Flu Question.?!
Question:
Flu Question.?
I was wondering... why does your body ache when you have the flu?
Answers:
My understanding (and I haven't researched this, just been told by nurses) is that influenza uses your body's cells to reproduce. It attaches itself to the cell and uses the cell like a little virus factory; then the cell bursts, releasing virus into your bloodstream, where it finds new body cells and starts over. Ouch!
Another, more technical, explanation is that your body produces proinflammatory and fever-causing cytokines (in other words, substances that cause inflammation and fever) to help combat the virus. And of course, inflammation and fever can hurt.