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Flu symptoms: Should I see my doctor?

Call your healthcare professional if you think you have the flu and you or someone you’re caring for is at high risk of serious flu illness, or flu-related complications.

Unlike a cold, the flu tends to come on suddenly and makes you feel much worse than a cold. Common symptoms of the flu often include a fever but not always, as well as headache, aching muscles, and chills and sweats.

Other symptoms include:

Vomiting and diarrhea also are symptoms of the flu but this is more common in children than adults.

Factors that can raise your risk of getting serious flu or flu-related complications include:

Complications of flu include pneumonia, sinus or ear infections, bronchitis, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The flu also can lead to inflammation of the heart, brain or muscles.

And flu infection can worsen chronic health problems such as asthma and congestive heart failure. These illnesses may need to be treated in the hospital and, rarely, may lead to death.

Treating flu for people at high risk

If you’re in one of these groups or you have serious symptoms linked to flu infection, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral medicine. Examples include oseltamivir (Tamiflu), baloxavir (Xofluza), zanamivir (Relenza) or peramivir (Rapivab). These medicines may shorten your illness by a day or so and help prevent serious complications.

Not at high risk?

Most people with the flu have a mild illness and don’t need to see a healthcare professional. With some rest and self-care measures at home, the average healthy person can expect to feel better within a week, although a dry cough may last for several weeks.

No matter your risk, if you have emergency symptoms of the flu, get medical care right away. For adults, emergency symptoms can include:

Emergency symptoms in children include all of the symptoms seen in adults, as well as:

These are just some of the emergency symptoms of flu. If you are worried about any symptom, contact a healthcare professional and get care right away.

© 1998-2024 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). All rights reserved.

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