Distinguishing Between a Cold and the Flu
Getting sick is never fun, but trying to figure out if your symptoms are caused by a common cold or the potentially more severe influenza can be confusing. Both illnesses tend to occur during the fall and winter months, and share some common symptoms like coughing, sore throat, and fatigue. However, there are some key differences between colds and the flu that can help you determine which one you may have.
Flu Symptoms Usually Hit Fast and Hard
One of the hallmark signs of the flu is the abrupt and severe onset of symptoms. Oftentimes people report feeling perfectly healthy when they go to bed but wake up with full blown flu symptoms like fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, dry cough, and feeling exhausted. The flu hits hard and fast, leaving you wiped out and struggling to get through daily tasks. A bad cold can make you feel run down, but flu symptoms are often more intense and appear rapidly over the course of a day or two.
Body Aches Distinguish the Flu
Both colds and flu involve coughing, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, and fatigue. However, an all over feeling of body aches is much more common with influenza and is rare with a common cold. The body aches associated with the flu can be severe and make even just lying in bed uncomfortable. Moving your muscles is tough and effortful. Typically the body aches flu brings are felt frequently in the back, arms, and legs and may be accompanied by headaches. So while both colds and flu have fatigue, if you also have intense muscle aches that's a good sign you're dealing with influenza.
Fever is Common With the Flu
Fever can occur with a common cold, especially in the first few days of illness, but it's much more prevalent in cases of the flu. Flu almost always involves a fever, sometimes spiking to over 102 or 103F. Fevers can come on rapidly with flu symptoms and cause bouts of feeling cold and shivery alternating with sweating. Muscle aches, chills, and fatigue typically accompany the fever as well. So temperature over 100F plus body aches usually equal the flu as compared to the common cold. A cold can have a mild low grade fever, but not as often and intense as influenza.
[Image caption: A person feeling sick in bed with a caption "Uh oh, do I have a cold or the flu?"]
Other Influenza Symptoms to Note
In addition to fever, body aches, rapid severe symptoms flu brings some other signs that can help distinguish it from a bad cold. Here are a few to lookout out for:
Gastrointestinal Discomfort
The flu often causes nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea in people of all ages. If you have these stomach issues along with the usual influenza suspects like cough, sore throat, and fatigue it points to the flu rather than a cold. Some flu strains and individuals are more prone to gastrointestinal distress than others, but having an upset stomach is a fairly good indication you're dealing with influenza if it accompanies other flu indicators.
Respiratory Difficulties
Most colds don't get serious enough to severely impact your breathing. The flu on the other hand has more potential to progress to more dangerous illnesses like pneumonia which make it hard to breathe. Wheezing, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and inability to catch your breath following flu symptoms warrant an immediate medical attention. Colds annoyingly impact nasal breathing, but don't usually cause severe respiratory distress in healthy people.
Pink Eye
Some viruses and strains of influenza can also cause viral conjunctivitis which leads to very pink, painful, inflamed eyes and crusty discharge. If you notice pink eye when you're experiencing the common flu symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue then it is likely influenza you're fighting off. A cold is less likely to involve conjunctivitis or inflammation of the eyes and whites.
[Image caption: A person standing against a height chart looking sick with pink eye and the flu]
What is the Flu Exactly?
To really understand why influenza symptoms differ from a cold it helps to know exactly what the flu is and how it works. So let's break down some key facts on influenza...
Influenza Virus Strains
The flu, or influenza, is caused by a family of influenza A and B viruses that lead to widespread contagious respiratory illnesses. New strains emerge rapidly which makes influenza difficult for the human immune system to keep up with. There are four types of influenza viruses classified as A, B, C or D with A, B, and C leading to seasonal flu, and type D viruses primarily found in cattle populations rather than humans. Types A and B undergo continuous changes requiring new vaccines to get created annually to help protect against them.
More Severe Than a Cold
While colds annoy and discomfort us, most healthy people recover just fine from them in 7-10 days. The flu brings more severe symptoms and greater risk of serious complications like pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections, and sepsis especially in vulnerable populations like the elderly, very young, or those with other health conditions. Typically flu recovery takes 1-2 weeks and impacts daily function more severely due mainly to the intense fatigue and muscle aches it brings.
Easily Spreads Person to Person
Both colds and influenza involve viral particles that spread person to person through tiny aerosol droplets emitted by coughing and sneezing. Because influenza emits higher viral loads in greater quantities, it tends to spread more easily and rapidly through groups within close contact of one another. Schools, offices, households are prime targets for influenza transmission through the air and on infected surfaces making prevention a challenge.
[Funny gif making light of flu spreading through a group with the caption "When someone with the flu walks into the room"]
Annual Impact on Public Health
The impact of seasonal flu strains contributes to over half a million influenza associated deaths worldwide and between 12,000-52,000 deaths a year in the US depending upon severity. Hospitalization rates in the US range from 140,000-710,000 annually with economic costs hitting $10 billion or more for a bad influenza season. Getting vaccinated annually can lower rates and severity of infection helping protect yourself and the wider public health.
When to Seek Care for Flu
While rest and symptom relief may be all you need to ride out a bout of influenza, it's important to monitor concerning or worsening signs related to flu. Seeking prompt medical care provides assessment and treatment options to avoid complications and can also determine if hospitalization is necessary. Here is what to watch and listen for when determining if a doctor visit is warranted for the flu:
Difficulty Breathing
As mentioned previously, shortness of breath, wheezing, or feelings of chest tightness should be evaluated immediately, especially for those with asthma, COPD, or other respiratory disorders. Difficulty getting air in or out can indicate pneumonia or other complications from the flu that require monitoring and possibly supplemental oxygen.
Dehydration Sets In
Between fever, vomiting, diarrhea and poor intake it's not uncommon for dehydration to happen with the flu. Signs to watch for are increased thirst, dry mouth, infrequent urination and dark yellow concentrated urine if able to go at all. Dizziness, fainting, racing heart rate, no tears with crying can also happen if dehydration progresses and needs medical treatment for the flu.
Confusion Sets In
Anytime disorientation, confusion, inability to stay awake, concerning behavior or hallucinations set in during flu it warrants prompt evaluation. This can signal fever is too high, dehydration is advancing, or other complications could be present where hospital care is needed.
[Funny gif showing confusion flu can bring with a woman looking puzzled]
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.
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