The confusion is totally understandable: There are a ton of other illnesses with copy-cat flu-like symptoms.
“Any overwhelming infection that stimulates our immune system can [produce] some of the same symptoms,” explains Cindy Weston, DNP, RN, assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Nursing.
The only way to know for sure you have the flu is to get tested–but there are subtle clues to help you distinguish between influenza and something else. Here are a few of the many conditions that can cause flu-like symptoms.
Colds
Both colds and influenza are viral illnesses, they both tend to occur in the same seasons, and they have many overlapping symptoms, like a sore throat and a stuffy nose.
Strep throat
The flu and strep throat share many symptoms, but there are two you may find in the flu but never in strep: cough and nasal congestion.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia can come separately from the flu or it can be a secondary complication of getting sick. You may even look like you’re over the flu and then bang–you’re stricken with another infection. “People are getting the flu and maybe even riding it out, and a week or so later, they’re coming in with pneumonia,” Weston says.
Mononucleosis
Mono is also called the “kissing disease” because it can be passed through saliva (along with coughing, sneezing, and sharing utensils).
Meningitis
Meningitis is inflammation of the membranes (meninges) that cover the brain and spinal cord.
Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis not only has cold- and flu-like symptoms, it’s even caused by many of the same viruses.
Respiratory syncytial virus
Respiratory syncytial virus or RSV has symptoms that can also be mistaken for the flu (or a cold). “It can cause runny nose and cough,” says Afif El-Hasan, MD, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association and a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente.
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