Sometimes, it's difficult to tell if you're suffering from the flu or another illness. The signs and symptoms of influenza A and B are similar: fever, coughing, headache, muscle and joint aches, extreme tiredness and a stuffy nose and head. Most people recover adequately from the flu if they drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest, but rarely, more severe diseases can arise after a bout of the flu. Your doctor can do little if you have a viral version of the flu, but bacterial infections can be battled with antibiotics.
The Facts
According to the Practical Approach to Infectious Diseases, the flu strikes about a quarter of the world's population every year. It is usually not fatal unless young children, senior citizens or people with other health concerns catch influenza. The flu tends to strike down groups of people in epidemics. Since influenza A and B are caused by a virus, antibiotics do little to help cure you from the flu.
Symptoms
You will experience a fever accompanied by chills, deep muscle and joint aches, extreme tiredness with a dragging feeling, no desire to eat or drink, coughing, sore throat, stuffy nose and watering eyes as common symptoms of the flu.
Considerations
Only your homeopathic or medical doctor can tell you exactly what disease you have contracted. If you are coughing green or red-tinted mucous, you may have pneumonia or bronchitis. Aching and tired muscles can be a sign of Lyme's disease. It is easy to confuse symptoms, and only a viral culture test can tell if you have influenza A or B.
Time Frame
Once you have been exposed to a flu virus, you will usually begin to show symptoms within 1 to 2 days. The flu causes a sudden high fever, which may be extremely dangerous (especially in children), so take steps immediately to lower the fever to safe levels. Flu symptoms are generally severe for 1 to 5 days, with the coughing, sore throat and runny nose lasting up to 10 days. Once the symptoms are gone, you will still feel tired for up to 2 weeks, so the flu can have a long recovery time.
Complications
In rare cases, you may become ill with something worse after having a bout of the flu, according to the Practical Approach to Infectious Diseases. Pneumonia or Reye syndrome can arise from the flu; because Reye syndrome can be fatal, see your doctor if you are not feeling much better within 2 weeks. Nervous system disorders, such as Guillain-Barre syndrome, can occur, and heart complications, such as myocarditis or pericarditis, have also been associated with influenza A and B.
References
- Influenza
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Influenza Symptoms and Laboratory Diagnostic Procedures
- Practical Approach to Infectious Diseases, 4th ed; Reese; 1996
