It is important to learn whether you have flu or a cold and to treat flu seriously because it can lead to life-threatening complications like pneumonia. If you think you may have flu instead of a cold, you should check with your doctor. Usually the doctor will diagnose influenza based on your symptoms. But there are also a number of laboratory tests using a throat culture or blood tests that can confirm the diagnosis. The doctor may want to use such a test if your symptoms appear when there are no local outbreaks of flu.

To learn more:

Influenza Tests
(Lab Tests Online)

This site not only tells you what tests may be ordered by your doctor, but also explains them to you in easy to understand language. Just click on the highlighted word for an explanation.

https://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/flu/tab/glance

next » Questions to ask your doctor about influenza.

Last Modified: Thursday April 21, 2016 10:43 AM