Cold vs Flu: Comparison, Diagnosis and Management

Introduction

Suddenly, you started to experience an overall weakness, runny nose and muscle pain. This situation may affect not only your physical health but harms your productivity and psychological wellbeing.

Both flu and cold may lead to the development of the latter symptoms. However, in order to decide the further actions and understand whether this sickness is going to last for a couple of days and is a mare self-limiting cold or is a potentially life-threatening flu, it is essential to get familiar with the differences between these two conditions.

We have summarized the up-to-date information about cold and flu from reputable sources to help you distinguish these two conditions, to know the most effective home remedies, and recognize the need of testing and medical care. Read the details below. Get well soon!

Symptoms

Clinical picture and progression

The clinical picture of the condition and overall health of the patients change during the period of sickness. The table below describes the disease progression for both flu and common cold. ^{3, 4}

Flu

Common cold

Days 1–3: Suddenly people start to experience flu-related symptoms (headache, fever, dry cough, muscle pain) Day 4-7: Though fever and muscle pain become less intense, patients have overall weakness and tiredness. Moreover, some symptoms such as coughing, chest pain, and sore throat become more severe. Day 8: The majority of symptoms disappear. Yet patients may still continue coughing and feeling weak for more than 1-2 weeks.

Days 1–3: Feeling of tiredness, gradual development of scratchy throat and muscle pain Day 4-7: Peak of the symptoms such as: cough, runny nose, muscle pain, overall weakness and sore throat. People might develop a low-grade fever. Day 8-10: In the majority of cases people get rid of cold (all the symptoms are resolved).

Is it more flu or cold?

As you can see, common cold and flu have similar symptoms. However, there are some differences in severity, commonality, and duration of these symptoms.

The table below will help to understand whether your condition is more likely to be cold or flu. ⁵

Symptom	Cold	Flu
Symptoms onset	Gradually	Sudden
Fever	Rarely present	Present in about 80% of cases (≥ 100 °F, for 3-4 days)
Cough	Productive (wet) cough is usually present	Dry cough is usually present
Sneeze	Often present	Is not present in the majority of cases
Runny nose	Often present	Is not present in the majority of cases
Chills	Is not present in the majority of cases	Is present in over 60% of cases
Pain	Mild muscle pain	Moderate to Severe body pain
Weakness	Is mild	Is moderate to severe
Sore throat	Often present	Is not present in the majority of cases
Headache	Is not present in the majority of cases	Is present in over 80% of cases
Chest discomfort	Is mild to Moderate	Is severe
Complications	Usually absent	Life-threatening such as: 2 Pneumonia Brain infection Ear infection Heart inflammation Multi-organ failure Death

Home treatment

Remember, antibiotics are ineffective in case of both flu and cold!
Instead, try to follow below mentioned recommendation on home treatment: ¹

• Get lots of rest and sleep (allows your organism to direct the energy to fighting the infection)
• Avoid smoking (smoking will irritate the airways)
• Consume plenty of fluids (prevents dehydration and mucus congestion in nasal cavities)
• In case of sore throat try to consume softer food (will be easier to swallow)
• For a temporal sore throat relief try:

  • Gargling with 1 tea spoon of salt + warm water (four times per day)’
  • Gargling with tea
  • Gargling with 1 tea spoon of honey + 2 cups of hot water + lemon juice (consume only after waiting the solution to cool to room temperature)
• Take fever-reducing medication (Tylenol or Ibuprofen see comparison below) ⁶

Tylenol	Ibuprofen
Effect duration: 4 hours Have less side effects	Effect duration: 4 hours Is more effective for muscle pain People with heart and kidney diseases, gastrointestinal ulcers, type-2 diabetes should not take Ibuprofen without doctor’s prescription

Testing: Recommendations and advises

1. Who should get tested?

Flu tests are not routinely recommended, since the condition may be diagnosed through physical examination. Yet, some people are still recommended to undergo a flu testing. Those are:

• Pregnant women
• People with weakened immunity

2. When X-ray is necessary?

X-ray may be needed when you have chest pain, persistent cough and fever, and shortness of breath. This examination will help to find out whether your lungs and the surrounding areas are affected or not. 7

3. What about other tests?

Sometimes, the doctor may require a blood test or take a swab from the back of your throat in order to find out the real cause of your symptoms.

Myth and facts about supplements

Some complementary or alternative medicine products are known to be somehow effective in prevention and/or treatment of cold and flu. However, there are also some anecdotal products that will only work as a placebo (in the best scenario). ^{8, 9}

Effective alternative medicine products

Ineffective (anecdotal) products

Umcka Coldcare30 drops / 3 times a day for 10 days Kalmcold 200 mg per day for 5 days Echinacea purpurea First day - 20 drops every 2 hours The next 9 days – 20 drops for 3 times per day Zinc acetate or gluconate Up to 40 mg per day (as long as you have symptoms) Note: Zinc nasal products should never be used since those cause a permanent loss of smell Honey for temporary cough relief For prevention ONLY Vitamin C 0.25mg- 2g per day for 3 months Garlic 12 weeks Probiotics 3 months

Antibiotics Never take antibiotics in case of flu or cold. It will not help to cure the virus but may harm your organism. Chicken soup Those having sore throat might feel slightly better after a hot chicken soup. Yet, it will not treat cold or flu. Hot toddy This alcohol drink (whiskey+ lemon + hot water), will not help to cure cold or flu. Moreover, it might dehydrate you.

How to prevent infecting others?

While being sick, the next issue that people should be concerned about is the prevention of infecting surrounding people. We have tried to answer some common burning questions of people having flu or cold.

How to stop infecting others?

There are some recommendations that will somehow prevent you from passing the infection to others. Those are:

• Stop sharing eating utensils and dishes
• Practice proper coughing hygiene (cough into a tissue and through it immediately)
• Wash your hands with soap and water on a regular basis

Do people with flu or cold need to change the toothbrush?

Not during the sickness. However, they should keep their toothbrush separate from other’s toothbrushes and change it once they get recovered.

Can people with flu or cold sleep together with a spouses?

Yes! Sleeping in the same bad increases the chance of contracting cold or flu.

Should people with flu or cold go to work?

No! It is recommended to stay home as long as you are sick.

How long people with flu or cold can infect others?

The majority of individuals are still able to pass the virus up to 7 days after being infected.

Is it possible that they have already transmitted infection?

Yes! People start to pass the infection even earlier that their symptoms become noticeable. The majority of healthy individuals start to infect others 1 day before the first symptoms become noticeable.

When to see a doctor?

It is recommended to see your doctor in case of: ¹

• Difficulty breathing
• Long lasting fever (over four days)
• If no improvement is noticed for over 10 days period
• If your cough is worsening over the period
• Being dehydrated (having dry skin and mouth, reduced amount of urine, often feeling thirsty, being dizzy)
• Worsening of chronic diseases
• Other severe complications

You can easily book an appointment online and see your doctor today.

Conclusion

Though, neither of these two conditions is pleasant. As you can see, flu has more severe manifestation and may result in serious health problems. So, it is essential to recognize the condition, to treat it and prevent infecting your friends and family members.

References

1. Common Cold | Community | Antibiotic Use | CDC.
2. Flu Symptoms & Complications | CDC.
3. Flu (influenza) - Better Health Channel..
4. A Look at the Life Cycle of a Cold. HealthLine
5. Difference Between Cold and Flu Symptoms. Immunize Utah
6. Acetaminophen vs ibuprofen: What is the difference? Drugs
7. Chest X-Ray: Purpose, Procedure, and Risks. HealthLine
8. Treatment of the Common Cold in Children and Adults - American Family Physician.
9. Zinc for the common cold? Not for me - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health Publishing.