When you feel feverish and also have a cough or a runny nose, you might be confused, as to whether it is a common cold or flu. Despite sharing many similar symptoms, both these ailments have different causal factors and recovery patterns. It is crucial to identify them for an effective recovery plan. Here is the difference between the common cold and flu to help manage these conditions properly.

Causal Factors
According to the American Lung Association, the common cold is a prevalent upper respiratory tract infection. Though more than 200 strains of viruses cause this infection, rhinovirus is the primary culprit for the occasional sneezing, congestion, and sore throat in most cases.

You can catch a common cold at any time of the year, but the infection peaks in winter when the germs have increased virulence due to low humidity. Influenza A, B, and C viruses are the pathogen for flu. Among them, influenza A and B are widespread and cause thousands of infections every year in the country. Flu is usually a seasonal infection that occurs from fall to spring. Similar to the common cold, it peaks in winter.

Symptoms
There is a notable difference between common cold and flu regarding their symptoms. In the common cold, patients experience sneezing, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, and mild body ache. However, in influenza, patients run a moderate to high fever and also have body ache and fatigue. They also have a dry cough, vomiting, nausea, headache, and chest discomfort.

In general, the symptoms of flu are more severe than the common cold. In certain cases, the fever can go to as high as 102 degrees, and may even require medication prescribed by a doctor or hospitalization to recover.

Complications
The difference between common cold and flu complications are easily detectable. The common cold can lead to middle ear infection and sinus congestion. However, flu can turn severe and become life-threatening in some cases.

Patients can get bronchitis, sinusitis, and pneumonia if they do not recover from influenza quickly. Children, pregnant women, and older adults should take special care as the flu can turn fatal in no time.

Treatment
Since both common cold and influenza are viral infections, antibiotics do not offer any relief from the symptoms. Doctors prescribe antihistamines, decongestants, and zinc to manage the discomfort caused by a cold. Studies have proved that the administration of 80-milligrams of zinc lozenges within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms can reduce the recovery time of common cold considerably.

Doctors recommend plenty of fluid, pain relievers, decongestants, and medication to reduce fever to get relief from influenza symptoms. However, never administer aspirin to children, as it can cause Reye’s syndrome. Antiviral medications also reduce the recovery time of the flu.