Both the common cold and the flu cause ear, nose, and throat symptoms, fever, and symptoms throughout the rest of the body, and the symptoms of both illnesses can range from mild to very severe. For common cold, tracheal symptoms come first and remain the main symptoms.
Due to the flu, fever, pain in the rest of the body, nausea, a feeling of weakness and other general symptoms predominate. Windpipe symptoms are usually milder, but may gradually worsen. Tracheal symptoms can sometimes be almost absent.
THE CAUSES AND SYMPTOMS OF THE COMMON COLD
The common cold is caused by a wide variety of viruses, which mutate quite frequently during reproduction, resulting in constantly changing virus strains.
The common cold is usually spread when droplets released when a person sneezes or coughs become airborne and are then inhaled by another person. Transmission by direct contact with a sick person is also common. Between one third and one half of all people exposed to cold viruses become infected and develop symptoms after 1 to 2 days.
The symptoms of the trachea are the strongest for the common cold:
– The throat feels sore, and a sore throat is often the initial symptom.
– Then there will be an increase in mucus secretions from the nose, leading to a runny nose and drier secretions that will accumulate in the nose.
– The throat will also secrete more mucus, resulting in a hissing sound and possibly a buildup of dried secretions here as well.
– There will be swelling in the nose and throat.
– Coughing and sneezing are major symptoms of the common cold. These reactions are stimulated by the accumulation of secretions and by swelling of the trachea.
There may also be mild symptoms from the rest of the body.
– Mild to severe headache is common.
– A slight fever may occur.
– Some people experience a bit of neck stiffness and pain in the neck when trying to flex it, but this symptom should not be a big one. If this symptom is large, it may be a sign of meningitis, a very serious disease.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF THE COMMON COLD
Keeping away from sick people and strict washing habits can prevent transmission of the common cold, but it is difficult to carry out a strict enough regimen of this type in a populated society.
Due to the frequent variations of viruses that cause the common cold, successful immunization has not been developed.
The body’s immune system usually manages to defeat the infection within a few days. For the common cold one should maintain a level of activity that feels comfortable. It is not necessary to strictly restrict the level of daily activities.
High doses of vitamin C have been shown to help prevent colds and clear them up faster, but the doses to use are impractical if vitamin C is used alone. However, a combination of lower doses of vitamin C with other natural substances may be helpful.
Common cold treatments aim to relieve symptoms and strengthen the immune system so it can better fight infection. Pain relievers such as aspirin and paracetamol relieve the pain of the common cold effectively and are the most common treatment for this disease. However, both drugs can cause adverse reactions if used in higher than recommended amounts, and even recommended doses can sometimes cause dangerous effects.
Aspirin can cause internal bleeding, and both aspirin and paracetamol can cause liver damage. For children and adolescents, the use of paracetamol is recommended, because the liver damage that occurs when young people take aspirin can be very serious. Therefore, the drugs should be used with caution and not in too long a period.
Medications to loosen mucus, decrease swelling, decrease mucus production, or suppress the cough reflex may be effective in relieving symptoms. These medications are often made primarily to loosen mucus or primarily to suppress exaggerated coughing, but these two effects can be combined in the same medication. These medicines can be liquid, made up as a nasal spray, or as lozenges. To choose the right medication for your child or yourself, you should examine to find out what the main symptoms are: production of mucus, whether the mucus is loose or hard, swelling or exaggerated coughing.
Steam inhalation is a traditional treatment used for a long time in many countries. Treatment can help loosen mucus so the windpipe can be cleared more easily when coughing. Treatment can also, to some extent, destroy the virus.
The drug Pleconaril is designed to attack the virus that causes most common colds, the picornaviruses. The drug has been developed by ViroPharma Incorporated and Schering. The drug is available in an oral form and intranasal formulations are in development, but the drug’s efficacy is not clearly established and it is not yet approved for general use.
Interferons are used by the nasal route in Eastern Europe to treat the common cold. Interpheons are natural proteins that regulate the function of the immune system.
There are herbal and mineral supplements on the market that can strengthen the immune system and thus prevent a cold from occurring, improve the cold if it still occurs, and help the body fight illness faster. These supplements often contain extracts from Echinacea Angustifolia. Treatment with this herb should not exceed two weeks.
THE CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICATIONS OF THE INFLUENZA
Like the cold, influenza is caused by frequently mutating virus strains, but there tends to be one main virus strain each year that spreads around the world.
The transmission of the disease occurs through secretions of sick people. These secretions can be carried as droplets through the air, contaminate surfaces that people touch, or get into food. Symptoms begin one to four days after the virus has entered the body.
The flu often begins as a diffuse lack of well-being that persists for a few hours and sometimes a couple of days. Sometimes the flu does not progress beyond this stage. However, after a while, the symptoms often suddenly worsen with great malaise. In the flu, the symptoms of the trachea are the same as in the common cold, but they are weaker:
– The throat or nose feels sore, but usually slightly.
– There may be an increase in secretions from the nose and throat.
– There will be swelling in the nose and throat.
– Coughing and sneezing are symptoms.
The symptoms of the rest of the body are the strongest for the flu. Symptoms can be distributed throughout the body:
– The flu usually gives high fever. High fever is the most important symptom in separating influenza from the common cold.
– Despite the fever, there is usually a sensation of coldness in some parts of the body or general coldness.
– There will be nausea, often severe, and often vomiting. Severe nausea and vomiting are also good signs of the flu, especially in children and adolescents.
– There is usually a marked feeling of tiredness and general weakness.
– Mild to severe headache is common.
– Stomach pain and digestive disorders are often caused by the flu.
– Pain around the body is common, for example, in the muscles and around the joints.
– Some people experience a bit of neck stiffness and pain in the neck when trying to flex it, but this symptom should not be a big one. If these symptoms are different, the disease may be meningitis.
– The eyes can be read and irritated.
– Skin redness may also occur.
Having the flu substantially lowers your resistance against other viral and bacterial illnesses, especially if you don’t get enough rest and comfort when you have the flu. Lung infection and throat infection from bacteria are common complications of the flu.
PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF INFLUENZA
As with the common cold, staying away from sick people and a strict washing regimen can also prevent transmission of the influenza virus, but such a regimen is difficult to carry out.
It is often possible to prevent the flu with vaccination. However, there are many strains of influenza viruses, and therefore vaccination must be given against exactly the epidemic of that strain at any given time.
In the case of the flu, it is important to reduce your activity level and stay warm and comfortable until all symptoms have resolved. In case of severe symptoms, bed rest is recommended. The exertion and stress during a flu episode easily results in aggravated illness and additional bacterial or viral infections.
It is recommended to stay away from tobacco when you have the flu.
Aspirin or paracetamol may be used to relieve pain and reduce fever. As for colds, paracetamol is commonly recommended, especially for children and adolescents. Medications should not be taken in higher doses than recommended and even recommended doses should be used with caution and not for long.
There are modern medicines that help against the proliferation of some strains of the influenza virus in the body and thus alleviate the illness and shorten the time it takes to get rid of the disease. The two classes of antivirals are neuraminidase inhibitors and M2 inhibitors (adamantane derivatives). Neuraminidase inhibitors are most preferred, eg the drug Tamiflu. These inhibit the action of the neuramidase enzyme used by the virus. There is a reluctance to use these drugs because virus strains that are not susceptible to the drug can develop, and drug stores can be easily depleted with extensive use.
Medications to decrease swelling, inhibit mucus production, loosen mucus, and suppress coughing can also be used for both influenza and the common cold.
The same natural supplements that are used to boost the immune system against colds can also help prevent the flu and help the body overcome illness faster, such as Echinacea and vitamin c supplements. Some herbs of the genus Scutellaria (skullcaps) contain a natural neuramidase inhibitor and may also help against the flu. Scullcap is often brewed as a tea.
DISTINGUISHING COLD AND FLU FROM MENINGITIS
Meningitis is a serious disease that requires immediate treatment. Meningitis can start with the same symptoms as a cold and flu. However, there are two symptoms that strongly suggest meningitis:
Due to meningitis there is usually a severe neck stiffness. If bending your neck down is very difficult and causes severe pain, the condition may be meningitis.
The other symptom is red spots on the skin that do not blanch when pressed. These spots can occur anywhere on the body.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTROLLING A PERSON WITH COLD OR FLU SYMPTOMS
When someone, and especially a child, gets sick with cold or flu symptoms, it is necessary to measure the temperature, check for a stiff neck, and look all over the body for red spots. These checks should be performed several times every 24 hours. In this way, it is easier to distinguish between the common cold and the flu, and meningitis is more easily discovered early.