My Life is Vital™ - What You Must Know About Flu

Cold & Flu Center

What You Must Know About Flu

Vital Healthcare Group

You read a lot these days about flu. But how do you know if you have flu symptoms? Is it seasonal flu or swine flu? Learning more about flu symptoms can help you get medical treatment if necessary.

What is flu?

The flu is a viral infection that mimics a cold. Flu symptoms start forcefully with fatigue, fever, and respiratory congestion.

While a cold usually lasts about one week, it often takes longer to get over flu symptoms. Like a cold, the flu is a viral infection. But it can result in a secondary bacterial infection such as pneumonia. A bacterial infection requires antibiotics (prescription medications) for treatment.

What causes flu symptoms?

Only one type of virus causes the flu. Many strains of this virus exist, the most common are called Types A, B, and C. Type A virus is constantly changing. This type of flu virus is generally responsible for large flu epidemics. Types B and C are more stable and usually cause milder flu symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) develops a flu vaccine (flu shot) based on the Type A flu virus that they believe will be most prevalent in the coming flu season. This is what you receive with the annual flu shot.

What are flu symptoms?

Flu symptoms are similar to a cold. Except with the flu, the symptoms are intense. You can feel extremely weak and fatigued and have periods of chills and sweats as the fever comes and goes. Other flu symptoms include:

a runny nose
headache
eye pain
sore throat
cough

How is flu treated?

Get plenty of rest. The first few days of the flu will hit you hard. Bed rest will let your body recover from the impact of flu symptoms.

Force fluids. This includes drinking clear liquids, juices, electrolyte replacement drinks and broth soups. Liquids help to thin mucus and replenish the body's fluids lost by the high fever.

You may not be thirsty, but liquids can keep you from getting dehydrated, worsening your body's condition with flu. Avoid drinking alcohol or caffeine as it acts as a diuretic and can upset the delicate balance of electrolytes in the body. You also need to get enough calories, so make sure you eat and drink enough to keep your strength.

Ask your doctor about using an over-the-counter pain medication. You may use aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen (Advil). If you cannot take these pain relievers, check with your doctor about another option to reduce pain.

Try a saline nasal spray (available at most grocery stores and drugstores). Saline nose sprays can help to ease the stuffiness, letting the clogged nasal passages to open up again. When mucus stagnates in the nose and sinus cavity, it acts as a breeding ground for bacteria to grow, resulting in infection. Keep your passages clean and flowing to avoid this from happening.

How is flu prevented?

Perhaps the best advice for flu prevention is to get an annual flu shot. Especially if you have chronic heart or lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease, immune-system problems, or are over age 50, a flu shot can help you prevent problems in the first place. Also pregnant women with high-risk conditions might want to consider a flu shot, but talk to your doctor to evaluate your medical history.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?

CDC recommends that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

When to call the doctor

If your flu symptoms are worsening with fever of more than 101 degrees F, coughing up blood-stained mucus, difficulty breathing, wheezing, severe head pain, ear pain or drainage, difficulty swallowing, nausea and uncontrolled vomiting or other unusual symptom, call your doctor.

Oftentimes, the flu goes into a secondary infection, such as pneumonia, which needs medical treatment. Also, if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or any form of lung disease, see your doctor at the first signs of flu to avoid complications.

There are some anti-viral prescription medications that may help to reduce flu symptoms if taken in the earliest stages.