Influenza history and symptoms
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alejandro Lemor, M.D. [2]
Overview
Influenza illness can include several non-specific symptoms, such as fever, muscle aches, headache, lack of energy, dry cough, sore throat, and possibly runny nose. The fever and body aches can last 3-5 days and the cough and lack of energy may last for 2 or more weeks. The symptoms of the flu are more severe than their common-cold equivalents.
History and Symptoms
- The typical incubation period for influenza is 1—4 days.
- Adults shed influenza virus from the day before symptoms begin through 5—10 days after illness onset. However, the amount of virus shed, and presumably infectivity, decreases rapidly by 3—5 days after onset in an experimental human infection model.
- Young children also might shed virus several days before illness onset, and children can be infectious for 10 or more days after onset of symptoms.
- Severely immunocompromised persons can shed virus for weeks or months.
- Uncomplicated influenza illness is characterized by the abrupt onset of constitutional and respiratory signs and symptoms, such as fever, myalgia, headache, malaise, nonproductive cough, sore throat, and rhinitis.
- Among children, otitis media, nausea, and vomiting also are commonly reported with influenza illness. Uncomplicated influenza illness typically resolves after 3—7 days for the majority of persons, although cough and malaise can persist for >2 weeks.
- However, influenza virus infections can cause primary influenza viral pneumonia; exacerbate underlying medical conditions (e.g., pulmonary or cardiac disease); lead to secondary bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, or otitis media; or contribute to coinfections with other viral or bacterial pathogens.
- Young children with influenza virus infection might have initial symptoms mimicking bacterial sepsis with high fevers, and febrile seizures have been reported in 6%—20% of children hospitalized with influenza virus infection.
Common Symptoms
- Body aches, especially joints and throat
- Cough
- Sneezing
- Extreme coldness
- Fever
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Irritated watering eyes
- Nasal congestion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Reddened eyes, skin (especially face), mouth, throat and nose