WHEN IS SWINE FLU BAD ENOUGH TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT?

(10/07/2009)

Issued Sept. 9, 2009 When is swine flu just miserable and when do you need a doctor? Anytime it's hard to breathe, it is an emergency. Symptoms of any flu include fever of 100 degrees or more, cough, body chills and aches, and congestion. Diarrhea and vomiting sometimes occur. People who are generally healthy need to stay home and rest, and get plenty of fluids. But there is a problem. Not everyone with swine flu gets a fever, making it hard to determine since it looks like a common cold. That doesn't happen too often. Doctors say the signs to seek emergency care include shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, confusion or seizures, persistent vomiting or inability to hold down liquids, and bluish lips. Who's at higher risk from any kind of flu? Pregnant women, people of any age with heart disease, asthma, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, children under 2 and people over 65. People in the over-65 group tend not to catch swine flu, although they are prime targets of the regular winter flu. There's no way to tell the two apart. Some physicians will suggest the anti-flu medications Tamiflu or Relenza. Those drugs work best if taken within the first 48 hours of symptoms. If the fever goes away and then a new one sets in days later, seek medical care. That can be a sign of bacterial infections that sometimes follow any type of flu. In children, Listlessness or lethargy can be a warning sign of worsening illness. The best plan: Use all the preventative measures that have been suggested.

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