When You Should Visit the Emergency Room for Flu and Strep Treatment

The flu is not necessarily an emergency, especially for young and healthy individuals. Simple measures like drinking plenty of fluids, staying in bed more for adequate rest, and taking over-the-counter medication for symptom management can suffice. Nonetheless, for individuals with a compromised immune system, pregnant, battling chronic conditions, or at/over 65 years, a visit to St. Michael’s Elite Hospital for treatment is recommended, even with less demanding symptoms.

Medical attention is crucial because such individuals are at high risk of developing life-threatening complications that can even lead to death. Healthy and young individuals who smoke or vape are also at high risk of complications and are advised to visit the ER for medical attention. Even healthy individuals who are not at an increased risk can develop complications, emphasizing the need to take the relevant measures and be on the lookout for potential threats. Among the signs that you should visit the emergency room for flu and strep treatment includes:

Breathing difficulties

Flu or strep should not impact your breathing. If you experience shortness or have difficulty breathing, you could be developing complications like an infection in your lungs or pneumonia. Such complications are severe and require emergency intervention. For instance, pneumonia, if untreated, is potentially fatal.

Chest pressure and/or pain

Besides trouble breathing, you might feel pain or pressure in your chest. This is another warning sign you should seek immediate medical attention. It is common pneumonia and other flu and strep complication indicators. The pressure could also be a sign of stroke or heart attack, especially in people battling heart disease. This is because the flu is among the common triggers of such attacks, which are life-threatening.

The symptoms subside the returns

Once the flu or strep symptoms subside, and you feel better, they should not reappear shortly. If they do, especially accompanied by concerns like high fever, green/yellow mucus, and cough, you should seek emergency medical attention. This could indicate complications like pneumonia that should not be ignored. Flu/strep symptoms can disappear and come back worse than before, which should prompt you to seek emergency attention even without worrying concerns.

Vomiting

Taking adequate fluids is one of the top measures that help you recover faster from flu or strep. This won’t be possible if you are vomiting since you will hardly hold them in. vomiting can deplete your body fluids, further worsening the symptoms and increasing the risk of other health concerns. Moreover, vomiting could indicate sepsis, a common but severe flu-related complication. If left untreated, sepsis can cause serious damage leading to organ failure.

Sudden dizziness

Sudden or frequent dizziness episodes and confusion when battling the flu indicate dehydration. This is a serious concern since it can worsen the flu and put you at an increasingly high risk of severe complications. Emergency medical attention facilitates proper hydration, which helps your body to fight the infection better. This may include IV hydration if you are nauseous or vomiting.

The flu or strep might not seem serious enough to warrant medical attention. Nonetheless, if you notice the above concerns or are at high risk of complication, seeking emergency medical attention is critical to help manage the symptoms and avoid life-threatening instances. Contact St. Michael’s Elite Hospital today for more on flu and strep emergency services.