With the arrival of winter appear cold diseases and the season, how can they be the flu y colds typical and common on these dates. The important thing here is to know how to differentiate them, because they are not the same at all, although we often confuse them. For this, we have taken care of bringing you the most notorious differences of these two diseases, as well as the treatment of each of them and the complications that may arise derived from their symptoms.
If you want to know what the differences are between the flu and the cold, take note.
The Flu: Symptoms, Treatment, and Complications
The flu is a infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by virus for the influence. Its main symptom that we can perceive are:
- Headache.
- High fever (there may be cases up to 40º C.
- Muscle pains.
- Watery and sore eyes
- Nasal congestion.
- Dry cough.
- Sore throat.
- Weakness and tiredness
In the flu, contagion It is produced by droplets from the coughs and sneezes of infected people. Needless to say, the flu at this time is quite contagious. His incubation, on the other hand, it lasts between 48 and 72 hours and also arises abruptly, so it is normal that we suddenly begin to feel bad. And finally say, that your duration It is usually between 5 and 15 days, depending on the person, their age, their health, etc.
Treatment and complications
El treatment that doctors usually advise and recommend when a person has the flu is as follows:
- Rest and bed.
- Constant hydration with water and natural juices.
- Vaporizers that add humidity to the environment.
- And to treat some of the symptoms: antipyretics (for fever) and cough suppressants (for cough).
On the other hand, catching the flu can have a number of complications Although they do not have to happen if we take good care of ourselves and have a good treatment:
- Pneumonia.
- Encephalitis.
- Meningitis.
- Seizures
The Cold: Symptoms, Treatment, and Complications
The cold is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract (There are more than 200 different viruses ...). To differentiate this cold from the flu, we will have to pay particular attention to the symptom. Those of the cold are usually the following:
- Nasal congestion.
- Secretions
- Eye irritation (not always).
- Sneezing
- Mild or moderate cough.
- Sore throat.
As you can see, here there is no fever or fatigue or muscle aches. They are the main differences between the common cold and the flu.
El contagion A common cold is caused by direct contact or by spreading droplets of saliva or sneezing. Has a incubation between 12 and 72 hours and it appears progressively and little by little, not like the flu that could appear suddenly. A cold can have a duration for up to 7 days, although the cough may continue for up to 2 weeks.
Treatment and complications
El treatment from a cold you need to understand the following things:
- Sleep.
- Hydration with water and natural juices.
- Vaporizers.
- And for discomfort, analgesics (sore throat), expectorant (for mucus) and nasal decongestants.
Generally, colds go away almost without help as they come, since they usually disappear on their own due to the body's own antibodies.
Although it is also true, that if we do not take care of ourselves or treat the cold we can have a series of complications. The most normal are usually:
- Bronchitis.
- Ear infection
- Pneumonia.
- Sinusitis.
Do you now know the difference between a cold and a flu? Would you be able to distinguish both diseases solely by their symptoms?