7 Conditions That Can Cause Flu-Like Ailments, But Aren’t Flu Virus. Some other insects can also bring those flu-like symptoms.

Taking into account that flu virus can distributed like wildfire among unvaccinated forums, it’s tempting to worry that each coughing, muscle ache, and clue of a temperature was a sign your caught the flu virus.

That is understandable, considering the fact that you can find a ton of different conditions that bring about copycat flu-like signs and symptoms, like temperature, cough, runny nose, and stress, and others, per the facilities for condition controls and reduction.

“Any intimidating infection that promotes all of our disease fighting capability can [produce] many of the same warning signs,” explains Cindy Weston, DNP, RN, FNP-BC, associate professor at Colorado A&M school of medical. This means that, “most flu simply feels as though a regular cooler,” Joseph Khabbaza, MD, a pulmonologist at Cleveland hospital, informs fitness.

The only way to know certainly you have the flu virus is to get tested–but you’ll find subtle clues to help you separate between influenza the other otherwise.

Here are some of many problems that can cause flu-like symptoms, however they aren’t the flu virus.

Common Colds

Both common colds and influenza is viral sicknesses, both commonly occur in similar conditions, and they’ve got lots of overlapping problems, fancy a throat pain and a rigid nose.

The primary improvement is actually how fast the observable symptoms come-on. “A cool usually slowly progresses symptom by sign over [several] time,” says Keri Peterson, MD, best Pansexual dating site an internist at Lenox Hill medical center in New York City. “With the flu, the constellation of the signs of large fever, coughing, muscle mass ache, and serious lethargy comes on in 24 to a couple of days.”

And though so many problems overlap, common colds usually don’t come with chest area serious pain or human body pains, which have been even more attributes in the flu, adds Dr. Peterson.

Strep throat

The flu virus and strep throat share many signs, but there have been two you will probably find for the flu but never ever in strep: cough and nasal congestion.

Strep throat might push inflamed lymph nodes, distended tonsils, a facial skin rash, or white blotches on the tonsils. None among these try common regarding the flu.

In the event your medical practitioner suspects strep, he/she will swab your own throat and examination the germs. If the examination returns positive, you’ll most likely get antibiotics, which could usually solve the observable symptoms easily.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia may come individually through the flu or it can be a secondary issue to getting unwell. You may also seem like you’re on the flu following bang–you’re stricken with another issues. “People are getting the flu virus and maybe also riding it, and each week roughly afterwards, they’re coming in with pneumonia,” Weston says.

Usually, pneumonia that comes with or following flu virus was caused by germs might feel treated by antibiotics. With this particular style of pneumonia, “the cough is pretty persistent and unrelenting and sometimes related to upper body problems,” Weston states. “The fever could possibly be low grade or higher. Very often there’s no cravings with pneumonia, so there are some body pains.” A pneumonia coughing likewise has mucus inside.

Pneumonia that is maybe not pertaining to the flu virus often is viral; viral pneumonia can also be usually milder versus microbial sorts.

You might also involve some congestion, coughing, and weakness, all of these could point out the flu–but in this situation, they’re merely flu-like signs and symptoms.

Doctors can pay attention for telltale signs of pneumonia by placing a stethoscope to your chest area, says Dr. Peterson.

Mononucleosis

Mono is also called the “kissing infection” as it can end up being passed through spit (along with coughing, sneezing, and discussing utensils).