From "People call a lot of things 'the flu,' and nine times out of ten, they're wrong," says Brian Currie, an infectious disease specialist at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
"Influenza has a very sudden and dramatic impact." Symptoms hit hard and fast, but they do not include vomiting or diarrhea. "Stomach flu," Dr. Currie explains, is a misnomer. And don't assume there is no need to worry if it's "just the flu": If you're not significantly better in three days, call your doctor. Because of the dangers of flu complications and other infectious diseases that produce flu-like symptoms, seek medical help if any of the following occur:
- severe symptoms that continue for more than four or five days
- difficulty breathing
- a persistent cough that produces phlegm or blood-tinged mucus
- an extremely high fever
- uncontrollable shaking or chills
- extreme muscle achiness that makes it hard or painful to move
- a severe headache or stiff neck
- swelling of joints or extremities
- cognitive changes, such as problems remembering things that just happened or confusion about familiar people or places
- a rash; bumps, blisters or sores may first appear in the area of an animal scratch or bite.