Taking into account that flu can distributed like wildfire among unvaccinated forums, it’s easier to worry that each cough, muscle tissue ache, and clue of a fever was an indication your caught the flu virus.
That’s easy to understand, considering that you will find loads of different ailments that bring about copycat flu-like problems, like fever, cough, runny nose, and headaches, amongst others, per the Centers for illness controls and protection.
“Any overwhelming infection that promotes our immunity system can [produce] some of the same warning signs,” explains Cindy Weston, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, assistant teacher on Tx A&M school of medical. This basically means, “most flu just is like a routine cold,” Joseph Khabbaza, MD, a pulmonologist at Cleveland Clinic, tells Health.
The only way to know for certain you have the flu is to find tested–but there are discreet clues that will help you distinguish between influenza and something more.
Below are a few of the many problems that trigger flu-like disorders, but aren’t the flu virus.
Colds
Both common colds and influenza is viral sicknesses, both will occur in the exact same seasons, and they have most overlapping ailments, like a sore throat and a rigid nostrils.
The key variation is actually how quickly the outward symptoms come-on. “A cooler usually slowly progresses symptom by sign over [several] time,” says Keri Peterson, MD, an internist at Lenox Hill medical facility in New York City. “With the flu virus, the constellation of warning signs of highest fever, coughing, muscle tissue ache, and extreme lethargy comes on in 24 to a couple of days.”
And even though a lot of discomfort overlap, colds typically don’t include chest area problems or human body aches, that are additional attributes associated with the flu virus, adds Dr. Peterson.
Strep throat
The flu and strep throat express most signs and symptoms, but there are two you will probably find into the flu virus but never ever in strep: cough and nasal congestion.
Strep neck may also bring swollen lymph nodes, swelled up tonsils, a facial skin rash, or white blotches throughout the tonsils. Nothing of those was typical from the flu.
In case the dating app for Indian medical practitioner suspects strep, he might swab the neck and examination for germs. If the examination comes back positive, you’ll probably see antibiotics, that could usually get rid of signs or symptoms quickly.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia may come independently from the flu or it may be a secondary complication of having ill. You may appear to be you’re over the flu following bang–you’re stricken with another disease. “People are becoming the flu virus and maybe actually operating it out, and a week approximately later, they’re coming in with pneumonia,” Weston claims.
Typically, pneumonia that accompany or following flu try due to micro-organisms and may feel treated by antibiotics. Using this style of pneumonia, “the cough is pretty chronic and unrelenting and often involving chest area problems,” Weston claims. “The fever could possibly be low grade or more. Very often there’s no cravings with pneumonia, and there is some one pains.” A pneumonia cough also has mucus on it.
Pneumonia that is maybe not pertaining to the flu is often viral; viral pneumonia is also typically milder than the microbial kinds.
It’s also possible to involve some obstruction, coughing, and fatigue, all of which could indicate the flu–but in this instance, they’re simply flu-like warning signs.
Medical doctors can listen for telltale signs and symptoms of pneumonia by getting a stethoscope to your upper body, states Dr. Peterson.
Mononucleosis
Mono can called the “kissing illness” as it can end up being passed away through spit (with coughing, sneezing, and sharing items).
