Flu

Introduction: Flu

Flu is a common respiratory virus that is usually more severe than the common cold. Symptoms often include high fever, headache, fatigue, weakness, and exhaustion. Cold-like symptoms such as sore throat, runny nose, and stuffiness can also occur but are less common than in common cold.

Early diagnosis of flu often involves distinguishing flu from common cold, which is not always easy, but is important because of newer antiviral medications for the flu. There are numerous other less common conditions that start out like the flu (see flu-like symptoms).

Symptoms of Flu

• Headache
• Fever
• Chills
• Sneezing
• Runny nose

See full list of 20 symptoms of Flu

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical testing related to Flu:

• Cold & Flu: Home Testing:
  • Home Fever Tests
  • Home Ear Infection Tests
  • Home Flu Tests

Medical Textbooks Online about Flu

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Flu?

• Misdiagnosis of Flu

Misdiagnosis and Flu

Sinusitis is overdiagnosed: There is a tendency to give a diagnosis of sinusitis, when the condition is really a harmless complication of another infection, such as a common cold....read more »

Whooping cough often undiagnosed: Although most children in the Western world have been immunized against whooping cough (also called "pertussis"), this protection wears off after about 15 years....read more »

Read more about Misdiagnosis and Flu

Causes of Flu

Read more about causes of Flu.

More information about causes of Flu:

• Medications, drugs, or substances causing Flu (14 listings)
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Flu

Treatments for Flu

• Rest
• Fluids
• Antibiotics - not for the flu itself, but either treating or preventing secondary bacterial infections and other complication of flu.
• Symptomatic relief: various medications help in the headache and other symptoms of flu:
  • Analgesics

See full list of 13 treatments for Flu

Videos for Flu

Patient Surveys for Flu

• Patient Profile Survey
  Take Survey  View Results
• Survey about the symptoms of your Flu
  Take Survey  View Results

Prognosis for Flu

Prognosis for Flu: Good for healthy adults and children. Risks for infants, elderly, or other at-risk people.

More about prognosis of Flu

Reseach about Flu

Visit our research pages for current research about Flu treatments.

Clinical Trials for Flu

The US based website ClinicalTrials.gov lists information on both federally and privately supported clinical trials using human volunteers.

Some of the clinical trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for Flu include:

• High-Dose Vs. Standard-Dose Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to Treat Severe Influenza and Avian Influenza - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - Oseltamivir
• Development of Immune Globulin Treatment for Avian Flu - This study is currently recruiting patients (Current: 23 Nov 2006) - H5N1 Vaccine
• Safety and Immunogenicity of Two Adjuvanted and One Non-Adjuvanted H5N1 Influenza Vaccine in Adults - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Safety and Immunogenicity of a Commercially Available Influenza Vaccine (Formulation 2006/2007) When Administered to Subjects 18 Years of Age or Older - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006)
• Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Pandemic Influenza Vaccine in Adults Over 60 Years of Age - This study is not yet open for patient recruitment (Current: 23 Nov 2006)

See full list of 218 Clinical Trials for Flu

Prevention of Flu

Prevention information for Flu has been compiled from various data sources and may be inaccurate or incomplete. None of these methods guarantee prevention of Flu.

• Avoid contagion
  • Avoid exposure to people with flu
  • Handwashing
  • Avoid touching eyes or nose with your hands
• Flu vaccination - annual vaccination against various flu strains; either avoids flu or reduces its severity and complications.

Read more about prevention of Flu

Statistics for Flu

• Medical statistics for Flu
• Prevalence and incidence statistics for Flu
• Death and Mortality statistics for Flu
• Society statistics for Flu

Types of Flu

• Influenza A - most common strain of virus.
• Influenza B
• Influenza C
• Hong Kong influenza - strain of Influenza A
• Russian influenza - a 1978 epidemic.

See full list of 9 Types of Flu

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User Interactive Forums

Read about other experiences, ask a question about Flu, or answer someone else's question, on our message boards:

• I can not get a diagnosis. Please help.
• Tell us your medical story.
• Share your misdiagnosis story.
• What is the best treatment for this?
• See all the forums.

Article Excerpts about Flu

The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)

Influenza, or the flu, is a respiratory infection caused by a variety of flu viruses. The most familiar aspect of the flu is the way it can "knock you off your feet" as it sweeps through entire communities. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Facts About Flu (Influenza): CDC-OC (Excerpt)

Influenza, also called "the flu", is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract. Flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headache, muscle aches, and extreme fatigue. Although nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea sometimes occur during a flu infection, such symptoms are rarely prominent. "Stomach flu" is a misnomer sometimes used to describe gastrointestinal illnesses that are actually caused by other microorganisms. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Flu (Influenza): CDC-OC)

Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)

Flu - the short name for influenza - is a highly contagious infection that causes fever, chills, dry cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, as well as headache, muscle aches, and often extreme fatigue. Flu usually is a mild disease in healthy children, young adults, and middle-aged people. However, it can be life threatening in older adults. (Source: excerpt from Shots for Safety - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

What to Do About the Flu - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)

Each winter, millions of people suffer from the flu, a highly contagious infection. It spreads easily from person to person mainly when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Flu - the short name for influenza - is caused by viruses that infect the nose, throat, and lungs. It usually is a mild disease in healthy children, young adults, and middle-aged people. However, flu can be life threatening in older adults and in people of any age who have chronic illnesses such as diabetes or heart, lung, or kidney diseases (Source: excerpt from What to Do About the Flu - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

Definitions of Flu:

Acute viral infection involving the respiratory tract; marked by inflammation of the nasal mucosa, the pharynx, and conjunctiva, and by headache and severe, often generalized, myalgia. - (Source - Diseases Database)

An acute febrile highly contagious viral disease - (Source - WordNet 2.1)