How does a doctor diagnose the flu?

What tests are performed? What samples need to be taken?

Since this is not my area of expertise, I searched Google under the key words "flu diagnosis" to get this:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=flu+diagnosis&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

In the future, you can find the information you desire more quickly, if you use appropriate key words to do your own search. Also see http://hanlib.sou.edu/searchtools/.

http://coldflu.about.com/od/cold/p/coldfludiagnose.htm

http://www.health.com/health/condition-article/0,,20250320,00.html

Thank you guys.

This was very helpful

To diagnose the flu, a doctor typically performs a combination of a physical examination and asks about your symptoms. However, there are also specific tests that can be done to confirm the diagnosis. Here's how a doctor typically diagnoses the flu:

1. Physical Examination: The doctor will examine you for common flu symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, fatigue, and sometimes, vomiting or diarrhea.

2. Medical History: The doctor will ask about your medical history, including any recent exposure to individuals with flu-like symptoms, travel history, and relevant vaccination history.

3. Rapid Influenza Diagnostic Test (RIDT): This is a commonly used test to quickly detect the presence of the influenza virus. During this test, a swab is gently inserted into your nose or throat to collect a sample of respiratory secretions. The sample is then analyzed for the flu virus. Results are available within 15-30 minutes.

4. Molecular (PCR) Testing: If the rapid test is inconclusive or if the flu strain needs to be determined, a molecular (polymerase chain reaction) test may be performed. Similar to the RIDT, a respiratory sample is obtained via a swab from the nose or throat. The sample is then sent to a laboratory to detect the influenza genetic material. PCR testing provides more accurate results but takes longer (usually hours to a few days).

It's important to note that in some cases, a doctor may diagnose the flu based on clinical signs and symptoms alone, without requiring any specific tests. This is more common during widespread flu outbreaks when symptoms align with the typical flu pattern.