Flu vs Pneumonia Quiz

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Fever with chills

Cough with green or yellow phlegm

Shortness of breath

Trouble breathing

Rapid breathing

Shallow breathing

Coughing fit

Muscle weakness

Joint pain that is always there

Sore throat

Chest congestion

Runny nose

Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!

Overview

Flu and pneumonia both affect the respiratory system, but they differ in cause and severity. The flu is a viral infection with a sudden onset of symptoms like fever, body aches, and fatigue. Pneumonia can be viral, bacterial, or fungal, and involves inflammation of the lungs, often leading to cough with phlegm, chest pain, and difficulty breathing. While flu symptoms are more systemic, pneumonia directly impacts lung function and can follow a case of the flu.

Disease Summaries

Flu: Flu is a respiratory infection caused by the influenza virus, commonly affecting the nose, throat, and lungs.

Pneumonia: Pneumonia is a serious infection that causes inflammation of the air sacs in one or both lungs, which may fill with fluid or pus. The condition can range from mild to life-threatening, with symptoms including chest pain, difficulty breathing, fever, and cough with phlegm. While it can affect anyone, pneumonia is most serious in infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

Comparing Symptoms

Overlapping Symptoms

  • Fever or chills
  • Cough
  • Fatigue or weakness
  • Body aches
  • Headache

Flu Specific Symptoms

  • Sudden high fever
  • Dry cough
  • Sore throat
  • Runny or stuffy nose
  • Muscle and joint aches
  • Nausea or vomiting

Pneumonia Specific Symptoms

  • Persistent cough with phlegm
  • Chest pain that worsens with breathing or coughing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Rapid or shallow breathing
  • Bluish lips or fingernails
  • Confusion
  • Low body temperature

Treatment Approaches

Flu Treatment Approaches

Antiviral medications for the flu can lessen symptom severity and promote quicker recovery. To be effective, these flu antiviral medications should be taken within the first 48 hours of illness.

Pneumonia Treatment Approaches

Treatment includes antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia, antiviral medications for viral cases, and supportive care including rest and hydration. Over-the-counter medications can help manage fever and pain, while breathing exercises aid recovery. Hospitalization may be necessary for severe cases requiring oxygen therapy or IV medications.

Reviewed By:

Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc

Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)

Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

From our team of 50+ doctors

Content updated on Apr 29, 2025

Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy

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Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Emergency Medicine

Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha Wisconsin, USA

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Internal Medicine

Signify Health

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Neurology, Clinical Informatics

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Psychiatry

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dale Mueller, MD

Dale Mueller, MD

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Associates

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Obstetrics and gynecology

Penn State Health

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Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.

Link to full study:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1

References