Common cold or flu? Here’s how to tell the difference!

When you wake up in the morning sneezing, coughing, and have that achy and feverish feeling, how do you tell if you have cold or flu? Here’s the difference between the two.

Sudhakar Jha | Published: September 17, 2018 7:21 am

Want to tackle flu? Maintain a good hand hygiene. © Shutterstock

Common cold and flu are very similar yet very different type of diseases which have signs and symptoms that could be misleading. While you might be taking medication for flu, you might be suffering from a common cold, or vice versa. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than the flu. While cold symptoms can lead to a few uncomfortable days, flu can keep you on the bed for weeks. The flu can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and hospitalizations. It’s important to know the difference between the symptoms. We break it down for you here.

Common cold symptoms
The symptoms usually begin with a sore throat, which generally fades in a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, with cough, by the fourth and fifth days. You might also et fever, which is not very common in adult, but children are at higher risk. During cold the nose becomes full of watery nasal secretions, which become thicker and darker and mucus follows.

Flu symptoms
The symptoms of flu are more severe than cold. The symptoms include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Most of them gradually improve over two to five days, but it’s not uncommon to feel run down for a week or even more. A common complication is pneumonia, particularly in the young, elderly, or people with lung or heart problems.

Symptoms	Cold	Flu
Fever	Sometimes, usually mild	Usual; higher (100F-102F; occasionally higher, lasts 3 to 4 days
Headache	Occasionally	Common
General Aches, Pains	Slight	Usual; often severe
Fatigue, Weakness	Sometimes	Usual; can last 2 to 3 weeks
Extreme Exhaustion	Never	Usual; at the beginning of the illness
Stuffy Nose	Common	Sometimes
Sneezing	Usual	Sometimes
Sore Throat	Common	Sometimes
Chest Discomfort, Cough	Mild to moderate; hacking cough	Common; can become severe

Published: September 17, 2018 7:21 am

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