Colds vs Flu

[bex77]

A co-worker shared a great chart from the Marino Center shows the difference between cold and flu symptoms. I usually think "fever=flu" but there are several clear differences. I haven't found anything about how to tell H1n1 Flu from seasonal flu...apparently only a blood test can do that. Not sure if it matters anymore.

With all the sickness going around, I thought I'd share it so you can tell what flavor of the Martian plague you have:

Cold
no fever, productive cough, slight aches, stuffy nose, no chills, mild tiredness, sneezing, symptoms develop over days, rare to have a headache, sore throat, mild chest discomfort

Flu
fever for 3-4 days (80% of cases), dry non-productive cough, severe ache, no stuffy nose, chills (60% of cases), moderate to severe tiredness, no sneezing, rapid symptom onset (3-6 hrs), headaches, severe chest discomfort

Do people's symptoms match up in this pattern?

I've definitely had a cold this week. I hope we all feel better soon!

Comments

[antikythera.livejournal.com]

I have the cold version. Overall it looks like we handle their germs better than they handle ours... zinnngggg!

[bex77]

Heh...that is so true! OOooohhh, ooooh....laaaaa....PLONK!

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

According to the above, I had both -- the cold version during the week before tech week, then the flu version from tech week up until this week. I'm assuming bronchitis is what they mean by "severe chest discomfort."

I wonder where delirium and GI apocalypse fall into the spectrum, though? Last Friday and Saturday I was out of my head delirious, and we won't go into the GI but, yeah. Maybe my plague came from a more remote region of Mars. :-)

[bex77]

I've been wondering if you have pneumonia...you have most of the symptoms I had when I was diagnosed with it two years ago, especially the "no voice or sounds at all" major suckage. I also had "not hungry at all" which had never happened to me before. But severe bronchitis is very similar. Funny how having a name for it helps somehow...I hope you are much better soon!

[smacaski.livejournal.com]

I have traits of both: at first I had the dry cough, but now it's moved onto a productive cough; stuffy nose, fever, headache, seemed to develop over several days. It would suck muchly if I had both.