The difference between a cold and the flu

Cold and flu

Cold and influenza are similar diseases to a large extent, to the extent that many people misdiagnose them due to the similarity of their symptoms. When a person wakes up from sleep coughing or sneezing with pain in his entire body, he does not know whether he has a cold or the flu, so it is very important to know the difference between the two diseases. So that the person can get the appropriate and effective treatment, although in most cases their treatment is very similar.

cold symptoms

The symptoms of a cold usually start with a severe sore throat, which usually goes away on its own two days after the person is infected, and after about four days, he has symptoms of the nose, such as runny nose, congestion, with an annoying and severe cough, in addition to the fever accompanying the shivering and feeling cold. . The nose may begin to secrete a watery, dark-colored fluid when the person recovers and the cold is approaching.

Symptoms of a cold usually last for at least one week, and during the first three days a cold is contagious, which means that a person should stay at home and stay away from others as much as possible so that the disease does not pass on to them as well. In the event that a person does not recover from a cold after a week has passed, he may have a bacterial infection, which means that he must take antibiotics.

flu symptoms

The symptoms of influenza are usually more severe than the symptoms of a cold and appear quickly, and some of its symptoms: sore throat, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, and coughing.

Most of these symptoms improve automatically after two or five days have passed since their appearance, and among the complications that may appear in some cases is acute pneumonia, which occurs as a result of inflammation descending and its transmission to the lungs in severe cases. immediately.

How to tell the difference between a cold and the flu

By examining the symptoms he has, and distinguishing between the symptoms of both diseases, or by seeing a doctor to obtain an appropriate diagnosis, the doctor is the only one who is able to know the main differences between them.

Cold and flu treatment

Drinking hot drinks mixed with honey, such as natural lemon juice with one spoonful of natural honey, or green tea with mint and one spoonful of honey, or drinking hot chicken soup, as it helps relieve the symptoms associated with both diseases. Or take antibiotics and medications prescribed by a doctor to treat symptoms permanently and within a short period of two days, at the maximum.