What is Flu?

What is Flu?

The flu, medically known as influenza, is a common infection of the respiratory tract, including the nose ...more »

• Flu: Very common viral respiratory infection.
• Flu: acute viral infection involving the respiratory tract; marked by inflammation of the nasal mucosa, the pharynx, and conjunctiva, and by headache and severe, often generalized, myalgia.
  Source - Diseases Database
• Flu: an acute febrile highly contagious viral disease.
  Source - WordNet 2.1

Flu: Introduction

Types of Flu:

Types of Flu:

• Influenza A - most common strain of virus.
• Influenza B
• Influenza C
• Hong Kong influenza - strain of Influenza A
• Russian influenza - a 1978 epidemic.
• Spanish influenza - an epidemic in 1918.
• Asian influenza - a strain of Influenza A in 1957.
• Swine flu - an epidemic in 1976, in the United States
• Avian flu - a chicken flu in Hong Kong in 1997.
• Orthomyxovirus-related Cold
• Type A Influenza
• Bird flu (avian influenza)
• Type A influenza subtype H1N1
• Type A influenza subtype H1N2
• Type A influenza subtype H3N2
• Type A influenza subtype H2N2
• Type A influenza subtype H5N1
• Type A influenza subtype H7N2
• Type A influenza subtype H7N7
• Type A influenza subtype H7N3
• Type A influenza subtype H9N2
• Type A influenza subtype H10N7
• Type A influenza subtype H1
• Type B Influenza
• Type C Influenza
• Type A influenza subtype H5
• Type A influenza subtype H7
• Type A influenza subtype H9
• Hemophilus influenzae B
• Intestinal Flu
• Cold & Flu
• H1N1 Flu
• more types...»

Broader types of Flu:

• Viral diseases
• Respiratory conditions
• Lung conditions
• Respiratory infections
• Pneumonia
• Adolescent conditions
• Nosocomial infections
• Common Conditions
• Upper Respiratory Infection
• Diseases contagious from droplets
• Diseases contagious from surfaces
• Diseases contagious from saliva
• Mucus membrane conditions
• Conditions involving a pathogen
• Flu-like conditions
• more types...»

How many people get Flu?

Incidence (annual) of Flu: 36 per 100 (NHIS96); 35 million annually up to 50 million annually (NIAID/CDC); 10-20% yearly (NIAID)
Incidence Rate of Flu: approx 1 in 3 or 36.00% or 97.9 million people in USA [about data]
Prevalance of Flu: Every year, 10 percent to 20 percent of Americans get sick with the flu (influenza). (Source: excerpt from Focus On The Flu: NIAID) ... In the United States, approximately 25 percent of the population has flu-associated illness annually, leading to an average of 20,000 to 40,000 deaths per year. (Source: excerpt from Microbes in Sickness and in Health -- Publications, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: NIAID) ... The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 35 to 50 million Americans come down with the flu during each flu season, which typically lasts from November to March. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Who gets Flu?

Patient Profile for Flu: Anyone get can the flu, but more common in children

Profile for Flu: Children are two to three times more likely than adults to get sick with the flu, and children frequently spread the virus to others. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

How serious is Flu?

Prognosis of Flu: Good for healthy adults and children. Risks for infants, elderly, or other at-risk people.
Complications of Flu: see complications of Flu
Prognosis of Flu: For most of us, the fever, exhaustion, and aches and pains of the flu can be debilitating for a week or two, but for the elderly and those with compromised immune systems the flu can be much more serious. (Source: excerpt from Focus On The Flu: NIAID)
Average life years lost for Flu: 9.5 years for pneumonia/influenza (SEER)¹; 10.9 for pneumonia/influenza in North Carolina²; 4.3 average YPLL/person for pneumonia and influenza in Michigan³.
Deaths for Flu: 63,730 annual deaths for influenza and pneumonia (NVSR Sep 2001); estimated 20,000 deaths from flu (NIAID)
Cause of death rank for Flu: 7th leading cause of death in 1999 and 2000 is "pneumonia/influenza" (CDC)

What causes Flu?

Causes of Flu: see causes of Flu
Cause of Flu: A variety of different respiratory influenza viruses.
Risk factors for Flu: see risk factors for Flu

What are the symptoms of Flu?

Symptoms of Flu: see symptoms of Flu

Complications of Flu: see complications of Flu

Incubation period for Flu: 1-3 days; perhaps 1-4 days

Incubation period for Flu: If you get infected by the flu virus, you will usually feel symptoms one to four days later. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Duration of Flu: 3-10 days usually

Duration of Flu: Most people who get the flu get better within a week (although they may have a lingering cough and tire easily for a while longer). (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Seasonality of Flu: Winter more than summer

Seasonality of Flu: Flu outbreaks usually begin suddenly and occur mainly in the late fall and winter. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)

Can anyone else get Flu?

More information: see contagiousness of Flu
Inheritance: see inheritance of Flu

Flu: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Flu.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Flu.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Flu: see treatments for Flu
Alternative treatments for Flu: see alternative treatments for Flu
Prevention of Flu: see prevention of Flu
Research for Flu: see research for Flu

Society issues for Flu

Hospitalizations for Flu: 100,000 hospitalizations for flu (NIAID)

Hospitalization statistics for Flu: The following are statistics from various sources about hospitalizations and Flu:

• 1.03% (131,593) of hospital episodes were for influenza and pneumonia in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 67% of hospital consultations for influenza and pneumonia required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 51% of hospital episodes for influenza and pneumonia were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 49% of hospital episodes for influenza and pneumonia were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 93% of hospital admissions for influenza and pneumonia required emergency hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 13.3 days was the mean length of stay in hospitals for influenza and pneumonia in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• 6 days was the median length of stay in hospitals for influenza and pneumonia in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
• more statistics...»

Organs Affected by Flu:

Organs and body systems related to Flu include:

• Respiratory
• Lung

Name and Aliases of Flu

Main name of condition: Flu

Class of Condition for Flu: viral

Influenza, Grippe

Influenza Source - Diseases Database

Influenza, Grippe, Influenza, Flu, Flu, Grippe
Source - WordNet 2.1

Flu: Related Conditions

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Flu:

• Influenza
• Flu
• Influenza virus
• Flu virus
• Influenza A
• Influenza B
• Influenza C
• Influenza A subtype H3N2
• H1N1
• H5N1
• H9N2
• Avian influenza
• Avian flu
• Bird flu
• Upper respiratory tract infection
• URTI
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome

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