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November Health Tip by Dr. Burns
Flu Season Will Shortly Be Upon Us!
How can people distinguish between the cold and the flu? Recognizing there is a difference between the two is an important first step.
Colds are caused by a respiratory viral infection (there is more than one!), and generally occur year round. Common symptoms might include a sore throat, runny nose, cough, and perhaps low-grade temperature. Treatment is typically for symptom-relief only, not cure.
‘Flu’ is short for influenza, which is a specific type of virus that affects the respiratory tract. Sometimes people use the term ‘stomach flu’ to describe nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, but this has nothing to do with influenza. Influenza often causes a more severe illness than the common cold, and on average kills about 30,000 people per year. These are usually individuals that already have serious underlying medical problems, perhaps are hospitalized, or are in a nursing home. Symptoms of flu include the abrupt onset of high fever (up to 103 degrees), symptoms of the common cold, plus severe muscle aches, fatigue and headache.
Prevention of the influenza with the vaccine is by far and away the best treatment. However, immunization is not a 100% guarantee that a patient won’t be susceptible to the infection, as the virus may change after the vaccine is already made.
For most people, especially healthy young adults with no serious medical
conditions, treatment is generally supportive: Fluids, rest, Tylenol or aspirin for
fever and body aches, and other-the-counter medicine based on symptoms.
If a person did not get the flu vaccine, and they have typical symptoms
of the flu, call your doctor. There are other treatments available that may shorten the duration of the illness by a day or two, but these typically must be started within the first 48 hours of symptoms. There is also a flu test that can be performed, which can determine with a high degree of accuracy whether a person really has influenza or not.
Questions? Please call your health care team at Fairview Clinic!
For more information:
MU Health Sciences Library
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