Why is rabies afraid of water?

Rabies is also called hydrophobia. After the onset of rabies, the patient will not only be afraid of light and water, but also afraid of wind. Therefore, when these problems arise, the patient will panic, be afraid, and may even become overly excited. It is extremely difficult to stabilize the emotions. This is also a symptom of rabies after the onset of the disease, which will cause general discomfort and cause trouble to the body.

In fact, even the "hydrophobia" of rabies is not as literal as "being scared after seeing water", for example: It's over, afraid of light, afraid of water, afraid of wind, etc._Rabies. In fact, this is not rabies, but more likely rabies phobia_Baidu Encyclopedia. Hydrophobia is actually a third party's description of the patient's symptoms. Because rabies virus is a neuroinvasive virus, it can cause neuropathy, sometimes causing a lowered excitation threshold of the neuromuscular junction, which can trigger a chain reaction under slight external stimulation - manifested as muscle spasms ("cramps"), etc., and the patient may show "terrible symptoms" at this time.

In fact, in theory, any external stimulation may lead to the release of this condition. In severe cases, even without external stimulation, severe nerve damage alone can lead to corresponding symptoms.

Clinically, "fear of light, water, and wind" are typical manifestations of rabies patients, while "no fear of water" can also be seen - the occurrence of these symptoms is simply determined by the location and degree of nerve damage. Typical rabies is here: Rabies - Symptoms To summarize: Early stage: Symptoms are atypical, nothing more than "low fever, loss of appetite, nausea, headache, fatigue, general discomfort, etc." In the early and middle stages, mild neurological and psychiatric symptoms appear, such as "fear and uneasiness", sensitivity to sound, light, wind, pain, etc., or abnormal sensations in the wound and its vicinity, such as numbness, itching, pain, and a crawling sensation.

This means that the virus has already caused damage to the neurons. Middle stage: Typical fear of water, fear of wind, paroxysmal pharyngeal muscle spasms, difficulty breathing, difficulty urinating/defecation, etc. appear, which are mainly a series of symptoms caused by increased nerve excitability. Late stage: excessive excitement, good times after bad times, and paralysis symptoms appear. At this time, death is near.