Colds and Flu
Colds and flu affect 15 million people each year in the UK. People make unnecessary trips to their GP when they should be resting at home. However, flu can be a serious condition, so it’s important to get advice if you have flu like symptoms.
Many of the symptoms of flu are similar to those of the common cold, except the symptoms of a cold appear gradually, are not severe and affect just your nose and throat. Symptoms of flu are more severe, causing fever and aching muscles, you will not be able to do your usual activities.
Seasonal flu can give you any of these symptoms:
- sudden fever (a temperature of 38°C/100.4°F or above),
- dry, chesty cough,
- headache,
- tiredness,
- chills,
- aching muscles,
- limb or joint pain,
- diarrhoea or stomach upset,
- sore throat,
- runny or blocked nose, sneezing,
- loss of appetite, and
- difficulty sleeping.
You should see your GP if your symptoms have got much worse, or you have developed other symptoms that are not typical of seasonal flu, such as a rash, if your symptoms have lasted for longer than a week or if you have a medical condition that is making your flu worse such as chest problems.
