Someday you wake up tired, coughing, sneezing, feverish, and feel that you can not move even a single muscle. And you did not understand and know the reason and do not know whether it is cold or flu.
For treatment, it is necessary to know the difference between their symptoms. A cold can make you feel worse for a few days, it is a mild respiratory disease.
While flu is a viral infection condition and you feel very ill for a few days or weeks. Which can cause serious health conditions and can lead to pneumonia. As published on the website of the CDC.
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What are the common symptoms of the Cold?
There are several different types of viruses that can cause colds and their symptoms. There are many symptoms associated with the cold such as.
Sore throat
It is the first symptom of this medical condition. The cold starts with a sore throat and goes away with over the counter and home treatment in a day or two.
Runny nose
It is a nasal symptom of a cold in which you will have a runny nose along with a sore throat.
At the start, it looks like watery nasal secretions and then becomes thicker and darker. It does not show that you have developed any bacterial infection.
Cough
If you do not treat a sore throat in the early stage, then it can cause cough from the fourth to the fifth day
Fever
You can feel or have a little fever, children are more likely to have a fever than adults.
How long does a cold last?
The cold usually lasts for about 7 days. In the starting days, you feel terrible. And chances of passing the disease to others is very possible.
So it is better and very important to stay at home and isolate yourself in a separate room, do not go near to others especially toddlers.
If you do not feel any improvement in the symptoms, then it could be a bacterial infection so you have to take antibiotics after consulting your doctor.
Some people mistake cold symptoms with allergic rhinitis or any other infection, mostly COVID virus these days.
If the symptoms begin to improve and you feel better quickly, then it is usually a cold. If they do not get better in a week, then you should visit your health care provider and check with the doctor. Maybe it is an allergy or flu.
What Are The Most Common Flu Symptoms?
Symptoms of flu are usually very severe. They come very quickly and become serious. If you infected with flu, then the symptoms are normal.
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Fever
- Muscle aches
- Muscle soreness
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
Common flu symptoms improve gradually from two to five days. But you will feel run down for more than a week or two.
Pneumonia is a common complication because of the flu. Young and old people or people with heart or lung problems are mostly affected by the problem.
Fever is a common sign of pneumonia which comes back again and again.
Just like other common viruses, the viruses of flu enters the body through the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, and nose.
Touch no other area if you have touched any of them. So wash your hands again and again with soap.
