What is the difference between influenza and the common cold?

Influenza and the common cold both show symptoms of a cold and cough, but in fact they are two different colds. The common cold has an acute onset, with symptoms of sneezing and runny nose, while influenza has an incubation period, has an acute onset, and is accompanied by a high fever.

1. The first difference between the common cold and influenza is that the common cold does not spread. The common cold, commonly known as "cold", is a common respiratory disease caused by a variety of viruses, a considerable number of which are caused by a certain serotype of rhinovirus. The common cold can occur in any season of the year, but is more likely to occur in winter and spring. Most common colds are sporadic and do not cause epidemics. Influenza, or flu for short, is a disease caused by influenza virus. It is highly contagious and can spread among a large population in a short period of time. Flu epidemics are common in winter and spring. There are three types of influenza viruses, namely A, B and C, among which infection with influenza A virus is more common.

2. The second difference is the symptoms . The common cold has an acute onset. Early symptoms include dry, itchy or burning throat, sneezing, nasal congestion, and runny nose. The runny nose starts as clear water and becomes thicker after 2 to 3 days. It may be accompanied by sore throat. There is generally no fever or systemic symptoms, or only low fever and headache. If there is no concurrent bacterial infection, the disease usually recovers in 5 to 7 days. The incubation period of influenza is usually 1 to 3 days. The onset is very acute, with fever at the beginning, which can be as high as 39℃ to 40℃, chills, general discomfort, dizziness, headache, sore limbs, sneezing and runny nose. After the high fever persists for 3 to 5 days, the systemic symptoms are alleviated, and respiratory symptoms such as cough gradually worsen. Based on the clinical manifestations and severity of the disease, influenza is divided into four types: simple type, pneumonia type, poisoning type, and gastrointestinal type. Those with mild illness can recover in 2 to 3 days, those with severe illness can take 1 to 2 weeks, and some can even last for a month. Common complications of influenza include pneumonia, viral myocarditis, and neurological complications.

3. The third difference is the treatment methods. Currently, for most people with common colds caused by viral infections, there is no effective antiviral drug that can directly kill the virus. The effective method is to rely on the human immune system to produce specific immunity to the virus. Therefore, supportive therapy should be the main treatment for colds, with special attention paid to rest, drinking plenty of water, and eating a light diet. Colds can lead to secondary bacterial infections, in which case antibiotics can be used appropriately for treatment. The same type of influenza virus can undergo genetic mutations in nature to form new virus subtypes. People who have not been naturally infected or immunized with effective influenza vaccines generally lack resistance to these mutated influenza virus subtypes and are easily infected. This is why influenza pandemics occur several years apart.