Flu Symptoms and Diagnosis

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Flu Symptoms and Diagnosis발음듣기

Female Voiceover: At this point in your life, you've probably been infected with the influenza virus.발음듣기

So think back, if you can, on what was probably a pretty miserable experience.발음듣기

Think of the symptoms that you had.발음듣기

All the symptoms that we feel when we're sick with the flu are related to the course that the virus takes as it moves through our body.발음듣기

But first the virus has to get into our body.발음듣기

Let's say that someone who is infected with the flu sneezes or coughs near you and they spray a bunch of tiny droplets into the air.발음듣기

Each of these droplets can contain millions of influenza viruses.발음듣기

And if we breathe this in through the nose or the mouth, we can get infected this way.발음듣기

Another way we can get infected is, let's say some of these droplets settle on a surface like a table for instance.발음듣기

The flu virus can survive on a surface like this for two to eight hours.발음듣기

So if we're unfortunate enough to touch a surface like this and then touch our mouth or our nose we can get infected this way as well.발음듣기

This is why practicing good hand hygiene is so critical in preventing the spread of disease.발음듣기

So don't forget to wash your hands, especially during flu season.발음듣기

Now in this case, unfortunately the virus has entered into our system.발음듣기

It's moving its way through our body.발음듣기

It's going to infect cells along the way and cause cell damage.발음듣기

The damage that these cells experience is going to show up as the symptoms that we're so familiar with.발음듣기

As the virus moves in through the nose, we might get some congestion.발음듣기

Then the virus is going to make its way down into the throat, giving us a sore throat.발음듣기

Then it will get all the way into the lungs causing a cough.발음듣기

In response to the damage that the virus causes the body, the immune system is going to increase the temperature of the body in hopes that this will make viral replication more difficult.발음듣기

This is why we get fever and chills.발음듣기

This battle that the body is fighting against, the influenza virus, consumes a lot of energy.발음듣기

This is why we are so exhausted when all of a sudden we're in bed for days.발음듣기

It's miserable. A lot of common viruses can cause these symptoms, right?발음듣기

The common cold, for instance, can give us a runny nose.발음듣기

So how do we know that it's actually the influenza virus specifically that is making us feel so sick?발음듣기

Typically a person infected with influenza virus will have a fever of over 100 degrees, along with either a sore throat or a cough.발음듣기

This combination of symptoms is what we call an influenza-like illness.발음듣기

We say influenza-like illness because it's not yet confirmed with a laboratory test.발음듣기

It's just a combination of symptoms.발음듣기

We shorten this by saying ILI.발음듣기

During flu season between December and February, doctors who see an influenza-like illness will usually attribute this to an infection with the influenza virus without getting a laboratory test.발음듣기

So next time your friend says, "I had the flu last week. I was completely congested."발음듣기

Now you know you can say, "Well did you have a fever with either a sore throat or a cough?"발음듣기

Because that is what you really need for the clinical diagnosis of an influenza-like illness.발음듣기

Some doctors actually might want to confirm their diagnosis of influenza with a lab test.발음듣기

They do this by using something that looks kind of like a giant Q-Tip.발음듣기

They go straight to the source.발음듣기

Let's think about the places that you'd most likely find an influenza virus in someone who is sick.발음듣기

You'd go to the nose and you'd go to the throat right?발음듣기

Remember this is why we have nasal congestion and a sore throat, because the virus is hanging out here.발음듣기

We call this a nasopharyngeal swab.발음듣기

Naso for nose and pharyngeal for throat.발음듣기

We're going to take this nasopharyngeal swab into the nose, into the back of the throat, to collect some of these cells.발음듣기

We're going to send this to the lab to find out if in fact it's an infection with influenza virus.발음듣기

There are other kinds of lab tests that can confirm the diagnosis of influenza infection but this is the most common and most likely what you'll see in a clinical setting.발음듣기

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