The Difference Between a Cold and the Flu

It can be a little bit difficult to tell the difference between a cold and the flu. By understanding a little bit about the flu, about what causes it, and how its symptoms come about, you can learn to distinguish between a cold and the flu. Distinguishing the difference between a cold and flu may help you be better able to treat your illness.

One of the most distinct differences between a cold and the flu is that flu symptoms tend to come on very suddenly. It is not likely that you will develop flu symptoms over a several day period, as is the case with the common cold. The flu tends to come on quickly and severely. A cold, on the other hand, may take a week or more to fully develop.

Another difference between a cold and the flu is the cause. A cold is typically caused by a bacterial infection of some sort or another. In other cases, the cold may be from a different type of a virus that is not related to the influenza viruses that causes the flu. In contrast, the flu is caused by one of the various strains of influenza virus. As such, the flu can be prevented with the flu vaccine where there is not a vaccine that can prevent you from getting a cold.

The symptoms of the flu are very similar to those of a cold, although there are some differences. Common symptoms between the flu and a cold include things like a dry cough, sore throat, a runny nose, a headache, muscle aches and sinus infections. However, a flu virus is more likely to have fever and stomach symptoms than a cold is likely to have.

It is the symptoms of the flu that can be the most marked difference between the flu and a cold. For example, the flu will generally cause a fever that goes over 100 degrees. That fever will likely last for as much as three or four days. In general, a cold will not cause you to have a fever. Additionally, headaches are much more common with the flu than they are with a cold. You might have some headache or some aches and pains with a cold, but the severity of headaches and aches and pains tends to be much higher with the flu.

Exhaustion is another symptom of the flu that, generally speaking, people with a cold will not have. The flu can make you feel as though you are completely exhausted.

The cough that accompanies the flu is most often a dry cough. This doesn't mean that you can't have a productive cough with the flu, it just means that a productive cough may be a sign more of a cold than it is of the flu.