How to distinguish the flu from a cold. Cold and flu - what's the difference?

The most common diseases that attack us during the cold season are flu and colds, which cause illness in the majority of the population. They are viral diseases that affect the upper respiratory tract of humans. The causative agents are viruses of various groups. For doctors, ARVI and influenza are completely different diseases; for most of us, they mean malaise and bed rest.

What are ARVI and influenza?

In order to find out how ARVI differs from influenza, you need to know exactly the features of the development and symptoms of these diseases. ARVI represents a broad category of acute respiratory viral agents in which the upper respiratory ducts become infected.

Experts include the following diseases as acute respiratory pathologies of viral origin:

• flu;
• parainfluenza viral agent;
• adenoviral infections;
• rhinovirus infection;
• respiratory syncytial virus.

Infection with ARVI often occurs as a result of contact with a patient, as well as with a reduced immune level. Infection can occur as a result of accidentally touching objects in public places or things that have been touched by an infected person.

IMPORTANT! At the moment, more than 200 types of acute viral infections are known in the medical literature, among which influenza stands out separately. In order to understand how to distinguish ARVI from influenza, you should remember that it regularly changes and becomes the cause of large-scale epidemics. Influenza can cause serious complications for the body of both an adult patient and a child.

Acute respiratory viral infection is characterized by slow modification, as well as an almost complete absence of severe consequences for the patient.

Why is it important to distinguish a cold from the flu?

Doctors identify certain risk groups that are more often susceptible to viral disease. It is important to know how the flu differs from a cold in order to prescribe effective treatment. The flu can cause serious complications.

An incorrectly diagnosed disease worsens the health condition and threatens the patient’s life. Flu and colds are two different diagnoses; for example, influenza infection kills 500,000 people every year. This is the highest mortality rate in the world due to complications: meningitis, pneumonia.

The difference between the flu and a cold is serious and important, therefore, in case of any ailment, it is recommended to call a doctor at home to establish an accurate diagnosis.

Symptoms of diseases and their differences in adults and children

Influenza is a serious disease that affects the respiratory organs and also weakens the entire body. In many cases, the likelihood of getting the flu increases significantly in the autumn-spring season, since immunity decreases during this period. You can get sick several times throughout the year, as the viral pathogen changes regularly.

Main manifestations of the disease:

• fever, increased temperature;
• coughing attacks - wet or dry;
• rhinitis, nasal congestion;
• redness and sore throat;
• general weakness, lethargy;
• body aches.

What is ORZ?

Sometimes, when characteristic signs of respiratory tract damage appear, the doctor diagnoses acute respiratory infections. Acute respiratory disease is not a disease, but rather a medical term. Such a conclusion is made if the nature of the disease is not entirely clear. The causative agents of acute respiratory infections can be not only viruses, but also bacteria and fungi. Various pathologies can be hidden under this term, in particular:

• laryngitis;
• angina;
• pharyngitis;
• rhinitis;
• bronchitis.

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The diagnosis made by the doctor implies the possible addition of a bacterial infection during ARVI or an exacerbation of chronic diseases of the nasopharynx.

Many parents are interested in how to distinguish acute respiratory infections from acute respiratory viral infections in a child. A similar question may arise in adult patients. Focusing only on the symptoms, at the initial stage of the development of the disease it will not be possible to reliably find out. It is possible to establish the exact cause of the pathology and identify the pathogen only based on the results of laboratory tests. For this purpose the following studies are carried out:

• PCR analysis of a swab from the throat and nose: varieties of microorganisms are differentiated by fragments of their DNA;
• culture: the type of bacteria found in sputum or nasal secretions is determined, and their sensitivity to antibiotics is determined;
• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA): antibodies to bacteria and viruses are determined.

A doctor must make an accurate diagnosis of the child.

A clinical blood test will additionally help determine the exact nature of the disease. An excess number of neutrophils will indicate the activity of pathogenic bacteria. A viral infection is characterized by pronounced leukocytosis and an increased level of lymphocytes.

Difference table

In order to answer how to identify ARVI or influenza, you need to know the features of the development of these diseases.

How to recognize the flu

The flu has specific symptoms that make it difficult to confuse it with other acute respiratory viral infections:

• Temperature: with the flu - up to 39-40 degrees from the first hours. With a cold, the temperature is usually no higher than 38.5 degrees.
• Speed ​​of development: the flu begins at lightning speed; with a cold, the symptoms increase gradually.
• Sneezing is typical for a cold, but not typical for the flu.
• First symptoms. With the flu - aches throughout the body, headache, photophobia, weakness, chills, high temperature, which is barely controlled by medications. For a cold - runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, fever is low and can be easily relieved with antipyretics.
• Recovery period: in the absence of complications, a cold goes away in a few days, the flu in the active stage goes away in 1.5-2 weeks, plus about 2 weeks may be needed to recuperate.

There are several degrees of severity of the flu, and at its mildest it can be mistaken for a cold, so sometimes tests have to be taken to confirm the diagnosis.

Features of treatment in adults and children

Treatment of the disease depends on its type and developmental characteristics. Antibacterial therapy for a viral disease in an adult patient or children is not effective. For this purpose, antiviral medications are used, in which the main active substance is interferon. This is a component produced by the human immune system as a result of the negative effects of viral infections.

The most effective medications for influenza are the following:

• Rimantadine;
• Orvirem;
• Tamiflu.

In order for influenza and ARVI therapy to be as effective as possible, several rules must be followed.

Important treatment rules:

1. Maintaining the correct drinking regime - throughout the day it is recommended to drink a sufficient amount of green tea, still mineral water, herbal teas and decoctions.
2. A full 8-hour sleep and rest are very important.
3. Regularly ventilate the room and perform wet cleaning.
4. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate or take any medications yourself.
5. When body temperature rises to 38.2°, it is not recommended to take antipyretic drugs, since during this period the process of producing antibodies to the virus is actively developing.

To eliminate redness and pain in the throat, you can use ready-made pharmaceutical solutions and herbal decoctions, which are used to rinse the larynx. Inhalations using a nebulizer are also very useful.

In most cases, the human body successfully fights acute respiratory viral infection on its own, while in the treatment of influenza it is impossible to do without antiviral drugs.

A few words about colds

At the very beginning, I would like to say that most often a person is faced with a cold, and not the flu. Surprisingly, today there are 250 types of viruses that can cause this disease. Doctors say that a healthy adult can catch a cold on average two to four times a year. It all depends on the body's resistance. Children get sick more often. After all, their resistance is much lower. Breasts get sick even more often. They may have a runny nose 6 to 10 times in 12 calendar months. It should also be noted that people who are in different groups get sick more often: in kindergartens, at school, at work. After all, it’s easier for them to catch an infection.

Prevention methods

In order to protect yourself and your loved ones from ARVI and influenza, it is very important to remember about prevention. Basic preventive methods:

• during epidemics, you should try to avoid visiting places with large crowds of people;
• if you are in public places, it is recommended to use a special gauze mask to protect against viruses;
• after traveling on public transport, be sure to wash your hands with soap and rinse your nasal passages with warm saline solution;
• in order to prevent infection with viral infections, before leaving the house it is advisable to lubricate the nasal passages with Oxolinic ointment;
• the flu vaccine is an effective means of prevention, but it is important to remember that the virus changes regularly, so even vaccination cannot provide 100% protection against infection;
• Be sure to regularly ventilate the room and do wet cleaning.

If the first symptoms of the disease occur, it is recommended to remain in bed for at least several days. This will help protect people around you from possible infection.

Influenza and ARVI are the most common diseases among adults and children. Despite the fact that they have similar symptoms, the development of the latter is much more severe, and treatment takes a longer period of time. Flu can cause serious complications. Following simple rules of prevention will help prevent disease and protect the body from infection.

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Contagiousness of diseases

Viruses spread quickly between people, especially through close contact. Since the infection is localized in the respiratory tract, it spreads through the air, which is why everyone has a chance to get sick.

ARVI often affects people with weakened immune systems: in winter, after hypothermia or previous illnesses. The human body can successfully resist ordinary viruses and even overcome the disease over time without medication.

The influenza virus is highly contagious. You cannot get sick only with certain stamps of the disease that a person has had or from which he has been vaccinated. Even if there are no problems with the immune system, during an epidemic the flu can affect the respiratory tract.

Flu vaccination does not provide a 100% guarantee that a person will not get this type of acute respiratory infection. There are many stamps and varieties of the disease, and their number increases every year. The reason for this is mutation and a combination of different types of virus.

When should you lower your temperature?

There are a number of absolute indications for the use of antipyretics:

In the presence of severe congenital or acquired pathology of the respiratory or cardiac system. Fever makes this condition worse.

At temperatures above 40, as it can provoke brain damage.

In children under 5 years of age. Their body is not designed for such stress. Fever leads to febrile seizures. According to the new WHO recommendations, only temperatures that rise to subjectively high numbers, causing discomfort and threatening the development of complications, require reduction.

• Reduces temperature above 39°C in children older than 3 months.
• If the child is younger, then at a temperature above 38°C.
• Anyone who has had febrile convulsions and has a temperature above 38°C.

Children with severe congenital or acquired disorders of the cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems above 38.5°C

Older children are prescribed according to the adult regimen.