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The list of complications that have been mentioned in various sources for Flu includes:
See also the symptoms of Flu and Flu: Introduction.
Complications and sequelae of Flu from the Diseases Database include:
See also the symptoms of Flu and Flu: Introduction.
For elderly people, newborn babies, and people with certain chronic illnesses, however, the flu and its complications can be life-threatening. (Source: excerpt from The Flu, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
You can have
flu complications if you get a bacterial infection, which causes
pneumonia in your weakened lungs. Pneumonia also can be caused by
the flu virus itself.
Symptoms of complications will usually
appear after you start feeling better. After a brief period of
improvement, you may suddenly get
Reye's syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves,
sometimes develops in children and adolescents who are recovering
from the flu. Reye's syndrome begins with nausea and vomiting, but
the progressive mental changes (such as confusion or delirium) cause
the greatest concern.
The syndrome often begins in young
people after they take aspirin to get rid of fever or pain. Although
very few children develop Reye's syndrome, you should consult a
doctor before giving aspirin or products that contain aspirin to
children. Acetaminophen does not seem to be associated with Reye's
syndrome.
Other complications of the flu that affect children
are
Most people who get the flu recover fully within 1-2 weeks. However, some people develop serious, life-threatening complications such as pneumonia. In an average season, flu is associated with 20,000 deaths nationwide. (Source: excerpt from Facts About Flu (Influenza): CDC-OC)
While your body is busy fighting off the flu, you may be less able to resist a second infection. Older people and people with chronic illnesses run the greatest risk of getting secondary infections, especially pneumonia. In an average year, flu leads to about 20,000 deaths nationwide and many more hospitalizations. (Source: excerpt from What to Do About the Flu -- Age Page -- Health Information: NIA)
You may also want to research other symptoms in our Symptoms Center.
Complications of Flu are secondary conditions, symptoms, or other disorders that are caused by Flu. In many cases the distinction between symptoms of Flu and complications of Flu is unclear or arbitrary.
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