What Are the Early Flu Symptoms?

Detecting early symptoms of the flu can help to prevent the spread of the virus and possibly help you treat the illness before it gets worse.

Early symptoms can include:

• fatigue
• body aches and chills
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• gastrointestinal problems
• headache

There are also early flu symptoms that are more unique to children.

Read on to learn more about all of these symptoms and how you can find relief.

Shorter days and reduced sunlight can make you feel tired. There’s a difference between being tired and experiencing extreme fatigue.

Sudden, excessive fatigue is one of the earliest symptoms of the flu. It may appear before other symptoms. Fatigue is also a symptom of the common cold, but it’s usually more severe with the flu.

Extreme weakness and tiredness may interfere with your normal activities. It’s important that you limit activities and allow your body to rest. Take a few days off from work or school and stay in bed. Rest can strengthen your immune system and help you fight the virus.

Body aches and chills are also common flu symptoms.

If you’re coming down with the flu virus, you may mistakenly blame body aches on something else, such as a recent workout. Body aches can manifest anywhere in the body, especially in the head, back, and legs.

Chills may also accompany body aches. The flu may cause chills even before a fever develops.

Wrapping yourself in a warm blanket can increase your body temperature and possibly reduce chills. If you have body aches, you can take over-the-counter pain relieving medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).

A persistent dry cough can indicate an early illness. It may be a warning sign of the flu. The flu virus can also cause a cough with wheezing and chest tightness. You might cough up phlegm or mucus. However, a productive cough is rare in flu’s early stages.

If you have respiratory problems, such as asthma or emphysema, you may need to call your doctor to prevent further complications. Also, contact your doctor if you notice foul smelling, colored phlegm. Flu complications can include bronchitis and pneumonia.

Take cough drops or cough medicine to calm your cough. Keeping yourself and your throat hydrated with lots of water and caffeine-free teas can also help. Always cover your cough and wash your hands to prevent spreading the infection.

Flu-related coughing can quickly lead to a sore throat. Some viruses, including influenza, can actually cause a swollen throat without a cough.

In the earliest stages of the flu, your throat may feel scratchy and irritated. You may also feel a strange sensation when you swallow food or drinks. If you have a sore throat, it’ll likely get worse as the viral infection progresses.

Stock up on caffeine-free tea, chicken noodle soup, and water. You can also gargle with 8 ounces of warm water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

A fever is a sign that your body is fighting off an infection. Flu-related fevers are typically over 100.4˚F (38˚C).

A fever is a common symptom in early stages of the flu, but not everyone with the flu will have a fever. Also, you might experience chills with or without a fever while the virus runs its course.

Usually, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are both effective fever reducers, but these medications can’t cure the virus.

Early flu symptoms can extend below the head, throat, and chest. Some strains of the virus can cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, or vomiting.

Dehydration is a dangerous complication of diarrhea and vomiting. To avoid dehydration, drink water, sports drinks, unsweetened fruit juices, caffeine-free teas, or broth.

The flu virus also causes the above symptoms in children. However, your child may have other symptoms that require medical attention. These can include:

• not drinking enough fluids
• crying with no tears
• not waking up or interacting
• being unable to eat
• having fever with a rash
• having difficulty urinating

It can be hard to know the difference between the flu and a cold in children.

With both a cold and flu, your child can develop a cough, sore throat, and body aches. Symptoms are typically more severe with the flu. If your child doesn’t have a high fever or other severe symptoms, this may be an indication that they have a cold instead.

If you’re concerned about any symptoms your child has developed, you should call their pediatrician.

The flu is a progressive illness. This means that symptoms will worsen before they get better. Not everyone responds the same to influenza virus. Your overall health can determine how severe your symptoms may be. The flu virus can be mild or severe.

Seek immediate medical care if you have the following symptoms:

• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• bluish skin and lips
• severe dehydration
• dizziness and confusion
• recurring or high fever
• worsening cough

Symptoms of the flu usually go away within a week or two. However, in some cases, the flu can cause additional complications, especially in people at high risk. Some possible complications include:

• pneumonia
• bronchitis
• sinusitis
• ear infection
• encephalitis

If you’ve been diagnosed with the flu, allow yourself a reasonable recovery period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you don’t go back to work until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without needing to take a fever reducing medication.

Even if you don’t have a fever, you should still consider staying home until other symptoms improve. It’s generally safe to return to work or school when you can resume normal activity without getting tired.

The recovery rate varies from person to person.

Antiviral drugs can possibly help speed up your recovery time and make the illness less severe. Even after feeling better, you might experience a lingering cough and fatigue for a few weeks. Always see your doctor if the flu symptoms come back or get worse after an initial recovery.

During flu season, protecting yourself from respiratory viruses is a top priority.

The flu virus can spread through saliva droplets that are projected when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can reach people and surfaces up to 6 feet away. You can be exposed by breathing air containing these droplets or by touching objects that these droplets have landed on.

The good news is that the flu virus is preventable.

Getting a flu shot every year is one of the best ways to protect yourself. The flu shot is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, including pregnant women.

Here are a few other preventive measures:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you’re sick, especially if you have a fever.
• Cover your cough to protect others.
• Wash your hands.
• Limit how often you touch your mouth or nose.

What Are the Early Flu Symptoms?

Detecting early symptoms of the flu can help to prevent the spread of the virus and possibly help you treat the illness before it gets worse.

Early symptoms can include:

• fatigue
• body aches and chills
• cough
• sore throat
• fever
• gastrointestinal problems
• headache

There are also early flu symptoms that are more unique to children.

Read on to learn more about all of these symptoms and how you can find relief.

Shorter days and reduced sunlight can make you feel tired. There’s a difference between being tired and experiencing extreme fatigue.

Sudden, excessive fatigue is one of the earliest symptoms of the flu. It may appear before other symptoms. Fatigue is also a symptom of the common cold, but it’s usually more severe with the flu.

Extreme weakness and tiredness may interfere with your normal activities. It’s important that you limit activities and allow your body to rest. Take a few days off from work or school and stay in bed. Rest can strengthen your immune system and help you fight the virus.

Body aches and chills are also common flu symptoms.

If you’re coming down with the flu virus, you may mistakenly blame body aches on something else, such as a recent workout. Body aches can manifest anywhere in the body, especially in the head, back, and legs.

Chills may also accompany body aches. The flu may cause chills even before a fever develops.

Wrapping yourself in a warm blanket can increase your body temperature and possibly reduce chills. If you have body aches, you can take over-the-counter pain relieving medication, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin).

A persistent dry cough can indicate an early illness. It may be a warning sign of the flu. The flu virus can also cause a cough with wheezing and chest tightness. You might cough up phlegm or mucus. However, a productive cough is rare in flu’s early stages.

If you have respiratory problems, such as asthma or emphysema, you may need to call your doctor to prevent further complications. Also, contact your doctor if you notice foul smelling, colored phlegm. Flu complications can include bronchitis and pneumonia.

Take cough drops or cough medicine to calm your cough. Keeping yourself and your throat hydrated with lots of water and caffeine-free teas can also help. Always cover your cough and wash your hands to prevent spreading the infection.

Flu-related coughing can quickly lead to a sore throat. Some viruses, including influenza, can actually cause a swollen throat without a cough.

In the earliest stages of the flu, your throat may feel scratchy and irritated. You may also feel a strange sensation when you swallow food or drinks. If you have a sore throat, it’ll likely get worse as the viral infection progresses.

Stock up on caffeine-free tea, chicken noodle soup, and water. You can also gargle with 8 ounces of warm water, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.

A fever is a sign that your body is fighting off an infection. Flu-related fevers are typically over 100.4˚F (38˚C).

A fever is a common symptom in early stages of the flu, but not everyone with the flu will have a fever. Also, you might experience chills with or without a fever while the virus runs its course.

Usually, acetaminophen and ibuprofen are both effective fever reducers, but these medications can’t cure the virus.

Early flu symptoms can extend below the head, throat, and chest. Some strains of the virus can cause diarrhea, nausea, stomach pain, or vomiting.

Dehydration is a dangerous complication of diarrhea and vomiting. To avoid dehydration, drink water, sports drinks, unsweetened fruit juices, caffeine-free teas, or broth.

The flu virus also causes the above symptoms in children. However, your child may have other symptoms that require medical attention. These can include:

• not drinking enough fluids
• crying with no tears
• not waking up or interacting
• being unable to eat
• having fever with a rash
• having difficulty urinating

It can be hard to know the difference between the flu and a cold in children.

With both a cold and flu, your child can develop a cough, sore throat, and body aches. Symptoms are typically more severe with the flu. If your child doesn’t have a high fever or other severe symptoms, this may be an indication that they have a cold instead.

If you’re concerned about any symptoms your child has developed, you should call their pediatrician.

The flu is a progressive illness. This means that symptoms will worsen before they get better. Not everyone responds the same to influenza virus. Your overall health can determine how severe your symptoms may be. The flu virus can be mild or severe.

Seek immediate medical care if you have the following symptoms:

• chest pain
• breathing difficulties
• bluish skin and lips
• severe dehydration
• dizziness and confusion
• recurring or high fever
• worsening cough

Symptoms of the flu usually go away within a week or two. However, in some cases, the flu can cause additional complications, especially in people at high risk. Some possible complications include:

• pneumonia
• bronchitis
• sinusitis
• ear infection
• encephalitis

If you’ve been diagnosed with the flu, allow yourself a reasonable recovery period. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that you don’t go back to work until you’ve been fever-free for 24 hours without needing to take a fever reducing medication.

Even if you don’t have a fever, you should still consider staying home until other symptoms improve. It’s generally safe to return to work or school when you can resume normal activity without getting tired.

The recovery rate varies from person to person.

Antiviral drugs can possibly help speed up your recovery time and make the illness less severe. Even after feeling better, you might experience a lingering cough and fatigue for a few weeks. Always see your doctor if the flu symptoms come back or get worse after an initial recovery.

During flu season, protecting yourself from respiratory viruses is a top priority.

The flu virus can spread through saliva droplets that are projected when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

These droplets can reach people and surfaces up to 6 feet away. You can be exposed by breathing air containing these droplets or by touching objects that these droplets have landed on.

The good news is that the flu virus is preventable.

Getting a flu shot every year is one of the best ways to protect yourself. The flu shot is recommended for everyone ages 6 months and older, including pregnant women.

Here are a few other preventive measures:

• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home if you’re sick, especially if you have a fever.
• Cover your cough to protect others.
• Wash your hands.
• Limit how often you touch your mouth or nose.

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Symptoms of the flu virus in adults and children, how to treat the first signs of the flu virus, fever and cough in humans

10/12/2021

3-5 minutes

15 129

Contents

• What are the symptoms of the flu
• Diagnostic methods
• Treatment

Influenza is an acute respiratory disease that can affect the upper and lower respiratory tract. The disease is highly contagious (contagious), so it can quickly spread among people. The main symptoms of influenza include intoxication and catarrhal syndromes. In severe cases, it is possible to damage the lower parts of the respiratory system with the development of respiratory failure. Treatment of influenza in adults involves eliminating the symptoms and causes of the disease. Without proper therapy, serious complications, such as pulmonary edema, may develop.

According to scientists, the incidence of influenza has decreased over the past decades, but it still remains high, especially in children, so the disease does not lose its relevance in our time. ¹

What are the symptoms of influenza

The disease can occur with varying degrees of severity, so in each case, the symptoms may differ. From the moment of infection to the first signs of influenza, it can take from several hours to a week. The average duration of the incubation period is 1-4 days.

The disease begins with an intoxication syndrome. The first symptoms of flu are:

Depending on the severity, the severity of these flu symptoms can be different. For example, with a mild course, the body temperature rises to 38 ° C, with an average one – up to 40 ° C, and with a severe one – more than 40 ° C. Also, with a severe form of the flu, additional symptoms may appear – nausea and vomiting, confusion, disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. All of them are the result of a strong intoxication syndrome.

The second syndrome that often occurs in this disease is catarrhal. In this case, influenza in adults and children is manifested by symptoms such as high body temperature along with cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or pharyngitis.

In addition, the disease can occur in complicated forms, which makes the clinical picture even more diverse. For example, with the development of viral pneumonia, the phenomena of acute respiratory failure are noted, and with the development of a false croup, the patient is worried about a “barking” cough, a change in voice, and difficulty in breathing. Other complications may include bacterial pneumonia, pleurisy, toxic encephalopathy, etc. ¹

Thus, the flu is not always a “common cold” and can lead to serious health consequences, therefore, when the first symptoms of the disease appear, you should immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnostic methods

A preliminary diagnosis of influenza is established on the basis of complaints and medical examination data. It is possible to reliably confirm the disease only if the pathogen is identified. The material can be:

The result of the study is affected by the correct method of sampling and transportation of biological material to the laboratory. The samples taken are subject to examination within 12-24 hours.

The following methods are used to identify the virus:

In addition to specific diagnostic methods, general laboratory blood and urine tests are carried out. If involvement in the process of the lower respiratory tract is suspected, a plain chest x-ray is prescribed. ²

Treatment

At the first sign of influenza in adults and children, it is good to consult a doctor. In an uncomplicated course, treatment is carried out at home. In case of a severe form of influenza, the presence of complications and concomitant diseases, patients are subject to hospitalization.

In all cases, adhere to the standard recommendations: use a mask, ventilate the room often, avoid public places, drink more fluids and eat the right food with enough vitamins. ³

You can treat the first symptoms of influenza in adults and children on your own only in case of an uncomplicated course of the disease. With a mild intoxication syndrome, measures are taken to eliminate it: plentiful warm drinking and taking combined drugs for flu symptoms. These include Coldrex. It is available in the form of a powder for preparing a warm drink with different flavors. The composition of the drug includes vitamin C, paracetamol, phenylephrine. The difference between different types of Coldrex lies in the dosage of paracetamol and vitamin C. The smallest dosage of paracetamol (300 mg) is found in Coldrex Junior, which can be used in children from 6 years of age. In addition to this form, the line of drugs includes:

• Coldrex HotRem Menthol and honey lemon
• Coldrex HotRem Lemon & Honey
• Coldrex HotRem Lemon
• Coldrex MaxGripp

Thus, each person can choose the best form for himself to fight flu symptoms.

Symptomatic therapy does not eliminate the cause of the disease – the influenza virus. Therefore, antiviral drugs can be included in the complex treatment plan. To eliminate the common cold, decongestants are used, and in the presence of sputum that is difficult to separate, expectorants and mucolytics are used. If a bacterial infection is suspected, antibiotic therapy is prescribed. ³

Tags

Symptoms

References

1. Guidelines Influenza in adults: diagnosis, treatment, methods and methods of non-specific prevention
   https://www. pharmaclon.ru/
2. Influenza in adults: guidelines for diagnosis, treatment, specific and non-specific prevention / edited by academician, professor A.G. Chuchalin, chief freelance infectious disease specialist of the Northwestern Federal District prof. T.V. Sologub. – St. Petersburg: Publishing and printing complex “NP-Print”, 2014. – 192 s.
   https://www.influenza.spb.ru/
3. Influenza and other acute respiratory diseases M.G. Shkadova, V.V. Kilessa, N.V. Zhukova Crimean Therapeutic Journal, 2011, No. 2 Shkadova M. G., Kilessa V. V., Zhukova N. V. Influenza and other acute respiratory diseases // Crimean Therapeutic Journal. 2011. No. 2 (17).
   https://cyberleninka.ru/article/

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