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Housecall Archives
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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staffEach infectious disease has its own specific signs and symptoms. General signs and symptoms common to many infectious diseases include:
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Fatigue
- Muscle aches
When to see a doctor
You should seek medical attention if you:
- Have been bitten by an animal
- Are having trouble breathing
- Have been coughing for more than a week
- Have severe headache with fever or seizures with fever
- Experience a rash or swelling
References
- Understanding microbes in sickness and in health. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/microbes/PDF/microbesbook.pdf. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Facts about infectious diseases. Infectious Diseases Society of America. http://www.idsociety.org/factsaboutid.html. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Opal SM, et al. Host responses to infection. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-3/0/1209/7.html?tocnode=49351280&fromURL=7.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50004-0_85. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Iacoviello VR, et al. Principles of anti-infective therapy. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-5/0/1209/535.html?tocnode=49356432&fromURL=535.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..X5001-6--section7_5237. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Steckelberg J (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. May 18, 2009.
- Routes of transmission. In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas and Bennett's: Principles and practice of infectious diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/136228628-6/838936308/1259/99.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50015-5--cesec23_433. Accessed May 8, 2009.
- Crowcroft N, et al. Prevention. In: Cohen J, et al. Cohen and Powderly: Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/135757989-5/0/1209/9.html?tocnode=49351308&fromURL=9.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50005-2_113. Accessed May 6, 2009.
- Johnson KS, et al. Lumbar puncture: Technique, indications, contraindications and complications in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 8, 2009.
- Chest X-ray (chest radiography). Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=chestrad. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- CT: Body. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=bodyct. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- MRI of the head. Radiological Society of North America. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?PG=headmri. Accessed May 13, 2009.
- An ounce of prevention keeps the germs away. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ounceofprevention/docs/oop_brochure_eng.pdf, Accessed May 13, 2009.
