What are the symptoms of the flu?
Flu symptoms include:
- A 100oF or higher fever or feeling feverish (not everyone with the flu has a fever)
- A cough and/or sore throat
- A runny or stuffy nose
- Headaches and/or body aches
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (most common in children)
Do I have the flu or a cold?
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The
flu and the common cold have similar symptoms. It can be difficult to
tell the difference between them. Your health care provider can give you
a test within the first few days of your illness to determine whether
or not you have the flu.
In general,
the flu is worse than the common cold.
Symptoms such as fever, body aches, tiredness, and cough are more
common and intense with the flu. People with colds are more likely to
have a runny or stuffy nose.
When should I seek emergency medical attention?
Seek medical attention immediately if you experience any of the following:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Purple or blue discoloration of the lips
- Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
- Sudden dizziness
- Confusion
- Severe or persistent vomiting
- Seizures
- Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Flu or Cold Symptoms?
When
you wake up sneezing, coughing, and have that achy, feverish, can't
move a muscle feeling, how do you know whether you have cold symptoms or
the flu?
It's important to know the difference between flu and
cold symptoms. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than the flu.
While cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms
can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks. The flu can also
result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and
hospitalizations.
What else could my symptoms be due to?
Other serious illnesses can have similar symptoms to flu (influenza)
when they first develop - for example, meningitis, malaria, or
pneumonia. If you have a more serious illness, other symptoms usually
develop in addition to those mentioned above.
Symptoms to look out for which may mean that you have a different and more severe illness include:
- Rash - in particular if dark red spots develop that do not fade when pressed.
- Stiff neck - particularly if you cannot bend your neck forward.
- A headache that becomes worse and worse.
- Dislike of bright lights - if you need to shut your eyes and turn away from the light.
- Drowsiness and/or confusion.
- Repeatedly being sick (vomiting).
- Chest pains.
- Coughing up blood or blood-stained sputum.