Symptoms of the Flu
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Flu symptoms occur most during the fall and winter months. There are two main types of influenza, Type A and Type B.

Flu symptoms commonly include fever, headaches, muscle aches, tiredness, cough, sore throat, weight loss, decreased appetite, and joint aches.


Flu symptoms may also include shortness of breath, blue or pale skin discoloration, and productive cough, particularly in the setting of influenza related pneumonia.


The flu symptoms in elderly people may vary and people may simply develop confusion. Elderly people may not have fever.

Vaccination for the flu virus decreases the incidence of flu symptoms. The diagnosis is made by isolation of the virus from the nose, sputum, or throat.

 
To view information about symptoms of flu go to our Flu questions and answers page.
To view specific information about topics related to flu symptoms go to our Topics page.
To view laboratory abnormalities go to our Labs page.
To view the side effects of medication associated with the treatment of flu go to our Pharmacology page.
To search Flash-Med's questions and answers for your key words go to our Q&A Search Page.
To view the and differential diagnosis of flu symptoms go to our Medicine Methods page.

Symptoms of flu often do not lead directly to the underlying diagnosis and many symptoms can be misleading. Please review all concerns and information found on this website with your health care provider.