The difference between viral influenza and the common cold.

Written by Zou Zhong Lan
Pulmonology
Updated on September 19, 2024
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The common cold is mostly caused by viruses and has milder symptoms, mainly including cough, nasal congestion, and runny nose. It tends to resolve on its own, and the whole-body symptoms are mild. Viral colds usually refer to colds where a specific pathogen can be identified, also known as influenza, such as H1N1, H3N2, type A influenza, and type B influenza prevalent in the winter and spring seasons. Its whole-body symptoms are more severe, mainly including fever, sore throat, headache, whole-body muscle soreness, poor spirits, fatigue, and other systemic symptoms.

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
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Sore throat without cold symptoms

If it is just a simple sore throat without any other cold symptoms, it could possibly be due to an early stage cold, acute pharyngitis, acute laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, or acute epiglottitis. Some patients may also experience neurogenic pain in the throat area. Overall, there are many possible causes, and it's hard to determine based solely on symptoms. Therefore, it is recommended to visit an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist, who can perform an indirect laryngoscopy or a fiber optic laryngoscopy to clearly observe the specific condition and location of the disease within the throat. Additionally, a complete blood count test can be helpful in determining whether there is an acute bacterial or viral infection causing inflammation. If there is an acute infection causing inflammation, antibiotic treatment may be considered, along with regular follow-ups.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
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What to do when a one-year-old baby has a cold?

For treating a cold in a one-year-old baby, we mainly handle symptoms as they appear. If the baby has only occasional mild coughing or a slight fever, if they can eat and drink, and if their spirits are good, then parents don't need to worry too much, and special treatment generally isn't necessary. However, if the baby has a severe cough that affects their breathing, a fever over 38 degrees Celsius, and their spirits are not good, it is important to take the baby to the hospital for timely treatment. It's important to emphasize that parents should not arbitrarily use medications to treat the baby, as many cold medicines intended for adults should not be used for babies.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
1min 21sec home-news-image

What is the difference between viral cold and wind-heat cold?

The distinction between viral influenza and wind-heat cold is mainly the different naming conventions used by two different medical systems for the common cold. Viral influenza is a term used in modern medicine to describe a viral infection. In contrast, wind-heat cold is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for a type of cold that occurs after being affected by a pathogenic heat. These two terms are completely different. The pathogen of viral influenza is primarily caused by a viral infection. On the other hand, wind-heat cold is diagnosed based on symptoms, suggesting that the individual might have been affected by pathogenic heat, or has internal heat, leading to the condition. Therefore, generally, viral influenza is not treated with traditional Chinese medicine. Wind-heat cold, conversely, is not treated with Western medicine. So, if diagnosed with viral influenza, one would typically take some antiviral medications along with Western cold medicines. If diagnosed with wind-heat cold by a TCM practitioner, some appropriate heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese medicines would be prescribed. These represent two distinct medical systems with their unique diagnostic labels for the illness.

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Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
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Stages of Cold Symptoms

The symptoms of a cold generally fall into three stages. Initially, the symptoms of a cold may be mild or even absent, such as slight sneezing, runny nose, or nasal congestion. In such cases, it is advised to drink plenty of water, promote excretion, and improve immunity, as the early symptoms are often mild or not obvious and hence overlooked. Later, the symptoms of a cold get more severe. During the mid-stage of a cold, symptoms may worsen, including cough, phlegm, sore or swollen throat, or itchy and dry throat. Body temperature may also rise slightly. At this stage, it is recommended to actively follow a doctor's advice and take appropriate anti-inflammatory and anti-infection medication, along with fever-reducing and cough-relieving drugs to alleviate the symptoms. In the later stages of a cold, symptoms may improve, for example, the phlegm may turn yellow and the headaches and fever may subside. Under these conditions, it is sufficient to continue taking medication under a doctor’s guidance for treatment.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Does common cold cause dry cough?

In clinical practice, ailments like the common cold, also known as upper respiratory infections, generally occur in patients due to reduced immune function, exposure to cold, or contraction of wind-cold, causing various symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fever, dry and itchy throat, coughing, and pain. Therefore, as with the previous infection, most clinical cases are caused by viral infections. So, when patients suffer from upper respiratory infections, they often experience varying degrees of dry cough, which is very common. Typically, identifying the specific infecting pathogen causing the common cold and providing symptomatic treatment can lead to a full recovery within about a week. For severe dry cough symptoms, appropriate cough suppressant medications can be used for symptomatic treatment.