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~~~ Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

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Know the Difference between Cold and H1N1 Flu Symptoms

 

Fever

 

 

Fever is rare with a cold.

 

While fever is usually present with the seasonal flu in up to 80% of

cases,

it is not present with swine flu in 30% to 50% of cases.

 

 

Coughing

 

 

A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a

cold.

 

A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the

flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).

 

 

Aches

 

Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.

 

Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

 

 

Stuffy Nose

 

Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves

spontaneously within a week.

 

Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

 

 

Chills

 

Chills are uncommon with a cold.

 

60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

 

 

Tiredness

 

 

Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold.

 

Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

 

 

Sneezing

 

 

Sneezing is commonly present with a cold.

 

Sneezing is not common with the flu.

 

 

Sudden Symptoms

 

Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.

 

The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes

sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

 

 

Headache

 

 

A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold.

 

A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

 

 

Sore Throat

 

Sore throat is commonly present with a cold.

 

Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

 

 

Chest Discomfort

 

Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold.

 

Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

 

 

The way to stop the spread of the flu is to spread the awareness.

 

 

 

===

Information from Nancy Fay, an experienced ER respiratory critical-care

therapist, about swine flu and fever:

 

 

There are very important differences between the seasonal flu, which varies

slightly but appears

every winter, and this novel H1N1 influenza. Perhaps the most important

symptomatic difference

is the incidence of fever.

 

 

Colds rarely include a fever, while seasonal flu very often includes a

fever; and so fever-reducing medicines are typically given to seasonal flu

patients.

 

 

But this new virus will often not have fever symptoms. Here are two

articles which note that

30% to50% of H1N1 cases do not have fever:

 

_http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11docs.html_

(http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/11/health/11docs.html)

 

 

_http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09240902/H1N1_CNN_Cooper.html_

(http://www.recombinomics.com/News/09240902/H1N1_CNN_Cooper.html)

 

 

Why is this important? If people are being screened for fever, either with

thermometers or heat- scanning devices at airports, some one-third to half

of those who do in fact have H1N1 will not

be flagged because they're fever-free. These people are still contaigious

to others, however; and

--this is very important--those who don't have fever still need treatment.

 

 

The medical definition used in the US has fever on its list of symptoms of

swine flu. So, if a

person seeks treatment at a clinic, hospital or doctor's office, but does

not have a fever, s/he might

not be treated unless an astute clinician recognizes his/her other

symptoms. Thus treatment could

very often be delayed when time is of the essence.

 

 

To be effective, anti-viral drugs must be administered ASAP. Delaying the

decision to give these medications--as well as other medications, IV fluids,

oxygen and more aggressive treatment --has proven to be life-threatening.

 

 

The rapid tests for H1N1 also have proven to be highly unreliable in the

field, producing

false negative results up to 50% of the time. The more complicated

Polymerase Chain Reaction

(or PCR) test is quite accurate, but it takes up to a week, and is usually

done once a patient has

been hospitalized.

 

 

These two factors--the unreliability of the rapid test and the

unreliability of fever as a diagnostic indicator--have led to many people being

denied

necessary prompt treatment.

 

 

I hope this information is helpful.

 

 

Nancy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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