health
May 1, 2024

Flu Duration: When am I well again?

Sudden fever, malaise and typical symptoms of a cold? only much worse! The flu caught you. What to do to quickly get rid of the flu viruses and when you are well again? Here is all the information about the dreaded flu.

What is a flu?

The flu, too influenza called, is a sudden onset of illness that triggered by viruses becomes. Flu season is especially in winter, when the flu epidemic goes around.

But not everywhere, where flu is on it, is also flu in it. For example, a gastrointestinal flu has nothing to do with real influenza. The summer flu is not triggered by flu viruses, it is just a cold, as well as the flu infection.

Influenza: The typical symptoms

In the usual course of influenza, the flu symptoms are quite sudden and violent after a short incubation period. The affected are literally off. Anyone who has once survived an influenza, will easily put away any flu and every summer flu. The most common symptoms of influenza include:

high fever
to cough
Sore throat
sniff
chills
strong headache
Muscle aches
body aches
back pain
hoarseness
nausea
anorexia
heavy exhaustion

Influenza: duration and course

The duration of the flu depends on the course and depends on whether complications occur.
The infection takes place via droplet infection.
The incubation period, ie the period between infection and onset of the disease a few hours to three days.
It usually takes that Fever three to four days on.
If the fever rises again by the third day of illness, this is an indication of an additional infection, a so-called superinfection, The body is so weakened by the flu that bacteria have easy play and attack him with an infection. It can often lead to tonsillitis, pneumonia or other infections that further increase the flu symptoms.
With a mild course and a healthy organism, the symptoms sound after about seven to ten days again.
Subsequently, however, it is not uncommon for those affected to feel beaten off weeks later, limp and underachieving. Even the tormenting cough may last for several weeks.
Anyone who has a weakened immune system and / or suffering from chronic diseases such as heart or lung disease, has to struggle with influenza longer than healthy people. For these high-risk patients, a flu shot is recommended.
A real flu, the body is not as easy away as a cold or harmless summer flu. After the flu symptoms have subsided, you should continue to spare, The virus disease weakens the body very much, so it should not be over-stressed too quickly.

Medications for the flu

If proven home remedies do not help or if you belong to a specific risk group, antiviral drugs, so-called antivirals, can be the drug of choice. If taken in time, the medication can shorten the flu duration and make the course milder.

Oseltamivir, also known as Tamiflu, and zanamivir inhibit neuraminidase, one of the surface molecules of the virus. Among other things, the neuraminidase plays an important role in the release of viruses from an infected cell.
However, oseltamivir and zanamivir should be taken within 48 hours of the onset of the disease, because antivirals only increase the number of viruses and can not kill those already present in the body. What other home remedies and tips will help you find out here: Influenza treatment.

Flu vaccine for the prevention of influenza

For people over 60 and certain risk groups (chronically ill, pregnant and immunocompromised patients) recommend doctors a flu vaccine. The vaccine must be repeated every year and provides good protection against influenza viruses. The decision whether a flu vaccine makes sense, is always in consultation with your doctor.

Before you start a medication, you should know if it is a flu or cold. The best tips to reduce fever, fever measure and home remedies for cough and chills there with us.