Dunes Dental Services

Everybody that has a cough, is concerned this time of the year with the question "Is it Swine Flu?", "Should I go to see the doctor?", "Can I keep my dental appointment?" In an effort to make the things a little bit more clear, for some, perhaps, more confusing, because the symptoms that I put together are not written in stone, but research about the regular flu shows that in proportion of 80% they match with the Swine flu symptoms. And as Dr. Roosevelt from a New York hospital was relating on the Fox channel : "If you have flu symptoms this time of the year, 95% chance is the Swine flu, because the other flu is not around yet".

Cold Symptoms: Fever is rare. A hacking, productive cough is often  present. Slight aches and pains are mild. Stuffy nose is commonly present. Chills are uncommon. Tiredness is fairly mild. Sneezing is commonly present. Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. A headache is fairly uncommon. Sore throat is commonly present. Chest discomfort is mild with a cold.

H1N1 Flu Symptoms: A fever of 100F or more for 3 to 4 days is usually present. A non-productive cough is present. Severe aches and pains are often associated with flu. Stuffy nose is not commonly present. 60% of the people with the flu have experienced chills.Tiredness is often severe. Sneezing is uncommon. The flu hits hard and sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pain appear within 3-6 hours. A headache is very common with the flu. Sore throat is not present. Chest discomfort is often severe.

Meds such as Tamiflu are often given in flu but only for patients with Asthma in the health history, children under the age of 2, patients with low immunity. It is not recommended in mild cases of flu or as profilactic. Because is an airborn pathogen (spreads via air), common gathering places should be avoided. And, yes, you should cancel your dental appointment if any of the above symptoms are present.

Tags: cold | H1N1(Swine) | flu symptoms | dr. alina muntean | tamiflu