Flu Symptoms Vs. Cold Symptoms

The most commonly misdiagnosed conditions in medicine are cold and flu. These two conditions are sometimes wrongly interchangeably used to refer to any kind of mild infection of the upper respiratory tract. However, there are many differences when it comes to flu vs cold symptoms. Before we go on to discussing the differences between influenza and the common cold, let us see in brief what exactly is the common and cold and influenza.

Common Cold
As the name suggests, common cold is practically the most common infectious disease to affect any individual. This is a contagious viral infection that affects the upper respiratory tract. This is caused due to rhinovirus and coronavirus. The common symptoms of this condition include a constant sore throat, a runny nose and at times, a headache. A sore throat is usually the main symptom that helps to differentiate between symptoms of flu and cold. These symptoms generally resolve spontaneously within a few days, though they may last for up to three weeks as well.

Influenza
Influenza, or flu as it is commonly called, is an infectious disease that is caused due to RNA viruses that belong to the family Orthomyxoviridae. This virus affects birds and mammals. This condition, though, affects the entire respiratory tract, also usually leads to systemic symptoms like fever, chills and body ache as well. This disease is a far more serious condition when compared to the common cold. One of the main flu vs cold symptoms that help differentiate between these two commonly misdiagnosed conditions is the fact that the systemic symptoms can become quite serious if not dealt within time. It can lead to complications like nausea, diarrhea, gastroenteritis, etc. It can also lead to lung infections like pneumonia, which is a fatal complication.

Difference Between Flu and Cold Symptoms

Symptom	Cold	Flu
Onset of symptoms	The symptoms generally appear gradually	The symptoms usually appear within three to six hours of contracting the virus
Sneezing	One of the most typical symptoms of a common cold is constant sneezing	Sneezing is rare in people who have the flu
Fever	Fever is very rare in case of a cold	Fever is usually present in case of a flu
Body ache	Body ache is very rare in people who have only a cold	Body ache is usually present and is quite severe in people suffering from flu
Stuffy nose and sore throat	A stuffy nose and sore throat is commonly seen in people suffering from common cold	Stuffy nose and sore throat are relatively uncommon in people suffering from the flu
Chills	Cold is not accompanied by chills	Chills and fever is common in flu, as it is seen in more than half the patients
Headache	People suffering from a cold may or may not have a headache. If a person has a build up in the sinus cavities, then he may suffer from a sinus headache	Headaches are relatively common on people suffering from the flu
Tiredness	Very rare in a cold	Excessive tiredness and weakness is commonly seen in people suffering from flu. This is often exacerbated due to the body pain
Cough	If a person has a cough along with a cold, then the cough will generally be productive, that is, wet cough	Persistent dry cough is quite common in people suffering from flu
Chest congestion	Chest congestion and chest discomfort is relatively rare in and if present, is only mild to moderate in nature	Chest pain and discomfort is quite common in people suffering from the flu. The flu often causes a lot of congestion and chest discomfort
Complications	Sinus congestion, headache and earache	The complications of influenza include various lung diseases like pneumonia

When it comes swine flu versus regular cold flu symptoms, the symptoms of swine flu will be much more serious and quicker in onset when compared to common cold. However, in the end, precaution is always better than cure, hence, if you are showing symptoms that make you suspect influenza, then it is best to visit a doctor and get the condition diagnosed and treated at the earliest.