All of us have experienced the sore throat, runny nose, aching and general sense of misery that announce the onset of the common cold.
Other familiar signals include a cough headache, and dry sore or sensitive breathing passages.
The symptom of both common cold and the flu are often the same, because both are caused by the same family of respiratory viruses.
The distinction between the two depends on how severe the infection is and the range of symptoms.
The flu is usually more severe develops quickly and involves more of the body than a cold.
A cold also occurs at any time of year, while the flu usually in epidemics normally in late fall and winter.
Beyond respiratory inflammation, the flu produces a moderate to high fever, aching muscles and acute fatigue.
Vomiting and diarrhea may also develop and in extreme cases, the flu may lead to pneumonia in particularly susceptible individuals.
Other complications of the flu, although rare, include inflammation of the brain (encephalitis) or heart (myocarditis), R eye’s syndrome (an illness primarily affecting children, involving abnormal brain and liver function), and croup.
As the body attempts to fight the invading pathogens that can cause colds and flu, white blood cells are rapidly transported to the sites of infection.
The chemically mediated inflammatory response of white blood cells causes swelling, which can result in stiffed sinuses and swollen nose of throat.
Mucus is also secreted to trap the pathogens. Such reactions are signs of a normally functioning immune system. As are a runny nose, sneezing, and coughing which serve to expel toxins and infectious organisms in the form of phlegm.
Colds and Flu
