Is it flu or just a regular common cold?
You are sneezing, coughing, your head is pounding with headache and you don’t know how to tell whether you are coming down with a cold or the flu.
Well, it might get a little confusing but it’s important to know the difference between the two, see common cold as indicated by the name is a seasonal infection of the respiratory tract, a milder infection in fact than the flu, when common cold hits you, you are tired and somewhat sick only for a few days whereas the flu hits harder causing serious feelings of illness that could last for weeks.
And here are brief details to differentiate between common cold and flu:
- Common cold:
This is a mild respiratory infection that lasts for about a week, the first couple of days would involve a sore throat followed by runny nose, congestion and eventually cough, by the end of the week the symptoms of common cold should improve and gradually disappear.
If the symptoms don’t improve within the week, you may be suffering from a bacterial infection or an allergy and need to get started on a different course of treatment.
Symptoms of common cold:
1. Occasional headache.
2. Stuffy and runny nose.
3. Sneezing and sore throat.
4. Mild or moderate cough.
5. Feverishness, a false feeling of fever but no actual increase in temperature.
6. Mild weakness and chest discomfort.
Complications of common cold:
Congestion of the sinus and infection of the middle ear.
Treatment of common cold:
Involves antipyretic, analgesics, pain relievers and decongestants.
- The Flu:
Flu is a more serious respiratory tract infection, which could lead to serious complications if not treated.
The symptoms of the flu are usually more severe than those of common cold, they would include soreness, muscle aches, fever, headaches and congestion.
The flu might last from days to weeks causing severe discomfort and pain.
Symptoms of flu:
1. Headaches, more common with the flu.
2. Runny nose, occurs sometimes with the flu but more common in cold.
3. Sneezing and sore throat may occur but also more common in cold.
4. Coughing is very common and could even become severe with flu.
5. Fever, basically higher than 101 F, which is usually the main key in telling whether it’s common cold or the flu.
6. Severe feelings of weakness and chest discomfort.
Complications of Flu:
The flu could lead to pneumonia, a possibly life threatening complication, it could also lead to bronchitis and sinusitis.
Treatment of flu:
Also involves pain relievers, antipyretics, decongestants and cough medications.
How to protect yourself against both common cold and flu?
Well, both common cold and the flu attack and invade your body through the nose, mouth or eyes by the means of the mucus membranes found in those organs.
So touching an object or an item that has been previously contaminated by an infected person and then touching one of those areas could result in an infection.
That being said, protection against such infections would require constant washing of hands and trying to minimize as much as possible any contact with an infected person.
Read also: Are Sinus Infections Contagious
