Youre coughing. Youve got a fever. Youre feeling lousy. So whats happening to you? Do you have the flu, or just a common cold?

It may be difficult to tell the difference at first. If you have the flu, it usually knocks you off your feet. A cold on the other hand, usually has more of a gradual onset, and youll typically have a scratchy throat and runny nose, and may be sneezing.

Lets look at the differences.

The Flu

Commonly called the flu, influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by a virus. Outbreaks of the flu usually begin suddenly, with the disease spreading across entire communities, and affecting large numbers of people.

Most people who catch the flu recover within a week. However, for infants, older adults, and people with certain chronic diseases (such as those who are immunosuppressed), the flu, and the complications it can cause, such as pneumonia, may be life threatening.

Transmission

You can catch the flu from being around someone who is coughing and sneezing as the flu viruses are spread by airborne droplets of respiratory fluids. After being infected, expect symptoms to appear in about two to four days. You are considered contagious for another three to four days after your symptoms appear.

Symptoms

When you have the flu, you usually experience headache, chills, and a dry cough, followed by body aches and fever. The fever usually subsides around the second or third day of the illness. By then you may start to notice more upper respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion and sore throat.

Treatment

Your doctor will typically diagnose you as having the flu based on the community outbreak and your symptoms. Treatment consists of the following:

Because the flu is caused by a virus, taking antibiotics will not be effective. Antiviral drugs such as rimantadine, which is used for influenza type A virus infections in adults, or amantadine may be effective.

Prevention

To help prevent catching the flu, it is usually recommended that you get a flu shot. Vaccination against the flu should be done about six to eight weeks before the beginning of the flu season.

Check with your doctor as to whether or not you are a candidate for a flu shot. If you are allergic to eggs, you should not get a flu shot, as egg protein is usually a component of the vaccine.

Flu Shots Vaccination against the flu is especially recommended for people in high-risk categories. Ask your doctor about receiving a yearly flu shot if you: Are age 65 and older; or a child age 6 months or older with respiratory problems. Have chronic cardiovascular, pulmonary, or metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Have renal dysfunction, anemia, immunosuppression, or asthma. Are a resident of a nursing home or other chronic-care facility. Are a child receiving long-term aspirin therapy who may be at risk of developing Reyes syndrome following influenza infection. Are a health care worker who provides in-home care to high-risk patients or has extensive patient contact.

Rimantadine and amantadine can also be used to prevent the flu in children aged 1 year and older and in healthy adults, if taken for about six weeks during the flu season.

Family members or close contacts of patients with influenza A and elderly nursing home residents who have been vaccinated but may need additional protection may also benefit from taking these drugs.

These drugs may be given immediately following vaccination during a flu epidemic to provide protection during the two to four week period before antibiodies develop, or when a flu epidemic is caused by virus strains other than those covered by the vaccine.

The Common Cold

Although mild in symptoms, the common cold is the leading cause of doctor visits and days lost from school or work. Colds are most prevalent among children.

This is probably due to their contact with other children in daycare centers and schools, and their relative lack of resistance to infection. Children average six to ten colds per year, while adults average about two to four colds a year, with women, especially those aged 20 to 30, having more colds than men.

More than 200 different viruses can cause symptoms of the common cold. The rhinoviruses, which cause about 30 to 35 percent of all colds in adults and are most active in early fall, spring, and summer, seldom produce serious illnesses.

However, other viruses, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) can cause severe respiratory infections in younger children and adults. The coronaviruses, which are most active in the winter and early spring, also cause a large percentage of adult colds.

Although many people have thought that cold weather causes a cold, research has shown that weather has little or no effect on the development or severity of a cold.

Research does suggest that psychological stress, allergic disorders affecting the nasal passages or throat, and menstrual cycles may have an impact on a persons susceptibility to colds.

Transmission

You commonly catch a cold from:

Symptoms

When you have a cold, symptoms usually begin two to three days after infection. They include nasal discharge, obstruction of nasal breathing, swelling of the sinus membranes, sneezing, sore throat, cough, and headache.

Fever is usually slight, but can climb to 102° F in infants and young children. Symptoms may last anywhere from 2 to 14 days, with most people recovering in about a week.

Treatment

Taking nonprescription or over-the-counter (OTC) cold remedies such as decongestants, cough suppressants, and antihistamines may help relieve some symptoms. Antibiotics will not be effective against the common cold, as it is caused by a viral infection. Antibiotics should only be used if you have a secondary bacterial infection, such as sinusitis, or an ear infection.

Prevention

The simplest and most effective way to prevent a cold is by following good hand washing principles. Not touching your nose or eyes after sneezing or coughing is another. If you have a cold, sneeze or cough into a facial tissue, then throw it away.

And, if possible, avoid close, prolonged contact with others who have colds. Cleaning environmental surfaces with a virus-killing disinfectant may also help since rhinoviruses can live for up to three hours outside the nasal passages on inanimate objects and skin.

Reference: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

 

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