upozorava imuni sistem vašeg tela na vaše loše stanje.

As soon as it becomes aware of infection, your body leaps to your defense.

Čim postane svesno infekcije, vaše telo priskače u vašu odbranu.

Cells called macrophages charge in as the first line of attack,

Ćelije zvani makrofagi nastupaju kao prva linija napada,

searching for and destroying the viruses and infected cells.

tražeći i uništavajući viruse i zaražene ćelije.

Afterwards, the macrophages release protein molecules called cytokines

Nakon toga, makrofagi otpuštaju molekule proteina zvane citokini

whose job is to recruit

čiji je posao regrutovanje i organizovanje

and organize more virus-busting cells from your immune system.

dodatnih ćelija za uništavanje virusa iz vašeg imunog sistema.

If this coordinated effort is strong enough,

Ako je ovo udruženo nastojanje dovoljno jako,

it'll wipe out the infection before you even notice it.

uništiće infekciju pre nego što i primetite.

But that's just your body setting the scene for some real action.

Međutim, to samo vaše telo podešava scenu za pravu akciju.

U nekim slučajevima, virusi nastave da se šire,

In some cases, viruses spread further,

even into the blood and vital organs.

čak i u krv i vitalne organe.

To avoid this sometimes dangerous fate,

Da bi izbegao ovu ponekad opasnu sudbinu,

your immune system must launch a stronger attack,

vaš imuni sistem mora da pokrene jači napad,

coordinating its activity with the brain.

usklađujući svoju aktivnost sa mozgom.

That's where those unpleasant symptoms come in,

Otuda proizilaze ti neprijatni simptomi,

starting with the surging temperature,

počevši od nagle temperature,

aches and pains,

bolova

and sleepiness.

i pospanosti.

Zašto prolazimo kroz ovo?

So why do we experience this?

Kada je imuni sistem pod ozbiljnim napadom,

When the immune system is under serious attack,

it secretes more cytokines,

on luči više citokina,

which trigger two responses.

što izaziva dve reakcije.

First, the vagus nerve, which runs through the body into the brain,

Prvo, živac lutalac, koji prolazi kroz celo telo do mozga,

quickly transmits the information to the brain stem,

brzo prenosi informacije do moždanog stabla,

passing near an important area of pain processing.

prolazeći pored važne oblasti za obradu bola.

Second, cytokines travel through the body to the hypothalamus,

Drugo, citokini putuju kroz telo do hipotalamusa,

the part of the brain responsible for controlling temperature,

dela mozga koji je odgovoran za kontrolu temperature,

thirst,

žeđi, gladi i spavanja,

hunger,

and sleep,

among other things.

između ostalog.

When it receives this message,

Kada primi ovu poruku,

hipotalamus proizvodi drugi molekul

the hypothalamus produces another molecule

called prostaglandin E2, which gears it up for war.

zvani prostaglandin E2, koji se priprema za rat.

The hypothalamus sends signals that instruct your muscles to contract

Hipotalamus šalje signale koji nalažu vašim mišićima da se zgrče

and causes a rise in body temperature.

i dovodi do porasta telesne temperature.

It also makes you sleepy,

Takođe vas čini pospanim,

and you lose your appetite and thirst.

a gubite i apetit i osećaj žeđi.

But what's the point of all of these unpleasant symptoms?

Koja je svrha svih tih neprijatnih simptoma?

Well, we're not yet sure,

Pa, nismo još sigurni,

but some theorize that they aid in recovery.

ali neki imaju teoriju da oni pomažu oporavku.

The rise in temperature can slow bacteria

Porast temperature može da uspori bakterije

and help your immune system destroy pathogens.

i da pomogne vašem imunom sistemu da uništi patogene.

Sleep lets your body channel more energy towards fighting infection.

Spavanje omogućava da vaše telo usmeri više energije na borbu protiv infekcije.

When you stop eating, your liver can take up much of the iron in your blood,

Kada prestanete da jedete, vaša jetra može da preuzme veći deo gvožđa u krvi,

and since iron is essential for bacterial survival,

a budući da je gvožđe suštinski važno za opstanak bakterija,

that effectively starves them.

to ih delotvorno izgladnjuje.

Your reduced thirst makes you mildly dehydrated,

Smanjen osećaj žeđi vas blago dehidrira,

diminishing transmission through sneezes,

čime se umanjuje prenošenje

coughs,

putem kijanja, kašlja, povraćanja ili dijareje.

vomit,

or diarrhea.

Though it's worth noting that if you don't drink enough water,

Doduše, treba napomenuti da, ako ne pijete dovoljno vode,

that dehydration can become dangerous.

ta dehidratacija može postati opasna.

Even the body's aches make you more sensitive,

Čak i bolovi u telu čine vas osetljivijim,

drawing attention to infected cuts that might be worsening,

privlačeći pažnju na inficirane posekotine koje se mogu pogoršavati,

or even causing your condition.

ili čak izazvati vaše stanje.

In addition to physical symptoms,

Pored fizičkih simptoma,

sickness can also make you irritable,

zbog bolesti možete biti razdražljivi, tužni i zbunjeni.

sad,

and confused.

To je zato što citokini i prostaglandin

That's because cytokines and prostaglandin

can reach even higher structures in your brain,

mogu da prodru čak i do viših struktura u mozgu,

disrupting the activity of neurotransmitters,

ometajući aktivnost neurotransmitera

like glutamate,

kao što su glutamat, endorfini, serotonin i dopamin.

endorphins,

serotonin,

and dopamine.

To pogađa oblasti poput limbičkog sistema, koji nadgleda emocije,

This affects areas like the limbic system, which oversees emotions,

and your cerebral cortex, which is involved in reasoning.

i vašeg cerebralnog korteksa, koji je u vezi sa rasuđivanjem.

So it's actually the body's own immune response

Dakle, zapravo je reakcija imunog sistema samog tela

that causes much of the discomfort you feel every time you get ill.

ono što izaziva veći deo neugodnosti koju osećate kad god se razbolite.

Unfortunately, it doesn't always work perfectly.

Nažalost, to ne funkcioniše uvek savršeno.

Most notably, millions of people worldwide suffer from autoimmune diseases,

Pre svega, milioni ljudi širom sveta pate od autoimunih oboljenja,

in which the immune system treats normal bodily cues as threats,

kod kojih imuni sistem tretira normalne telesne signale kao pretnje,

tako da telo napada samo sebe.

so the body attacks itself.

But for the majority of the human race,

Međutim, kod većine ljudskog roda,

millions of years of evolution have fine-tuned the immune system

milioni godina evolucije su podesili imuni sistem

so that it works for, rather than against us.

tako da radi za nas, umesto protiv nas.

The symptoms of our illnesses are annoying,

Simptomi naših bolesti su iritirajući,

but collectively, they signify an ancient process

ali zajedno označavaju prastari proces

that will continue barricading our bodies against the outside world

koji će nastaviti da služi kao prepreka između našeg tela i spoljašnjeg sveta

for centuries to come.

u predstojećim vekovima.