How freshers’ week should carry a HEALTH WARNING
. . . and sorry mums and dads, booze binges are the least of your worries
As RECORD numbers of freshers head to university in the next few weeks, their health and mental wellbeing will be of paramount concern to parents at home.
And it’s not just the odd hangover that awaits them.
‘Going off to university increases the risk of a number of different illnesses due to changing patterns of behaviour and coming into close contact with large numbers of other students,’ says Dr shamez Ladhani, a consultant paediatrician in infectious diseases and adviser to Public Health England.
Here, we look at the common health problems facing students — from fillings to insomnia — and steps you can take to reduce the risk …
FRESHERS’ FLU
SO-CALLED Freshers’ Flu is said to strike first-year students (or freshers) at the beginning of the academic year.
‘It’s not an identifiable medical condition but more a description of a trend for new students to come down with some sort of flu-like bug,’ says Dr Debi Ray, a consultant paediatrician at spire Hartswood Hospital in Brentwood, Essex.
‘It’s caused by coming into close contact with a large number of people from different places and carrying different viruses.
‘Add to that the fact that their immune systems may not be operating well due to poor diet, because they may be cooking for themselves for the first time, and late nights — and they are much more susceptible to developing an illness.’
sharing cutlery, cups, or touching something that contains someone else’s saliva — as well as kissing, coughing and sneezing — are all ways in which these viral diseases are spread.
Dr Ray advises students to use alcoholbased hand gels as a reliable method of hygiene in halls of residence.
INSOMNIA
SLEEP problems can be an issue for freshers, moving from the quiet of home to noisy shared halls of residence, says independent sleep expert Dr Neil stanley.
‘Libraries and bars are open late and it’s easy to get into bad patterns of sleep and time management.’
students are also likely to use computers, iPhones and other screens late into the night. Exposure to any kind of light at night can disturb sleep patterns by suppressing the production of melatonin, the hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain and that helps induce sleep.
Researchers at Harvard Medical school found that blue wavelength light — the sort emitted by electronic devices — has a particularly powerful effect.
‘Add to this consumption of stimulants such as caffeine and Pro- Plus ( caffeine tablets) to help meet deadlines, plus a tendency to work hard and play hard, and it’s not surprising that some students suffer from insomnia,’ says Dr stanley.
‘Research from the University of surrey found that having just two weeks of poor sleep — six hours a night — affects the way in which more than 600 genes behave in your body. If you have three or four years of poor sleep while at university, it will clearly have a considerable long-term effect, although we do not yet have the long-term studies to show this.’
Dr stanley advises a practical approach to sleep problems: turning off screens at least an hour before bedtime, cutting down on caffeine and investing in black- out blinds (you can buy temporary stick-on versions) and using earplugs.
DENTAL PROBLEMS
‘IN MY experience, student days are the time when some young people will need fillings for the first time,’ says sameer Patel, dentist and clinical director of Elleven Dental in London. As well as letting regular check-ups slide while they’re away from home, he suggests that fizzy drinks used as mixers, as well as sugary alcopops, are particular culprits.
‘These can cause acid erosion,’ says Mr Patel. ‘Red Bull and Coke have the same PH as sulphuric acid. If you brush your teeth within 30 minutes of consuming something acidic, you will be helping to erode tooth enamel.’ This is because the acid softens the enamel on the teeth and the action of brushing then scrubs it away. It takes 30 minutes for saliva to neutralise the acid. Don’t brush teeth straight after having fizzy drinks. swill with water or a fluoride mouthwash instead.
KISSING DISEASE AND MUMPS
SLEEPING in l ate may be a student stereotype — but needing to sleep all day can be a sign of glandular fever — the so- called ‘kissing disease’ — which is caused by t he Epstein Barr virus. symptoms include a high temperature (higher than 38.5c), an extremely sore throat causing pain when swallowing, and swollen glands in the neck, accompanied by extreme tiredness. The sore throat and temperature will usually improve after two weeks, but the fatigue — which can be so overwhelming someone has to sleep for much of the day — can l i nger f or as much as three months afterwards.
‘If you suspect you may have glandular fever, you should see a doctor, who will confirm the diagnosis with a blood test,’ says Dr Ray.
someone suffering from glandular fever may also develop iron and vitamin C deficiencies. ‘It hurts to swallow and they lose their appetite, so they don’t eat and they are sleeping all the time, so become very run-down,’ says Dr Ray.
‘They’ll need to take supplements and make a real effort to ensure their diet includes red meat and green veg, such as broccoli for iron and citrus fruits for vitamin C.’
It cannot be treated with anti- biotics (these only fight bacterial infections). Bed rest, fluids, a balanced diet and paracetamol or ibuprofen to alleviate symptoms are the only remedy.
The virus can remain in the body months after symptoms have disappeared and can still be spread to someone else — via saliva, for example.
Another viral illness students should watch out for is mumps: Doctors have seen a resurgence in cases of mumps at university recently as the current generation of students may not have had the childhood MMR vaccination, due to poor uptake in the Nineties.
Mumps affects the glands that produce saliva, which are located just below the ears, causing them to swell. ‘You may notice your cheeks look very full, rather like a hamster,’ says Dr Ray.
Other symptoms include fever, joint pain and headaches. A GP can confirm mumps with a simple saliva test. symptoms usually ease after seven to ten days of rest.
Occasionally it can cause complications, the most common of which is causing the testes to swell in boys. This can be painful and may lead to a lowered sperm count, so seek medical advice.
DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY
LEAVING the security of home and learning to be independent and dealing with relationships can be a major challenge for some young people, says Dr Paul McLaren, a consultant psychiatrist at Hayes Grove Priory in south London.
‘We are seeing more students seeking help with depression and anxiety disorders,’ he says.
Three- quarters of all lifetime mental illness starts by the mid20s and f or many their f i rst episode will be at university.
social phobia — extreme anxiety about how their peers see them — can be a trigger for depression, says Dr McLaren. ‘This can be a very disabling condition in its own right. It can significantly interfere with your ability to go to lectures or seminars, for instance, and affects 5 per cent of all students.’
‘If you fear that you or someone you know is becoming depressed, don’t be afraid to encourage them to seek help,’ says Dr McLaren.
‘Depression is a very treatable condition. Getting the ri ght t r eatment, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) or antidepressants, can get you out of an episode as well as reducing the risk of recurrence.’
Many universities offer a counselling service. Otherwise a GP will be able to recommend the best way to get help.