This week the CDC reports a 5th pediatric flu death as we face a season, many have predicted, to be “severe.”

And in previous years, once healthy children and young adults fell victim to severe circulating flu strains  prompting parents this year to fear the worse when it comes to theirs or their child’s flu symptoms.

Who can blame them. Flu symptoms can last up to 2 weeks, and most patients are told to go home and rest as antibiotics do not help fight the flu and symptoms will usually “resolve on their own.” This is true, but then why are some people..healthy people…dying?

What are the symptoms of the flu?

To understand why people are often misdiagnosed for flu-related illness when something even more serious is occurring, let’s first list the common symptoms of the flu.

• Fever
• Body Aches
• Cough
• Sneezing
• Sore Throat
• Shortness of Breath
• Rapid Breathing
• Rapid Heart Rate
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting

As opposed to a cold, in which symptoms are less severe and come on more slowly, the flu seems to hit you within hours.   The fatigue may be the first symptom, followed by body aches, scratchy throat, cough, runny nose and fever. The fever could range anywhere from 100 – 106 F.  The fever usually lasts 2 days and the majority of those affected by the flu will average symptoms from 3-5 days.

How can you die from the flu?

There are multiple ways to die from the flu.  The most common cause is pneumonia.  A secondary viral or bacterial infection can affect the already weakened lungs.  Pneumonia can be deadly, especially if untreated. Symptoms of pneumonia are very similar to the flu:  shortness of breath, cough, fever, fatigue, body aches, etc.

Respiratory failure from inflammation can be fatal as well. The flu virus affects the respiratory tree causing acute inflammation and distress of the tissues whose job is to bring oxygen to the blood. Additionally, other organs including the heart may become inflamed, impeding their duties.

Flu can increase one’s risk of heart attack and stroke. A study in 2007 found coming down with the flu doubled one’s risk of heart attack and stroke.

Moreover, having the flu could worsen any disease states already being battled. Hence a diabetic, if suffering from the flu, may struggle to control his blood sugar numbers.

Rarely, some may go into multi-organ failure as a result of septic shock initiated by the flu.  This is what killed 21-year-old bodybuilder Kyler Baughman.

21-YEAR-OLD ATHLETIC TRAINER KYLER BAUGHMAN DIED DAYS AFTER FEELING FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS

But one risk that doesn’t get discussed as much as it should is coming down with an illness during flu season and being mis-diagnosed, a “guilty by association” picture.

Four days before her death, 12-year-old Alyssa Alcaraz was sent home by an urgent care with a flu diagnosis when in fact she had a strep infection in her blood that put her into septic shock.

12-YEAR-OLD ALYSSA ALCARAZ WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE FLU WHEN SHE IN FACT HAD A STREPTOCOCCAL INFECTION.

How will I know when the flu is turning deadly?

Since symptoms of the flu start to resolve in a couple of days, any symptoms beyond those few days should spark suspicions.  These can include:

• A fever that does not subside
• A fever that returns, recurring fever
• New symptoms forming such as weakness
• Confusion
• Delirium
• Dizziness
• Unable to keep fluids down
• Dehydration
• Chest pain – could signify pneumonia or heart involvement
• Bluish lips or skin
• Difficulty breathing
• Worsening cough

Understanding what the flu virus can affect and not underestimating its severity is paramount in preventing flu fatalities.  If symptoms start improving after 2 days it’s a great sign!!  However, any symptoms that either do not resolve, lag on for days, evolve into something worse, or recur are red flags that something more than the flu could be going on.

Most importantly, if one has not been vaccinated yet against the flu, they should still consider getting the flu vaccine.

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Daliah Wachs is a guest contributor to GCN news, her views and opinions, medical or otherwise, are her own. Doctor Wachs is an MD,  FAAFP and a Board Certified Family Physician.  The Dr. Daliah Show , is nationally syndicated M-F from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm and Saturday from Noon-1:00 pm (all central times) at GCN.