Flu and How to Spot the Symptoms   by Sandy Rutherforde

in Health / Diseases and Conditions    (submitted 2012-01-19)

There's a very common statement that you'll hear each winter and it's usually along the lines of "I had a horrible Christmas; I didn't go into work one day as I had a bad case of flu - I could barely taste my turkey!" This of course is rubbish. That "bad case of flu" will invariably have been an average case of the common cold if it only lasted a day.

Flu is somewhat more serious than the common cold and in the following article we'll take a look at a few of the most frequently asked questions about flu, such as what it actually is, common flu symptoms, what you need to know about the flu jab and how to treat the illness.

What is Flu

Flu, also known as influenza, is a virus which on its own is usually fairly straightforward to recover from, but can be much more serious in older and younger generations. Caused by its namesake (the influenza virus), flu is an infection that moves from person to person through touch and the air. Some types of the influenza virus are much more serious than others and in recent years we've seen both swine and bird variants which have caused life threatening epidemics around the world.

Flu Symptoms

While flu and the common cold can be fairly similar, especially when there's an overlap with other prevailing bugs, flu symptoms are much more acute and sudden, and usually include a combination of the following:

1. A spike in temperature and persistent fever leading to increased sweating.
2. Aching and painful muscles and joints all over the body.
3. Cold symptoms such as sore throat, coughing and sneezing.
4. Unrelenting headache and sinus pain.
5. General malaise and fatigue making it difficult to carry out everyday activities.
6. Lack of appetite and in some strains - nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Flu Jab

The flu jab (or vaccine) is provided for free annually in the UK to those groups of people who are most at risk from catching flu and it subsequently developing into a more serious condition. These groups include people over 65, women who are pregnant, those with an underlying serious medical condition and professionals who are likely to deal with flu on an everyday basis in winter. As flu mutates from winter to winter, different vaccines are created each year to provide the best possible protection.

Other Flu Treatment

Of course, if you're not eligible for the flu jab, you have every chance of catching the illness each year. Should this be the case you should drink lots of water and take paracetamol and/or ibuprofen based medicines as directed. The infection will start to subside within 48 hours, but some symptoms may remain for up to two weeks.

It is important that should symptoms become particularly severe, you visit a doctor as flu can also lead to more serious illnesses such as pneumonia.

About the Author

Are you suffering from flu? Be sure to visit Patient.co.uk for more information on flu symptoms.