The signs and symptoms of flu occur after 1 to 4 days after the infection, most commonly after two days. Initially, the flu symptoms greatly resemble the symptoms of common cold and thus both viral infections are often confused with one another even by professional medical practitioners. Flu is usually identified by high fever and muscle ache which are less common in a cold.

As already mentioned earlier, the signs and symptoms of a flu are very similar to those in common cold but tend to start quite suddenly:

- chilly sensation and extreme coldness
- shivering and shaking
- high fever (above 38 °C/101 °F)
- headache
- muscle ache (especially in back, arms and legs)
- fatigue
- weakness
- cough
- sore throat
- watering eyes
- sneezing
- nasal congestion
- loss of appetite
- diarrhea and vomiting in children

The mentioned signs and symptoms are the most common in the influenzavirus A which is responsible for the majority of flu pandemics. In milder form, it causes chilling sensation and extreme cold, headache, high fever,  dry cough, muscle ache, fatigue and loss of appetite, while the severer form also results in extreme exhaustion. Apart from feeling miserable for several days the majority of people recover from the typical seasonal flu within several days. The symptoms commonly improve when the body temperature lowers but cough and fatigue may persist for another week or two.

Signs and symptoms in influenzavirus B are very similar to those in type A. Flu caused by influenzavirus C is rarer. It is rarely accompanied with fever and commonly does not lead to serious complications.

Related posts:

1. Common Cold Symptoms – Common signs and symptoms of cold
2. Symptoms of Swine Flu – Sign and symptoms of novel H1N1 flu
3. Difference Between Common Cold and Influenza – How to distinguish between common cold and flu
4. About Flu – FAQ’s about flu
5. Common Cold Treatment – Over-the-counter medications for alleviation the symptoms of common cold
6. Types of Flu – Stains (types) of influenzaviruses
7. Stomach Flu – FAQ’s about stomach flu
8. About Common Cold – What is common cold
9. Flu Remedies – Self-care measures and remedies for relieving flu symptoms
10. Common Cold Complications – When to visit a doctor

This entry was posted on Friday, December 25th, 2009 at 10:57 am and is filed under Flu. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.