Cold vs Flu - Major Differences
Between Cold and Flu
Cold and Flu have a whole lot of similarities, yet
flu is different from the common cold. Sure thing, cold and flu are
as good as the combination salt and pepper, as the pair is
inseparable.
Both of them happen to be respiratory disorders,
causing uneasiness in breathing to the patient, and there are
several other common symptoms as well. It has been observed that 200
varieties of viruses may be the root of infections causing common
cold. Some of them include the Rhinoviruses, which mainly affect the
noise, the RSVs or the Respiratory syncitial viruses, as well as
loads of other similar viruses may give rise to common cold.
On the other hand, flu also happens to be a viral infection caused
by a respiratory virus known as influenza, but it differs greatly
from the common cold. Since common cold may be caused from over 200
types of viruses there’s no definite way to avoid it, nor are there
any master medicines for the same, whereas the flu arises mainly
from influenza virus infections, and hence is preventable and
curable with the help of appropriate vaccination.
Looking at the symptoms and effects of the common cold, patients
tend to suffer from congestion in nose, running nose, sore throat
and similar symptoms. Whilst cold is a casual respiratory, which
doesn’t product any pronounced effects, influenza is typically a
more severe form that badly infects the joints, lungs, and even
causes deadly pneumonia, leading to respiratory failures or even
deaths, extreme cases.
The intestinal tracts are noticeable in the kids,
resulting in vomiting or diarrhea. Moreover, since the immunity of
the growing children is always low, flu causes pandemics in kids,
but the adults are not safe this lethal epidemic.
Flu can always be life threatening if not checked
and prevented while it can still be controlled, whereas the common
cold never gives you anything worse than running nose, breathing
problems and severe respiratory problems.
How to Tell The Differences Between Flu and Cold
Comparing the most common symptoms of flu and
common cold, the flu is often accompanied by fever, but it is rare
in case of cold. Patients suffer mild aches in cold, but they are
usual, and rather often severe in flu.
Moreover, flu is accompanied by chills, and
moderate to severe tiredness, while chills are uncommon and
tiredness is usually mild in case of cold.
As far as the Sudden Symptoms are concerned, they
appear gradually in case of cold and often noticeable, while the
symptoms of flu may suddenly creep up within the patient during 3-6
hours.
Coughing is usually hacking, and common cold is
accompanied by productive cough, but flu is often characterized by
the unproductive dry cough.
Sneezing, stuffy nose, and sore throat are common
characteristics of cold, whereas severe chest discomfort and
headaches are commonly noticed in case of flu infections. Lastly,
the peak time of flu infections has been observed to be November to
March, while common cold has no specific duration of prevalence.
Cold and Flu Symptoms at a Glance
| Symptoms |
Cold |
Flu |
| Aches, pains |
Slight |
Common, often severe |
| Chest
Discomfort |
Mild to
moderate |
Common to
severe |
| Chills |
Rare |
Common |
| Cough |
Hacking (a
short, weak repeating cough), productive cough (cough that
produce phlegm) |
Dry,
unproductive cough (cough not accompanied by expectoration) |
| Extreme exhaustion |
Never |
Early and prominent |
| Fatigue |
Mild |
Moderate to
severe, can last up to 2-3 weeks |
| Fever |
Rare |
Common, high (102-104F or
39-40C); last for days. |
| Headache |
Rare |
Common |
| Sneezing |
Common |
Sometimes |
| Sore
throat |
Common |
Sometimes |
| Stuffy nose |
Common |
Sometimes |
| Other
possible health problem |
Usually no |
pneumonia,
bacterial infections, or hospitalizations |
Recommended Reading:
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