Symptoms of a cold: how not to confuse it with other diseases?

Cold symptoms can be quite difficult to recognize because they often disguise themselves as other illnesses, such as flu or allergies. How to recognize the signs of a cold?

[ 1 ]

Cold viruses

More than 200 different viruses can cause the common cold. The most common type is rhinoviruses, which cause about 40% of colds in adults. Colds peak from fall to early spring, when people spend most of their time indoors, making it easy for these viruses to spread.

[ 2 ]

The most obvious symptoms of a cold

A cold usually begins suddenly with a sore throat, followed by other cold symptoms:

• Watery discharge from the nose
• Sneezing
• Increased fatigue and weakness
• Cough - dry or wet

Colds are usually not accompanied by a high fever. A high fever and more severe cold symptoms may mean you have the flu or another illness that is not a cold.

Cold Symptoms Details

During the first few days, a person will have watery discharge from their nose. This is the immune system's defense against viruses entering through the nasal passages. Later, this discharge may become thicker and darker.

A mild cough is also a symptom of a cold and may last into the second week of a cold. If you have asthma or other lung problems, a cold can make things worse. Talk to your doctor about changing your asthma treatment plan or considering additional cold treatment.

If your cough is accompanied by thick mucus or you have a fever, you may have a bacterial infection. See your doctor for help.

[ 3 ], [ 4 ], [ 5 ]

Cold timing

Cold symptoms usually last one to three days after you have been infected with a cold virus. Cold symptoms usually last three to seven days. Once the worst is over, you may feel weak and tired for a week or more. During the first three days that you have cold symptoms, you can easily infect other people. It is worth knowing that colds are especially contagious during the first week. This means that you can pass on the cold virus to those with whom you come into contact (come more than a meter away).

[ 6 ], [ 7 ]

How to differentiate between allergies and a cold?

Sometimes you may confuse cold symptoms with allergic rhinitis, also known as hay fever. If your cold symptoms get better in less than a week or two, there's a chance it's not an allergy. If your symptoms last longer than two weeks, talk to your doctor to make sure you haven't developed chronic allergies.

Allergies are caused by an overactive immune system. For reasons that can be difficult to figure out, your body reacts to certain substances, such as house dust or pollen. The body then produces chemicals, such as histamine. This can cause swelling in the nasal passages, a runny nose, coughing, and sneezing. Allergies are not contagious, although some people may inherit a tendency to have allergies.

When to call a doctor for a cold?

With the exception of newborns and older adults with chronic illnesses, colds are not dangerous for humans. Cold symptoms usually disappear within a week or two without special treatment. Unfortunately, colds can greatly impair your body's resistance, making you more susceptible to bacterial infections.

If your cold symptoms continue to bother you and your condition does not improve, see your doctor. Your doctor will look closely at your throat and ears and listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. They may take a throat swab for culture, using a long cotton swab. The throat swab will show whether you have a bacterial infection that requires antibiotic treatment.

Call your doctor if you have:

1. Ear pain
2. Pain around the nose and around the eyes for more than a week
3. Temperature above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). If your baby is under 3 months (12 weeks) and has a temperature of 102.4 degrees Fahrenheit (39 degrees Celsius) or higher, call your doctor.
4. High temperature that lasts more than 24 hours in a child under 2 months and no more than 3 months old, and in children aged 2 years and older
5. A cough that produces mucus for more than a week
6. Dyspnea
7. Worsening of symptoms
8. Cold symptoms that last longer than two to three weeks
9. Problems with swallowing
10. Sore throat for more than five days
11. Neck stiffness or sensitivity to bright light

[ 8 ], [ 9 ]

You should also see a doctor immediately if:

• You are pregnant or breastfeeding and develop cold symptoms
• Your newborn or older child is suffering from cold symptoms.
• Your cold symptoms get worse after the third day.

Colds can worsen symptoms of other conditions, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Colds can lead to acute bacterial bronchitis, acute pharyngitis, pneumonia, or ear infections, especially for people with lung disease.

It's not clear whether fatigue, stress, poor diet or poor health causes more frequent colds, but they often cause more severe cold symptoms.

The older a person is, the harder it is for him to cope with cold symptoms. This should not be forgotten and it is necessary to take care of sufficient rest and sleep.

[ 10 ], [ 11 ]