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Ptosis – from the Greek word for falling – is the medical term for weakness of the muscle that lifts your eyelid, called the levator muscle. Ptosis causes your lid to drop down over your eye. You would have to use your finger to lift it. About 11 to 12 percent of adults develop this condition. Ptosis may drop your lid over your whole eye or half your eye. It can be on one side or both sides. Causes of ptosis include:

• Congenital ptosis: Babies are born with ptosis due to a failure of the levator muscle to develop properly. It is more common in boys, and usually affects one eye.
• Ptosis from nerve or muscle disease: This type occurs if a nerve condition affects the eyelid muscles. Examples include diseases like multiple sclerosis or myasthenia gravis.
• Ptosis due to injury: This can include scaring of the eyelid from a cut or a broken eye bone. Surgery or eye infections can also injure the eye muscles or nerves.
• Ptosis from aging: This is due to stretching and weakness of the levator muscle that occur over time.

Learn more about other common eye conditions. 

How to Fix Droopy Eyelids or Ptosis

Droopy eyelids may be treated if they interfere with vision. They may also be treated for cosmetic reasons. Options include injections that tighten or fill sagging eyelids, including Botox. Cosmetic Surgery to remove excess sagging skin from above the eyelid is called blepharoplasty. This may be done along with other facial plastic surgeries like a face lift or brow lift.

The most effective treatment for ptosis is surgery. This surgery can be done under local anesthesia as an outpatient, children may need general anesthesia. During the procedure, an eye surgeon makes a small incision in the eyelid and places a small stitch to tighten the levator muscle.

A new option for ptosis is an eyedrop medication. It is called oxymetazoline, the same medicine used in the nasal spray Afrin. When used in the eye, it tightens (contracts) the levator muscle and lifts the eyelid. The brand name is Upneeq. This treatment is not approved for children under age 13 and it needs to be prescribed by a doctor. This medicine does not cure ptosis. It needs to be used every day, but it may be an option for some people who can’t have surgery.

Droopy Eyelid Exercises

According to the Cleveland Clinic, there are no exercises for droopy eyelids. Your levator muscles gets all the exercise they need by blinking about 30,000 times per day.  There are also no eye exercises recommended for ptosis.

You may have heard of facial exercises called facial yoga. These exercises are said to make your face look younger by increasing cheek fullness and muscle tone. They have not been shown to have any benefits for droopy eye or ptosis.

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• There may be a weakness or discoordination of muscles that elevate the eyelid.

• There is too much skin on top of the eye.

• Low and heavy eyebrows can push eyelid tissue down.

There are different approaches to fixing each of these issues. “If it’s the eyelid muscle, we do muscle surgery or work on one of the tendons of the eyelid to try to tighten the muscles and get them to elevate the eyelid,” explains Dr. Rootman, Doheny Eye Center, UCLA Pasadena. “If it’s related to the skin of the eyelid, that’s classically what people call an eyelid lift. That’s where we remove or remodel the upper eyelid so it’s less intrusive on the upper eyelid. If it’s the brow, we perform brow lifting surgery, which is done from above or behind the hairline.”

Symptoms to Know

Sometimes people don’t realize that changes in the eyebrows or eyelids can inhibit vision. The exact causes can be hard to diagnose on your own. But if you look in the mirror and see tissue blocking some of the colored part or pupil of the eye, that’s a good indication that one or perhaps several of the aforementioned conditions could be involved.

Typically, the problem is bilateral, meaning both eyes are affected. The eyes can appear asymmetric, but most often if it’s affecting one side, it’s affecting the other. There are, however, exceptions, particularly if someone has a neuromuscular disease or has had previous surgeries. In those cases, it’s possible that only one eye would be affected. But for the average person, it’s bilateral.

“Sometimes people come in to my office holding their eyebrows up and say they want an eyelid lift because they see better when they pull up their eyebrows,” says Dr. Rootman. “That demonstrates the point that it’s complicated, and that it can be the eyelid muscle, eyebrow, and/or excessive eyelid skin. They all contribute in different ways. That’s why it is best to see to an eyelid specialist who understands the variables and potential underlying causes.”

Oculoplastic surgeons are ophthalmologists who specialize in plastic and reconstructive surgery of the periorbital and facial tissues, including the eyelids, eyebrows, and forehead.

An Outpatient Procedure

The surgery is typically an outpatient procedure done under local anesthesia, and dissolvable stitches are commonly used. Most people resume visual activities, such as driving, reading, and using the computer, the very next day. Bruising and swelling are the main recovery issues. It can take up to three weeks for bruising to clear.

“Before having this surgery, some of my patients have reported bumping into shelves or items above their heads because they couldn’t see them. But after the procedure, they don’t have that problem anymore,” says Dr. Rootman. “In addition, many patients are quite surprised at how much brighter the world appears and are pleased with the improved peripheral vision, too.”

According to Dr. Rootman, the area around the eye is very forgiving with respect to infection and bleeding. Complications are rare, but sometimes there can be some persistent asymmetry, or there may be residual tissue that needs to be removed. “If you overdo it surgically, patients can have difficulty closing their eyes, and there can exposure and dryness,” he explains. “That is why I err on side of under-correction because we can always touch it up later, if needed.”

Because features of the face generally change slowly over time, the procedure is considered semi-permanent and can last 10 to 15 years. The procedure is basically the same as the cosmetic eyelift and can subtly improve aesthetic appearance as well as your vision.

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Primary Causes of Tinnitus

Primary causes of tinnitus usually affect both ears, are associated with hearing loss, and have no cure. The most common cause of primary tinnitus is long-term noise exposure, such as might happen to a person working in construction or running heavy equipment. Tiny cells in the inner ear – called hair cells – react to sound waves and transmit sound to the brain. These hair cells can be damaged or lost from exposure to loud noise over many years or by exposure to very loud noise over a short time. Short-term exposure may go away, but tinnitus that lasts more than six months is usually permanent.

The natural process of aging can also cause primary tinnitus. Like any other nerves, hair cells can be damaged by the wear and tear of age. People with chronic diseases that decrease circulation like diabetes, heart disease, or hypertension may be at higher risk. One theory is that as hearing is gradually lost, the brain tries to adapt by turning up the volume, which is experienced as tinnitus. In many cases, primary tinnitus is a combination of noise exposure and age.

Secondary Causes of Tinnitus

Secondary tinnitus is more likely to affect just one ear and may come and go. Ear wax blocking an ear canal or fluid in the middle may cause temporary tinnitus or make slight tinnitus louder. That is because anything that blocks outside noise makes tinnitus louder. When the outside world is quiet, tinnitus seems louder. Treating these conditions could reduce or eliminate tinnitus. These are some other secondary causes:

• Pulsatile tinnitus sounds like a whooshing pulse in your ear. It may be caused by a narrowed blood vessel in your neck. This is the only type of tinnitus a doctor may hear, using a stethoscope placed over your neck arteries.
• Many medications can cause tinnitus. These include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen, some diuretics, some antibiotics, and some drugs used for cancer treatment. In many cases nerve damage from a drug – called ototoxicity – is permanent. In some cases, like aspirin, stopping the drug reverses tinnitus.
• Some less common inner ear diseases can cause tinnitus along with hearing loss and dizziness. These include Meniere’s disease, acoustic neuroma, and tumors near the main hearing nerve (acoustic nerve).

Treatment of Tinnitus

Unfortunately, there is no cure for long-term primary tinnitus, the most common cause. Treatment of secondary tinnitus depends on the cause and may sometimes be cured or reduced. For long-term tinnitus, there are some treatments options that may help a person adapt to the condition:

• Hearing aids that increase outside noise and mask tinnitus may be helpful, especially for the 80 percent of people who have both tinnitus and hearing loss.
• Devices that mask tinnitus with a slightly louder more tolerable sound, like music helps, some people, especially at night. They can be table top or earphone devices.
• Since tinnitus is stressful for some people, and stress tends to make tinnitus seem worse, working with a mental health therapist can be helpful.

Current studies are testing new treatments that may help like deep brain stimulation and neurostimulation.

Read more about the treatment and prevention of tinnitus.

Can You Cure Tinnitus at Home Naturally?

The best way to prevent tinnitus and keep it from getting worse is to avoid loud noise. When you can’t avoid loud noise, wear a hearing protection device. Wear hearing protection when operating loud power tools and don’t listen to music at high volume.

Although you may see products advertised to treat or cure tinnitus, none of these products has been shown to work in controlled trials. If you have tinnitus, start with your primary care doctor. Simple steps like removing wax or treating an ear infection may help. You may need to see an audiologist and an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist if you have tinnitus that is severe, one-sided, sudden, or associated with dizziness.

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Why Do I Have So Much Earwax?

Earwax is not a problem unless you have impacted earwax that causes symptoms. Some people make more earwax than others, but there is nothing you can do about that. It may be something that is passed down in your genes. In any case, if you have an earwax impaction, the cause is almost always the failure to move wax out of the ear canal, not making too much wax.

These are some common reasons why you might have impacted earwax:

• You clean your ear canals with a cotton-tip swab, which packs earwax down into the canal.
• You wear a hearing aid, which blocks wax from moving out of your ear canal.
• You frequently scratch your ear canal opening with your finger.
• You have a narrow ear canal or a benign bony growth, called an exostosis, that makes it hard for wax to come out.
• You are elderly, which causes more hair to grow in your ear canal, and your wax to become dryer.
• You have a disorder like eczema or dermatitis that causes more dead skins cell to collect in your ear canal.

What to Do for Wax Impaction

You could have a wax impaction without any symptoms, in which case you don’t have to do anything. You want to remove a wax impaction to relieve any uncomfortable symptoms, improve hearing, or clear the ear canal if a doctor needs to look at your eardrum to diagnose an ear disease. These are symptoms caused by wax impaction:

• Decreased hearing
• A feeling of fullness
• Ringing, cracking, or popping noise
• An itchy sensation
• Dizziness

Bulb syringes are a common at-home remedy for impacted ear wax.
© Matthew Valentine | Dreamstime.com

An impacted ear canal is more likely to get infected, called external otitis. If you have external otitis your ear canal can become red, swollen, and very painful. If you do not have symptoms of external otitis you can try an over-the-counter ear drop. These drops soften the wax and may include a bulb syringe to flush out the softened wax.

Do not use drops or flush out your ear if you have a perforated eardrum or a history of middle ear surgery. If you use the bulb syringe, make sure the water is at body temperature. Cold water flushed into your ear can cause dizziness. If the OTC treatment does not work or you don’t want to try it, see your primary care doctor.

Your primary care doctor can look in your ear canal with a lighted scope, called an otoscope. If a wax impaction is the cause of your symptoms, and you do not have any history of a perforated ear drum, or ear surgery, your doctor may use a wax softening ear drop like mineral oil or hydrogen peroxide to soften the wax. When the wax is soft, a special wax removal syringe may flush out the wax. In some cases, the wax can be flushed out without the drops. After this treatment, your doctor may place some acidic or alcohol drops into your ear to reduce the risk of an ear infection.

Sometimes a very large and hard impaction, or an impaction in a crooked or narrowed ear canal, cannot be removed by a primary care doctor. You may need to see an ear, nose, throat specialist. This doctor is trained to use special wax removal instruments in the ear canal and may do this while looking through a microscope.

When to Call Your Doctor

Do not try to remove wax with a cotton-tip swab, olive oil, or ear candle. These ways of removing wax are not effective and can cause an injury or infection. Call your doctor if:

• You start to have redness, pain, and swelling of your ear canal
• You have any bleeding or draining from your ear
• You have a sudden loss of hearing, loud ringing, or spinning type dizziness

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What Does Air Quality Mean and What Is Unhealthy Air Quality?

Every day, the EPA issues AQI numbers for areas all around the country. This number tells you if your air quality is good, moderate, unhealthy, or bad. AQI numbers start at 0 and can go up to 500. The higher the number, the worse the air pollution. AQI numbers rarely go above 200 in the United States. These are the numbers and what they mean:

• AQI of 0 to 50 is good air quality, and safe for everyone. The color code on an AQI chart is green.
• AQI of 51 to 100 is moderate air quality. AQI of 100 is the limit of air quality considered to be satisfactory for most people. People who are very sensitive to air pollution may have symptoms from this level of pollution. The color code is yellow.
• AQI of 101 to 150 is unhealthy air quality for sensitive groups, such as people with asthma or other lung conditions. People without these conditions usually do not have symptoms. The color code is orange.
• AQI of 151 to 200 is very unhealthy for sensitive people. They may experience severe respiratory symptoms. People without lung problems may also experience symptoms. The color code is red.
• AQI of 201 to 300 is very unhealthy for everyone and a health alert is issued. The color code is purple.
• AQI over 301 is hazardous for everyone and a health warning emergency is issued. The color code is maroon.

Respiratory Symptoms From Unhealthy Air Quality

These symptoms can include cough, throat irritation, shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, or chest pain or burning. It may be painful to take deep breaths. Lung conditions like COPD or asthma may suddenly get worse. Hospital admission for respiratory disease typically goes up during a time of poor air quality. People who are at risk of respiratory issues during a period of poor air quality include children and adults with asthma, people over age 65, and people with long-term health conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

What to Do When Air Quality Is Unsafe for You

If you or someone in your family is at risk from air pollution, you should check the daily AQI numbers in your area. You can find your AQI numbers in your local newspaper or on your local news station. National media companies like CNN, The Weather Channel, and USA Today publish AQI numbers and warnings for all areas of the country. You can also find your AQI at the EIP website airnow.gov.

If your state or local environmental protection department participates in a program called EnviroFlash, you can receive air pollution alerts or warnings. These warnings are especially important for unexpected air pollution from fires.

If the air quality is unsafe for you:

• Limit outdoor air exposure.
• If you need to be outside, avoid times of higher high air pollution, late afternoon and evening.
• Stay away from highway traffic areas.
• Avoid moderate exertion outdoors, which includes activities like brisk walking, light jogging, physical work, and or running sports.

Indoor air pollution could come from the poor quality air outside, so make sure to stay on top of replacing air filters around the home.

Do Air Purifiers Work for Air Pollution?

AQI only measures outdoor air pollution. If you are at risk from poor air quality, the EPA recommends an indoor air purifier. Indoor air pollution may come from outdoor air it may come from indoor air pollution sources like cooking, cleaning, or secondhand smoke. The EPA says that using a portable air purifier or upgrading the air filter in your furnace, central heating, or air-conditioning system can help to improve indoor air quality.

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Symptoms | Causes | Treatment

SSHL is caused by sudden damage to your inner ear or the nerve that goes from your inner ear to your brain, called the auditory nerve. Gradual sensorineural hearing loss is common in old age, but this type happens in both ears. SSHL is sudden, and happens anywhere from right away to within three days.

Another type of nerve damage deafness is called noise-induced hearing loss. Sound is measured in decibels. Normal speech is about 65 decibels. Music with headphones at maximum volume is about 100 decibels. An explosion or fireworks can be up to 160 decibels. Any exposure to sounds over 85 decibels can cause sudden, noise-induced hearing loss. This type happens in both ears, is usually accompanied by ringing in your ears, called tinnitus, and it may clear up on its own in a few days.

Symptoms of SSHL

SSHL can have different symptoms for different people. It occurs in just one ear about 90 percent of the time. Symptoms may include:

• Muffled hearing in one ear after waking up
• A pop in your ear and immediate muffled hearing in one ear
• Fading of hearing in one ear that gets worse over three days
• Dizziness, or a feeling of spinning (vertigo)
• Ringing in your ear (tinnitus)

Causes of SSHL

SSHL occurs in about 1 in 5,000 people. The average age is 40 to 50. The cause is believed to be inflammation or decreased blood supply to the hearing nerve fibers in the inner ear or the auditory nerve. The exact cause is only found in about 10 percent of SSHL. You may be at higher risk for SSHL if you have high cholesterol, high blood sugar, or high blood pressure. Some diagnosed causes include:

• An infection of the inner ear
• Head trauma
• An attack by the immune system on the hearing nerves, called autoimmune disease
• A benign tumor that forms on the auditory nerve, called an acoustic neuroma
• An inner ear disease called Meniere’s disease
• Multiple sclerosis
• Some cancer treatment drugs that are toxic to the hearing nerves

Diagnosis and Treatment of SSHL

You should see your primary care provider right away for sudden hearing loss. Your health care provider may check your ear canal to see if wax is blocking your ear and ask you if you have allergy symptoms or nasal congestion that may be causing pressure or fluid behind your eardrum. This type of hearing loss is called conductive hearing loss because it blocks sound from getting to your hearing nerves.

If the cause does not seem to be wax, pressure, or fluid, you will need to see an ear, nose, and throat doctor. This doctor will do a hearing test called a pure tone audiogram that can tell if you have conductive hearing loss or SSHL. SSHL usually causes a hearing loss of at least 30 decibels. A 30-decibel loss would decrease the sound of normal talking to a whisper.

Your doctor may do imaging tests of your inner ear (MRI) or blood tests to look for treatable causes of SSHL. An imaging test may diagnose an acoustic neuroma or multiple sclerosis. An inner ear infection or autoimmune disease may be diagnosed with a blood test.

SSHL can be temporary or permanent. The most effective and immediate treatment is an anti-inflammatory medication called corticosteroid. An ear doctor may inject this steroid directly into your ear through your eardrum. With treatment, about 85 percent of people will get at least some hearing back. For people who do not get their hearing back, options are a hearing aid or a cochlear implant. A cochlear implant is a hearing nerve stimulating device implanted into your ear.

Bottom Line

Sudden deafness is a hearing emergency, so you need to get help right away. If you have SSHL, the best chance of recovering your hearing is to get diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.

The post What Is Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss? appeared first on University Health News.

This type of strain and fatigue is called computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain.

Symptoms | Diagnosis | Treatment

You may be at higher risk if you already have a vision problem, you wear contact lenses, or you spend uninterrupted hours in front of a digital screen. Causes of eye strain include being too close or too far away from the screen, too much glare, poor lighting, and poor positioning. Another cause is dryness of your eyes because you blink less when you do close eye work. _[1-3]

“Screen time can lead to eye strain, dry eye, and progression of myopia (nearsightedness). An interesting fact is that we blink at least 50% less when looking at a screened device. Each blink helps drain our tears, spread our tear film across the eye’s surface, and acts as a pump to help the meibomian glands (oil-producing tear glands) work,” says Amanda Salter, MD, an ophthalmologist at Shanbom Eye Specialist.

Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome

You could have an eye strain headache. You could also have neck or shoulder pain if your body and head position put too much strain on your neck and shoulder muscles. Computer vision syndrome affects all ages. Other possible symptoms of computer vision syndrome include: _[1-3]

• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Dry, red, and itchy eyes
• Loss of distance vision

If you’re at the computer or using your phone for long periods of time and experiencing some or all of these symptoms, you should see your eye doctor and make necessary changes to your routine.

Diagnoses of Computer Vision Syndrome

It is always a good idea to let your health care provider know about these computer vision syndrome symptoms. An eye strain headache could also be another type of headache that needs treatment, like a migraine. Dry and itchy eyes could be an allergy or another type of eye disease. Any change in vision should be checked by an eye specialist with an eye and vision exam. _[1-3]

Treating and Preventing Computer Vision Syndrome

If your headache is just an eye strain headache and other causes of your symptoms have been ruled out, you can usually treat and prevent computer vision syndrome on your own. Your eye care provider may recommend computer eyeglasses in some cases, and give you other instructions. _[1-3]

“Blue light filter settings on digital devices are a great way to reduce eyestrain. They work to reduce the amount of blue light emitted by adding a warm, yellow tint to the screen. While some people have this on at all times to reduce eye strain, others only use it in the evenings to reduce their blue light exposure before they go to sleep,” says Dr. Bosung Kim, an Optometrist at Della Optique Optometry.

Other things you can do include: _[1-3]

• Don’t spend more than two consecutive hours in front of a digital screen.
• Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something at least 20 feet away.
• Blink your eyes frequently.
• Enlarge the text on your screen.
• Sit about 20 to 28 inches away from the screen.
• Sit with your feet on the ground and your head and back supported. Don’t hold a position of leaning forward. The direction of your gaze should be slightly downward at your screen, not straight on or looking up.
• If you wear contact lenses, you might try taking them off and using your regular glasses for digital screen time.
• Try an anti-glare screen. These are available at computer and smartphone stores.
• If you can adjust the brightness of your screen, adjust it so it is not brighter than the light you are working in.

“When you’re working on a computer, the ambient lighting should be about half as bright as it is in most offices. Close the drapes, shades, or blinds to block out the light from the outside. Use fewer light bulbs or fluorescent tubes, or use lower intensity bulbs and tubes, to reduce interior lighting,” says Dr. Edward Smith Neurologist, CEO & Founder of Nootropics Official.

Sources

1. American Academy of Ophthalmology, Computers, Digital Devices and Eye Strain – American Academy of Ophthalmology (aao.org)
2. American Optometric Association, Computer vision syndrome | AOA
3. Cedars Sinai, Computer Vision Syndrome | Cedars-Sinai

The post Headaches and Sore Eyes Could Be Computer Vision Syndrome appeared first on University Health News.

However, for some people flu can be deadly. In any given flu season, flu may kill up to 49,000 people in the United States. [2] People at high risk are young children, adults age 65 or older, pregnant women, and people with long-term (chronic) diseases like asthma, diabetes, or heart disease. [1]

If you are in a high-risk group, you should call your doctor at the first signs of flu. You may need an antiviral drug to prevent serious complications like pneumonia. This medication works best when started within two days of flu symptoms. [1]

If you are recovering at home, what are the best home flu remedies to ease your recovery? Unfortunately, according to the National Institutes of Health, there is no strong evidence that any natural product is useful against the flu. [2] However, there are some tried and true home remedies that can help relieve flu symptoms. [1-4]

9 Home Remedies to Relieve Flu Symptoms

1. Drink plenty of fluids.

Staying hydrated is one of the most important ways to manage flu. [1,4] It can reduce congestion and prevent dehydration. Avoid fluids like alcohol and caffeinated drinks that can increase urination and make dehydration worse. The best fluids are water, clear broth, or juice. [3]

2. Get enough sleep and rest.

Rest is the other most important thing to do for flu. Resting helps your immune system fight the flu. [1-4]

3. Sooth a sore throat with salt water gargles.

Warm, salted water can reduce inflammation and break up mucous coating your throat. Dissolve one-fourth and one-half teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of warm water. You can also use ice chips to sooth your throat and increase hydration. [3]

4. Use a saline nasal spray.

Try an over-the-counter saline nasal spray to reduce nasal congestion. [3]

5. Try acetaminophen.

Take acetaminophen (Tylenol) to relieve pain and fever. Remember that aspirin is dangerous for children under 6 months of age. [1]

6. Drink tea

Try some hot, decaffeinated tea with honey. This may sooth your throat and reduce a scratchy throat and cough. [3]

7.  Eat a light diet.

A light diet could include a warm, heathy soup, like chicken soup which may be southing, hydrating, and nourishing. [2,3]

8. Add moisture to the air in your house.

Using a vaporizer or humidifier can make the mucous in your nose and chest loose and make it easier to clear. You can also get the same result with a hot shower. [3]

9. Get a recommendation from your doctor.

Ask your doctor about an over-the-counter cough or cold medication to relieve flu symptoms. These remedies may be helpful for adults and children over age 5. [3]

When to See a Doctor for Flu Symptoms

Watch out for flu symptoms that indicate an emergency. If you have these symptoms, get medical help right away:

• Difficulty breathing
• Persistent belly or chest pain
• Seizure
• Not having to pass urine (a sign of dehydration)
• Severe muscle pain, weakness, or cough
• Worsening of a chronic medical condition [1]

Flu usually lasts about 5 to 7 days. [4] The best treatment for flu is rest and fluids. Finally, remember to stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone and get your flu shot every year. [1]

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

• Nutrition and the Flu; Increase Your Whole Grains
• Early Flu Symptoms: What to Do When You Have the Flu
• A Flu Shot Is One Way to Help Preserve Memory, Brain Health

SOURCES

1. CDC, Influenza (Flu) | CDC
2. NIH, 5 Tips: Natural Products for the Flu and Colds: What Does the Science Say? | NCCIH (nih.gov)
3. Cleveland Clinic, Influenza (Flu) Management and Treatment | Cleveland Clinic
4. Harvard Health, How long does the flu last? – Harvard Health

The post 9 Home Remedies to Relieve Flu Symptoms appeared first on University Health News.

Are There Early Flu Warnings?

Unfortunately, there are no early warning signs of the flu. Unlike other infections like a cold or COVID, flu symptoms strike quickly and you usually get them all at the same time. Within about two days of being exposed to the flu, you may get any or all of these symptoms: [1,2]

• Fever
• Chills
• Dry cough
• Sore throat
• Muscle aches
• Headache
• Nasal congestion
• Fatigue

Vomiting and diarrhea are common first symptoms in children but less common in adults. Serious flu symptoms may follow the early symptoms. Later and more serious flu symptoms may include difficulty breathing, chest or abdominal pain, dizziness or confusion, seizure, and severe weakness. [1,2]

You may be at risk for more severe flu if you: [1,2]

• Are under age 5 or over age 65
• Live in a long-term care facility
• Are pregnant
• Have a long-term illness, like asthma, COPD, diabetes, or heart disease
• Have a weak immune system
• Are very overweight

Flu Symptoms in Children

The flu virus causes many of the same symptoms in children as it does in adults. However, children can have other flu symptoms that require immediate medical attention. Remember, children are more susceptible to suffer severe complications from flu. Seek emergency care immediately if your child has any of the following symptoms:

• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not eating
• Crying with no tears
• Unresponsive; not waking up
• Having a fever over 101 degrees or having a fever with a rash
• Difficulty urinating (or, in babies, having diapers that are less wet)

What to Do When You Have the Flu

Unless you are in a high-risk group or you have severe symptoms, you don’t have to do anything but stay home and rest. Although there are antiviral medications that can shorten the flu by a day or two and may keep flu from getting worse, doctors only recommend these for people at high risk or with severe symptoms. In those cases, call your doctor right away. Antivirals work best if they are given in the first two days after symptoms start. [1]

For the rest of us, there are no shortcuts. Flu has to run its course. The best treatment is: [1,2]

• Rest at home.
• Avoid contact with other people until you have been fever-free for 24 hours, usually a few days.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Take an over-the-counter pain and fever medication, but avoid aspirin in children and teens. Aspirin can lead to a dangerous reaction called Reye’s syndrome.

For most people flu symptoms start suddenly and although they may make you feel more miserable than a cold, flu will go away in one to two weeks. Along with your flu shot, you can reduce your risk of the flu by washing your hands frequently and social distancing during flu season. [1,2]

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

• Common Cold and Flu Prevention
• Do Flu Shots Work?
• Best Flu Treatments: 7 Reliable Remedies for Relieving Flu Symptoms
• Where Germs Hide: Our “Filthy 5” Everyday Items May Shock You!
• Congestion: Nasal Pain and How to Clear It Up
• Cold vs. Allergies: What’s the Difference?

SOURCES

1. CDC, Influenza (Flu)
2. Mayo Clinic, Influenza (flu)
3. Cleveland Clinic

The post Early Flu Symptoms: What to Do When You Have the Flu appeared first on University Health News.