When the typical Flu is not so typical
What is the seasonal flu?
The flu (caused by the influenza virus) has been around for quite some time and has led to its development of genetic variations. As a result, we have had swine flu, bird flu and variations of the seasonal flu. The focus of this blog post will be seasonal flu, a version we typically see cause more infections during the Fall and Winter season within the US. There are two major types of the seasonal flu: Flu A and Flu B.
Symptoms of the seasonal flu include fever, headache, sore throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, cough, body aches, decreased appetite, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Each person’s mix of symptoms varies and may be influenced by what type of Flu, (A or B), they have been infected by, their age, underlying medical conditions ( lung disease, heart disease, immunodeficiency etc.) and at times there are unrecognized factors that alter the disease course.
The most common symptoms a person infected with seasonal flu will experience include: fever, headache, stuffy/runny nose, cough and body aches. The typical course starts with fever, development of headache, nasal symptoms and body aches. The fever usually lasts about 3 days, with the remainder of the symptoms resolving within 7-10 days.
When the typical flu is no longer considered…typical
As with any illness, there is a chance that the typical course may become complicated by other medical conditions. The question to answer is, how do we know when the tide has turned and there is a deviation from the expected course? The quick answer, your intuition, when a parent, who knows their child better than anyone else, thinks something is wrong, let that lead you.
More specific signs that something else may be going on includes: severity of symptoms, prolonged duration and/or development of new symptoms.
Fever that lasts longer than 4-5 days can be seasonal flu complicated by a bacterial infection (i.e. ear infection, sinus infection, pneumonia)
While headache and body ache may be a common finding in typical seasonal flu, they are usually responsive to the use of OTC pain medication and do not completely impair usual activities; when this happens it can be seasonal flu complicated by CNS inflammation or myositis/rhabdomyolysis.
When the energy levels are so low, they are unable to stay awake and are just lying around, and/or not urinating multiple times a day, this can be seasonal flu complicated by dehydration.
When there is chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, this can be seasonal flu complicated by heart inflammation or pneumonia.
These are just a few scenarios that illustrate how the typical seasonal flu can deviate from its typical course. There are a wide variety of complications that may arise and not always predictable or well explained, for this reason close observation (take notes) is important and when the condition seems to be getting worse, failing to improve or there are other concerns, it is important to seek medical attention.