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Your nose runs like a leaky faucet, your throat is sore and you can not stop sneezing. You do not have a fever, but you feel annoyed, as if you could curl up on the floor and fall asleep. Do you have a cold or flu?
If you guessed coldYou're probably right. But experts say that differentiating colds (upper respiratory tract infection) from influenza (flu) can be more delicate than most people assume.
"There is a huge overlap between non-influenza viruses and the symptoms of flu and other insects," says Dr. Bruce Barrett, a professor of family medicine and community health at the University of Wisconsin. Although many people associate the flu with fever, Barrett says that is not always true. "Unless someone arrives at the height of the influenza season," a two-month period that usually lands between November and March, "I can not say very well if the cold or the flu are solely based on symptoms, "he says.
But while colds and flu can often be similar, there are predictable differences. On the one hand, colds usually take a few days to develop, while the flu manifests itself more abruptly. "Sometimes [a flu] the patient goes from good to very sick in minutes, "says Dr. Jeffrey Steinbauer, a professor of family and community medicine at Baylor College of Medicine.
Symptoms of colds and flu
A cold usually lasts between three and five days, while a flu tends to last about twice as long, says Steinbauer. In addition, fever is much more common in patients with influenza, and the same is true for headaches, body aches and dry cough. On the other hand, if you have a cough that produces a lot of fluid or mucus, you have a sore throat and sneeze or runny nose or head congestion, all these symptoms are more typical of colds , he says. (Note: stomach upset, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms may occur in children, but they are not common in adults with colds or flu. these symptoms, you probably suffer from a virus in the stomach or a foodborne illness.)
The timing of your symptoms can also be telling. Colds are more common in early fall (usually by the time students return to school) and in the spring. But their problem is all year round, says Dr. William Norcross, a senior public health researcher at the University of California at San Diego. "They are a little more common in winter when people usually gather in," he says. But you can catch a cold at any time, while the flu is usually confined to its winter schedule.
Look at both under a microscope and you will see more differences. Norcross explains that the flu is transmitted by two families of viruses called influenza A and influenza B. In both families, the variations are important and that is why the composition of the influenza vaccine changes from year to year and is not not always as effective as public health officials hope.
The cold, however, is caused by more than 200 subtypes of respiratory viruses, says Dr. Kyle Sue, an assistant clinical professor of family medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada. These include rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, adenoviruses, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and others, each of which can cause different symptoms and degrees of severity.
While colds and flu may seem very similar, there is a very important distinction: one fatal and the other not. "The flu kills about 35,000 Americans a year, while colds rarely cause lasting damage," says Norcross. For the most vulnerable people, including people with weakened immune systems, very old people and babies born prematurely, the flu is a common cause of pneumonia and death, warns the CDC.
How to prevent the spread of the flu
Because of these risks and the fact that the symptoms of colds and flu can be hard to tell apart, experts say it is essential that people take steps to prevent the spread of these viruses. "When you're sick with the flu or cold, your mucus, saliva and everything from your nose, mouth and throat to your lungs is loaded with millions of extremely infectious viral particles," says Norcross. . Sneezing, coughing or any other activity that causes the transfer of your mucus into your environment could make other people sick.
If you do not feel well, the best thing to do is to isolate yourself until your symptoms disappear. "If you go to work, shop or take the subway, you may spread the disease," he says. If you must leave the house, avoid touching your mouth or nose, wash your hands frequently and try to cough or sneeze into the crook of your arm.
It is also crucial to get a flu shot – preferably before the end of October. According to Norcross, the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine can range from 50% to 90%, depending on the ability of vaccine developers to anticipate the influenza strains of the season.
To save oneself from suffering is a good reason to be vaccinated, another is to save lives. By vaccinating against the flu, you will have a much lower chance of acquiring it and passing it on to risk groups, says Barrett. "If we can vaccinate 30 to 40 percent of the population, we will save 10,000 lives," he says.
How to treat flu
For the treatment of influenza, antiviral drugs (such as Tamiflu) can reduce the duration and severity of the disease, said Barrett. But these medications must be taken immediately – within 36 hours of the onset of symptoms. "They're useless after that," he says. If flu symptoms strike you hard and you can see a doctor right away, these medications may be helpful. Similarly, anyone at risk of serious complications – the very old, the very young and those with weakened immune systems – should tell their doctor if they have symptoms.
But for adults and healthy children, colds and flu do not usually require the attention of a doctor. "I do not want people getting upper respiratory tract infections because we can not do much for them," said Barrett. Even for people who think they have the flu, most of them get better at home, he says. You will be less likely to infect others this way, he says, and the colds and flu will go away on their own, usually within a week. If time passes and your symptoms do not improve, or if they seem to get worse even after the first few days, it's time to see a doctor. It's the same if your fever reaches 103 F.
If your symptoms make you unhappy, over-the-counter medications can offer short-term relief, says Steinbauer. You can take aspirin or acetaminophen for fever or decongestants for runny nose. Research has revealed that zinc lozenges can also help reduce your colds. But the time, the rest and the abundance of water and other liquids are the only real remedies.
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