If treated early enough, a doctor can prescribe an antiviral drug. These drugs are most beneficial within forty-eight hours and are capable of reducing the duration of the flu as well as alleviating many common symptoms of a flu.

Symptoms of the flu and colds can be similar but learning how they differ can help in the event you start experiencing them. Unlike the common cold, symptoms of flu tend to appear very suddenly. These generally include an abrupt fever, headache, body ache, and fatigue. Fevers that accompany symptoms of flu are usually high, in contrast a fever from a cold rarely gets above 101 degrees Fahrenheit.

Additional symptoms of flu may include appearing sick with flushed skin and watery eyes, a dry cough, sore throat, and in some cases a discharge from the nose. Discharge tends to be watery instead of mucus common to the cold.

In children, symptoms will include fevers that are very high, reaching up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. They may also experience chills, and all other symptoms of adults. In addition, children are more likely to get gastric symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea.

In very young children like toddlers and infants, vomiting and diarrhea are very prominent. Other symptoms may mimic other respiratory infections. Young children are at risk for complications from the flu so it is advised that they be given the seasonal flu vaccine.

There can be complications that arise from the flu. In children especially, ear infections can become a problem if left untreated. In both children and adults dehydration and developing bacterial pneumonia can occur. Chronic health problems can both be agitated while suffering from the flu as well as worsened.

The seasonal flu and H1N1 both have different symptoms. Gastric symptoms are common in children and adults with H1N1. Seasonal flu symptoms develop within one to four days from exposure to the virus. Since symptom of flu do develop so quickly know of treatment options in advance.

While most people can recover from the flu high risk individuals can become very sick and death can occur. High risk individuals are encouraged to get the flu vaccine, these include elderly, young children and people with health conditions.

It can be difficult to self diagnose based on symptoms of flu , many symptoms are similar to other respiratory infections. For this reason it is beneficial to visit a doctor. There are tests to determine if you have the flu or rule out other infections as well. If caught early, your doctor will than be able to prescribe an antiviral to help.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

A first common symptom that you may exhibit if you have been exposed and are developing a full blown case of the flu is that you will probably have a fever or a temperature of 100 degrees or greater. This fever will normally have a quick onset and is your bodies first tell tale sign that it is trying to defend your body from an invader.

The next two symptoms of flu that your body may exhibit is that you may have a headache and/or muscle aches. These aches can be moderate to severe. You will oftentimes feel an all over achy feeling that can sometimes literally go from the top of your head to your big toe.

A fourth symptom of the flu that many complain about is that they have chills. These chills can occur on their own or they accompany a fever. You may actually feel hot one minute and then complain of having the chills the next moment if you are dealing with a full blown case of the flu.

Two more symptoms of flu that almost always occur with the muscle aches, fever, chills, and headache is that you will more than likely have the respiratory issues of coughing and sneezing. Many people think that when they have a stomach bug, that they have the flu. This is not the case. The true flu is an upper respiratory virus and normally if you are infected with that virus you are going to have some sort of respiratory distress and with the flu virus that normally means some serious coughing and a lot of sneezing. In fact, many people diagnosis the coughing and sneezing as a cold at first until other symptoms of flu appear.

The last symptom that we will discuss of the flu is actually a result of dealing with the other multitude side effects of the flu and that is severe fatigue and extreme tiredness. The flu is a serious viral infection that depletes your body’s defenses and because your body is being depleted it in turn gets tired. It is vital that you get plenty of rest when fighting the flu so that your defenses at least get enough rest to keep up the fight.

Other symptoms of the flu that many people exhibit include, but are not limited to nausea, sore throat, excessive sinus drainage, vomiting, and diarrhea. It all depends on how your body reacts to the flu invasion as to what symptoms you may present.

It is vital to recognize symptoms of flu so that you can seek medical treatment. While there is no exact cure for the flu, you may be able to take antivirals that will lessen the length of the infection and the severity of the flu symptoms. Take care of your health and if your think that your symptoms may be the flu then contact your physician for advice.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites