The causes, symptoms and infectivity of the two diseases are different.
Great temperature change and large temperature difference between morning and evening are also important reasons for the high incidence of colds in early spring. At this time of year, the number of hospital respiratory outpatients and inpatients will increase greatly. Chen Dexiong, director of the emergency department of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, said that many patients think that the flu is a cold, and there is nothing to be afraid of. But in fact, severe flu patients may have coma, convulsions, high fever and nonsense, and even serious cases may lead to death.
Suffering from the flu, how to deal with it? Chen Dexiong believes that if the symptoms are only sneezing, runny nose and other upper respiratory symptoms, and the systemic symptoms are mild, no fever or only low fever, you can observe them at home first. However, if the patient is an infant or an elderly person, or if the patient has a basic history of heart and lung, the symptoms include chest tightness, palpitation, shortness of breath, dyspnea, poor appetite, etc. Besides fever, it is better to come to the hospital as soon as possible.
"Many patients tend to confuse the flu with the common cold," Chen Dexiong pointed out. Although the symptoms of the flu and the common cold are similar, they are two completely different infectious diseases. The differences are mainly as follows:
First, the causes of colds are different. Influenza is an acute respiratory infection caused by influenza virus, which is highly contagious and spreads quickly, through droplets and contact with influenza people. Influenza viruses include three types: A, B and C. People’s influenza is mainly caused by the first two influenza viruses. The common cold can be caused by many pathogens, such as rhinovirus, adenovirus, bacteria and mycoplasma, etc. The common cold often occurs when people’s body resistance drops, such as fatigue and catching cold.
Second, the symptoms are different. The biggest difference between the flu and the common cold is that the flu is "urgent", with respiratory symptoms such as sudden chills, sudden onset of high fever, headache, general fatigue, stuffy nose, runny nose, etc., but the symptoms are urgent but not easy to get better. The common cold is mild in general symptoms, without fever or low fever, and there will be symptoms of runny nose and sneezing. "The average common cold can be cured in 3-5 days."
Third, the infectivity is different. Influenza virus can be transmitted to others through coughing and sneezing of people suffering from influenza, which is very contagious, which is why influenza is easy to form an explosive epidemic. The common cold mostly appears individually, and rarely appears in batches. "In addition, the flu has another feature, that is, it has obvious seasonality, and it is relatively high in winter and spring." He said.
For the prevention of influenza, Chen Dexiong reminded that influenza vaccination is an effective means to prevent and control influenza, while there is no preventive vaccine for the common cold. During the period of high incidence of influenza, people should avoid going to crowded public places, wash their hands frequently, pay attention to indoor ventilation and wear masks in public places; At the same time, strengthen physical exercise, balance diet, enhance physical fitness, avoid catching cold, rain and excessive fatigue, and pay attention to personal hygiene. "These practices are helpful for preventing the common cold and flu." (Reporter Huang Rongfang correspondent Hu Junyan, Bai Wei)
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