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Many patients presenting to urgent care with flu symptoms just want relief from the annoyance of their sore throat or body aches. A new study of 724 U.S. adults with confirmed influenza during the 2024–2025 season published in BMC Infectious Diseases found flu symptoms were greatest during the first few days of the illness but often continued on beyond the expected time to recover. In a survey with a selection of 12 flu-related symptoms, participants across ambulatory care settings reported an average of 8.7 symptoms on the first study day, including 5.9 that were moderate to severe and 2.5 symptoms that they rated as severe on a 4-point scale. More than 80% of respondents experienced nasal congestion, cough, fatigue, headache, body aches, fever, chills, and sore throat early in the illness. Severe symptoms generally resolved by day 6, but mild and moderate symptoms lingered. At 4 weeks, patients still reported higher overall symptom scores, including cough (27.4%), nasal congestion (32.0%), fatigue (19.2%), headache (15.0%), and body aches (13.6%). Adults at higher risk for influenza complications reported more symptoms throughout the illness. Among study participants, 49.3% were vaccinated against influenza.
Bouncebacks: For urgent care clinicians, the findings suggest that patients with return visits for flu symptoms within 4 weeks—because they “still don’t feel better”—may be experiencing a prolonged recovery rather than treatment failure or a new respiratory illness. It’s worth noting that Hometown Urgent Care in Ohio offers a “3-Day Guarantee.” If a patient is treated and is not improving within 3 days, they can return to the same location for the same condition at no additional charge.
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