The flu

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Normal lung anatomy

Influenza

Nasal spray flu vaccine

The flu

Alternative Names:

Flu; Influenza A; Influenza B
Treatment:

If you have mild illness and are not at high-risk, take these steps:

Rest
Take medicines that relieve symptoms and help you rest
Drink plenty of liquids
Avoid aspirin (especially teens and children)
Avoid alcohol and tobacco
Avoid antibiotics (unless necessary for another illness)

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If the flu is diagnosed within 48 hours of when symptoms begin, especially if you are high risk for complications, antiviral medications may help shorten thelength of symptoms by approximatelya day.

In the past, doctors commonly prescribed the antiviral medications amantadine and rimantadine to treat type A influenza. But in January 2006, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that neither drug should be used for such treatment because of growing resistance to the drugs. Instead, the agency recommended using oseltamivir (Tamiflu)or zanamivir (Relenza), which are active against both influenza A and B. Each of these medicines has different side effects and affects different viruses. Your doctor will determine which one is best for you.

Treatment is usually not necessary for children, but if the illness is diagnosed early and the patient is at risk of developing a severe case, it can be started. Oseltamiviris the best choice for children. It is available in a liquid formulation and may be easier to give to the child than zanamivir, which is given by inhaler and is not FDA-approved for children under age 12.Treatment will only help if started early and only if the illness is actually influenza. It will not help treat a regular cold.

Expectations (prognosis):

In most individuals who are otherwise healthy, the flu goes away within 7 to 10 days.

Complications:

Possible complications, especially for those at high risk, include:

Pneumonia
Encephalitis (infection of the brain)
Bronchitis
Sinus infections
Ear infections

Calling your health care provider:

Call your health care provider if someone in a high-risk category develops symptoms of the flu.

References:

CDC Recommends Against the Use of Amantadine and Rimantadine for the Treatment or Prophylaxis of Influenza in the United States during the 2005-06 Influenza Season. Atlanta, Ga. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; January 14, 2006.

Long SS, Pickering LK, and Prober CG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 2^nd Ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 2003:1159-1160.

Ferri FF. Ferri?s Clinical Advisor: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. 2005 ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2005:447-448.

Noble J., ed. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine. 3^rd Ed. St. Louis, MO: Mosby; 2001.