Differential Diagnosis

The symptoms of whole body shaking, vomiting, severe headache, leg and foot pain can be caused by various conditions. Here's a categorized differential diagnosis:

• Single most likely diagnosis
  • Flu or Influenza: This is a common condition that can cause whole body shaking (chills), vomiting, severe headache, and muscle pain, including leg and foot pain, due to the body's inflammatory response to the virus.
• Other Likely diagnoses
  • Migraine: Although primarily known for causing headaches, severe migraines can lead to vomiting and body aches, including leg and foot pain, especially if the migraine is accompanied by other symptoms.
  • Viral Gastroenteritis: This condition, often referred to as the stomach flu, can cause vomiting, body aches, and in some cases, severe headache. The body aches can include leg and foot pain.
  • Fibromyalgia: A chronic condition characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue, and tender points. It could explain the leg and foot pain, and sometimes patients experience headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms.
• Do Not Miss (ddxs that may not be likely, but would be deadly if missed.)
  • Meningitis: An infection of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, known as the meninges. This condition is medical emergency and can cause severe headache, vomiting, and body aches. The whole body shaking could be due to fever or the body's response to the infection.
  • Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Bleeding into the space between the brain and the tissue that covers it (the subarachnoid space) can cause a severe headache, vomiting, and in some cases, body aches or shaking due to increased intracranial pressure.
  • Septicemia or Sepsis: A life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. Symptoms can include whole body shaking (due to chills), severe headache, vomiting, and pain in the legs and feet if the infection is localized in these areas or if it affects the whole body.
• Rare diagnoses
  • Guillain-Barré Syndrome: A rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks part of its peripheral nervous system, leading to muscle weakness, and sometimes pain, which could include leg and foot pain. Whole body shaking could be due to the neurological effects.
  • Lyme Disease: Caused by a tick bite, in its later stages, it can cause a variety of symptoms including headaches, fever (which could cause shaking), and pain in the legs and feet due to arthritis.
  • Thyroid Storm: A life-threatening condition that represents an extreme exacerbation of thyrotoxicosis, causing symptoms such as severe headache, vomiting, whole body shaking due to tremors, and muscle pains including in the legs and feet.