When Should I Call My Doctor if I Have a Cold or the Flu?
In older children and adults, always call your doctor if you have the following symptoms:
- High fever (e.g. 103 degrees or higher)
- Fever with rash
- Fever with headache
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Extreme fatigue
- Confusion
- Seizure
- Fever higher than 100 degrees
- Fever with rash
- Rapid breathing
- Trouble breathing
- Blue or gray skin color
- Irritability or lethargy
- Seizure
- Drooling
- Persistent vomiting
- Inability to take in fluids or food
- Fever of 100 degrees or higher or any respiratory symptoms in infants under 3 months of age
- Adults and children who have chronic pulmonary (including asthma) or cardiovascular (except isolated hypertension), renal, hepatic, neurological, hematologic or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus)
- Persons who have immunosuppression (including immunosuppression caused by HIV, cancer chemotherapy or medications such as prednisone [20 mg daily or more], methotrexate, and TNF-alpha inhibitors like Enbrel, Remicade, Humira, Simponi and Cimzia)
- Pregnant Women
- Children and adolescents (ages 6 months to 18 years) who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy and who might be at risk for experiencing Reye syndrome after influenza virus infection
- Residents of nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities
- Persons who are morbidly obese (BMI ≥40)
- Very sore throat with fever, white patches on your tonsils, tender glands under your jaw or in your neck (possible strep throat or mono)
- Respiratory symptoms for seven days or longer with pain over your face and colored nasal discharge (possible sinusitis)
- Cough that occurs in attacks where it is hard to stop coughing, especially if you make a whooping sounds when you breathe in, have vomiting or pass out (possibly pertussis, AKA whooping cough)
- Ear pain that develops after the onset of a respiratory infection (possible ear infection)
