Symptom Checker: How Do You Know if You Have the Flu or Just the Common Cold?

Posted by Ben:

The cold and flu season is still going strong. Runny noses, sore throats and trips to the walk-in clinic are abundant, and there are few signs of a slowdown. But how do you know if you are suffering from the common (and annoying) cold, or if you’ve come down with a case of the flu...or worse, swine flu?

 
The good news is you don’t have to be a registered nurse or MD to check and identify the common symptoms of colds and flu’s. All you need to know how to do is match the symptoms with the correct illness, which isn’t as hard as it may sound. Below are the most common symptoms you may experience, along with a short explanation and whether they relate most often to the common cold or the flu (seasonal or H1N1 swine flu).

Fever
Fever is rare with a cold, but is usually present with the flu. In fact, up to 80% of all flu cases are accompanied by a mild to high fever. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is currently associated with the H1N1 flu.

 
Coughing
A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the H1N1 flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough). I bet you’ve never thought of a cough as “productive,” have you? But it makes sense. Productive coughs are working to get rid of all the junk that’s keeping you stuffed up and sick.
 

Aches
Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold, but usually it’s just your head that aches from sinus pressure. Severe aches and pains, on the other hand, are common with the flu, especially this year’s H1N1 flu.

Stuffy Nose
A stuffy or plugged up nose is the overwhelmingly most common symptom of a cold. It typically resolves spontaneously (goes away by itself) within a week. Having a stuffy nose is not usually a good sign of the flu. In other words, don’t jump to conclusions the minute you get a little backed up in your olfactory system. It’s likely just a cold, miserable as it may make you feel. 

Chills
Chills are uncommon with a cold. However, 60% of people who have the H1N1 flu experience chills. Odd, you’d think “chill” and “cold” would go together.

 
Tiredness
Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold, but it all depends with the severity of the cold. Some people can get knocked out cold, pardon the pun, from stuffed up nose and sinus pain. Moderate to severe tiredness where you just can’t get up and out of bed has been pretty common with the H1N1 flu this year. If you’re more tired than normal, be careful and watch your other symptoms. 

 
Sneezing
If you’re sneezing (and have other symptoms like stuffiness) you probably have a cold. Sneezing is not common with the flu, pig or otherwise.

 
Sudden Symptoms
Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days, which makes it one of the most annoying things ever. The H1N1 flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains.

 
Headache
A headache is very common with the seasonal and H1N1 flu, present in about 80% of cases. Other than the sinus pressure of a stuffed nose, having a headache is somewhat rare for colds. 

 
Sore Throat
Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. Sore throat is not commonly present with the H1N1 flu. (This one I would have guess wrong)

 
Chest Discomfort
Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the H1N1 flu especially.

 
So, now you have a little better understanding of which symptoms go with which illness. Have you or any of your friends or family been sick lately? Any H1N1 cases? We’d like to hear first hand from our readers how bad, or mild, their symptoms and illnesses have been this year. And, if you’ve received a flu shot, which one and has it worked so far?

 
Posted by Ben


P.S. Anybody dressing up for Halloween this year? We’ve got a few creative creatures roaming the halls here at Swanson...if you’re lucky, we may post some pics on Monday!