Influenza-like symptoms

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alberto Plate [2]

Overview

Influenza-like illness (ILI), also known as acute respiratory infection (ARI) andflu-like syndrome/symptoms, is a medical diagnosis of possible influenza or other illness causing a set of common symptoms. Here, SARI refers to Severe Acute Respiratory Infection. Symptoms commonly include fever, shivering, chills, malaise, dry cough, loss of appetite, body aches and nausea, typically in connection with a sudden onset of illness. In most cases, the symptoms are caused by cytokines released by immune system activation and are thus relatively non-specific.