How do you know if you have the flu?

Main Category: Headache / Migraine
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 05 Jan 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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There are clear ways to tell whether you have symptoms of influenza or just a cold.

A typical flu begins with a headache, chills and cough, and rapidly develops into fever, loss of appetite, muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur, especially in children.

When you have a common cold you generally have a runny nose, sneezing, nasal congestion and throat irritation. Fever is uncommon and you will improve in 2-3 days.

The flu is miserable to have. If you have the flu, usually you will have a high fever that lasts for 3-4 days, a headache and muscle aches, extreme fatigue that may last 2-3 weeks, and a bad cough.

Fortunately, for healthy adults, the flu is very rarely a serious disease, but its complications can be severe, even deadly for some people, particularly the elderly or people with chronic illnesses.

These complications can include bronchitis, pneumonia, kidney failure or heart failure.

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