Dr. Esteban Kosak 
The Influenza virus causes flu. Sometimes in high-risk groups, this usually mild disease can cause life-threatening complications.
Influenza, or flu, is a common viral infection that affects the respiratory tract. It is caused by the Influenza viruses A and B.
Everyone can get the flu since it’s a very contagious disease. It spreads through tiny droplets that infected people reléase while sneezing, coughing, and talking. Thankfully, most of the time, it only causes mild symptoms. Influenza usually causes more cases during the colder months; this is what we know as flu season.
As we said, anyone can get the flu. However, there are some groups of patients that can be more affected by this condition. In older adults, children under two, and patients with weakened immune systems, the flu can be dangerous. These patients have a higher chance of developing complications like pneumonia, heart, brain, and muscle inflammation.
The progression of the flu usually lasts for less than a week. It starts the day before you have symptoms since you are already contagious to other people by then. Furthermore, the first phase of the disease will last for 4 days. This is when your symptoms will be worst. From symptoms day 4 to day 6, you’ll start to feel better. Nevertheless, keep in mind you are still contagious until day 7 of having symptoms.
The flu symptoms will usually start as soon as 48 hours after the contagion or exposure to the virus. The symptoms of the flu are typically mild but can become severe. The most common symptoms of the flu are sore throat, fever and chills, weakness, muscle aches, and cough. These symptoms are usually more intense in the first four days of the disease.
This tool is a Flu Symptoms Checker. It gathers the most important signs, symptoms, and risk factors for the infection.
Likely, people with flu won’t go to the doctor. This happens because the symptoms are mild and resolve on their own after a couple of days. However, if the symptoms get worse, You should go to the doctor. The symptoms and the physical examination can be enough to diagnose the flu. In fact, in most cases, doctors don’t even need further laboratory tests or imaging studies for the diagnosis.
This isn’t always necessary. Still, doctors can perform a flu test to verify what virus is really causing your symptoms. This is done with a swab that collects a sample from your nose and the back of your throat.
Sadly, there is no specific treatment for the flu. Most symptoms will go away on their own. However, there are a few medications that you can take to feel better. These medications include antiviral drugs and over-the-counter pain killers. The antiviral drugs need to be taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms onset to be effective.
The tool is an Influenza symptom checker. It gathers the most common and important risk factors for this common viral disease. This tool is designed to tell you how likely it is to have the flu based on your symptoms and the risk factors for this infection.
Remember that only certified physicians are capacitated to make a diagnosis. This tool is not designed to substitute for medical diagnosis in any way.
Go ahead and use this tool to know if you have risk factors or symptoms similar to the flu. It only takes a few minutes to complete, and it’s totally free.
- Question of
Are you over 64 years?
- Yes
- No
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Do you currently take steroids for another condition?
- Yes
- No
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Do you suffer from a chronic condition such as diabetes or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you suffer from asthma?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do your symptoms started abruptly? (within hours of a same day)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have a dry cough? (A cough with no mucus production, which is persistent and annoying)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have generalized fatigue?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have a fever? (preferably use a thermometer which needs to shows more than 101,3 °F or touch your forehead and determine if the temperature is increased)
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have headache?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have pain in your arms and legs?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have sore throat?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you are sneezing very often?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have nausea or vomiting?
- Yes
- No
- Question of
Do you have been in close contact with people sneezing or coughing in the past seven days?
- Yes
- No
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