What is the difference between a stomach cold and a common cold?

Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
Updated on January 02, 2025
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Gastrointestinal flu and common cold have certain differences. The so-called gastrointestinal flu, clinically, often involves some viruses infecting the respiratory tract, which causes patients to have not only upper respiratory symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, fever, and throat itchiness. These patients will also experience gastrointestinal discomforts like nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, diarrhea, and a decrease in appetite. These symptoms indicate gastrointestinal flu. On the other hand, patients with a common cold typically exhibit only upper respiratory symptoms, such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fever, throat itchiness, and coughing. Generally, a common cold does not accompany symptoms like abdominal distension, diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 11sec home-news-image

What causes a cold to lead to stomach ache?

A cold, also known as an upper respiratory tract infection, often occurs in individuals with weakened immune systems who are exposed to the cold. Symptoms include nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing. The common causes of a cold are viruses, bacteria, or other pathogens entering the respiratory tract. If a patient with a cold also experiences stomach pain, it may be due to exposure to cold while having a pre-existing chronic gastritis. This can occur from not wearing adequate clothing or from consuming cold foods such as ice cream and other frozen desserts, causing simultaneous occurrences of a cold and stomach pain. This is quite common. Therefore, for cold patients who already suffer from stomach issues, it is important to be cautious and aware, especially when taking oral medications to treat a cold. Many medications can irritate the stomach, so even in cases of simple upper respiratory tract infections, it is generally better to choose medications that are less irritating to the stomach for treatment.

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Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
1min home-news-image

How many days has the cold caused a runny nose?

If you have a cold with a runny nose, it will generally recover within about seven days. Since this is just a common cold and it is self-limiting, there is no need for excessive worry. However, if the symptoms are more severe and include coughing, phlegm, and fever, it is important to take some anti-inflammatory and anti-infection medications along with symptomatic treatment to alleviate the symptoms. Recovery should also take about three to five days, and there is no need for excessive worry. Additionally, it is important to keep warm, avoid catching cold, eat a light diet, avoid spicy and greasy foods, cold and irritating foods, drink plenty of water to promote metabolism, and enhance your immunity. Do not stay up late and ensure sufficient sleep to help the illness recover faster. (Please follow the guidance of a professional physician when taking medication and avoid self-medication.)

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Written by Hu Bai Yu
Pulmonology
1min 6sec home-news-image

How to treat a cold during pregnancy

If you have symptoms of a cold while pregnant, it is advised not to self-medicate blindly. Always consult a physician and use medications that are relatively safer to treat the condition so as to prevent any potential impact on the fetus. This is particularly important during the first three months of pregnancy when the baby's development is still not complete, and indiscriminate use of some medications could possibly cause developmental abnormalities in the baby. It is suggested that everyone should distinguish the type of cold they are experiencing, and then treat and alleviate symptoms through dietary therapy. For instance, for a cold caused by exposure to wind and chill, one might drink some brown sugar ginger tea or have a warm foot bath, both of which can expel the cold from the body, promote blood circulation, and relieve cold symptoms. If it's a cold caused by wind-heat, drinking herbal teas that clear heat and detoxify can be beneficial in alleviating the condition.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
1min 7sec home-news-image

What should I do if I have a cold and vomiting in the summer?

In summer, patients may catch a cold due to carelessness, especially when the body's immune function is compromised. Colds, varying in type, also differ in accompanying clinical symptoms. For instance, summer cold patients might experience not only fever, nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing but also nausea and vomiting, suggesting the presence of a gastrointestinal-type cold. To address this, it is crucial first to identify the vomiting symptoms accompanying the cold. A gastrointestinal cold is mostly caused by viral infections, so it is necessary to administer antiviral and heat-clearing detoxifying medications promptly for symptomatic treatment. Once the symptoms of the upper respiratory tract are effectively controlled, the vomiting will similarly subside. Of course, patients with gastrointestinal colds must hydrate promptly and consume light, easily digestible, and nutritious food.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Can a baby swim with a cold?

When a baby has a cold, their physical condition is not at its best, which means their physical ability will definitely decline. Under such circumstances, we do not recommend that the baby goes swimming. Swimming can increase physical exertion in the water, and sometimes the water temperature is not properly controlled, which could potentially increase the baby's burden. Especially when there is significant physical exhaustion, and if the water temperature is not well controlled, it may worsen the baby's cold symptoms. Therefore, we advise against swimming in this situation, but you can still give the baby a warm bath. However, make sure the duration is not too long, and the external temperature must also be appropriately managed.