by Iris W

Created on: January 29, 2009   Last Updated: February 03, 2009

So many of us have, at one point of our life, mistaken a simple sniffle as common cold. I'm sure there were also a time when you, like I, have used the term cold and flu interchangeably, unaware that they are actually two different illnesses. However, these are actually two very different illness even though they do share some similar symptoms.

So what sets one apart from the other one?

The flu, otherwise known as influenza, is a respiratory infection caused by influenza viruses. Most people can recover from flu as easily as they contract it; however it can also be a deadly disease as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated about 100,000 cases of hospitalization and about 36,000 deaths from the flu and its complications every year in the United States alone.

A cold is also a viral or respiratory infection that is caused by the adenovirus or coronavirus, and very rarely by bacteria. It usually affects the nose and the throat but unlike the flu, a common cold is usually harmless as it is a milder form of respiratory illness. You can perhaps go about with your daily activities as usual with common cold, drinking Mom's homemade chicken soup to soothe the symptoms. This isn't the case with the flu though but you can prevent flu by vaccination.

Both the cold and flu share common symptoms such as nasal congestion, scratchy throats, coughing, and sneezing and fatigue. But there are some significant differences that can the two illness:

1) DURATION

A cold usually last for about 3 days to a week while the flu can last for much longer from a few days to a few weeks. If your 'cold' get better after a week or so, then it is likely to be a common cold. If it persists after a week, consult a doctor.

2) TYPES OF SYMPTOMS

A flu involves:

Body aches,
Chills,
Dry cough (without producing any mucus),
Fever,
Headache,
Sore throat,
Stuffy nose,
Fatigue,
Mild to severe chest discomforts.

A cold usually involves:

Mucus buildup in your nose,
Difficulty breathing through your nose,
Swelling of your sinuses,
Sneezing,
Sore throat,
Cough,
Fatigue,
Body aches,
Headache.

Although a cold would cause tiredness, you would experience a more severe case of tiredness or exhaustion with the flu, especially during the beginning of the symptoms.

A cold does not usually comes with fever, although sometimes it does. The occurrence of a fever would most likely indicate either an allergy or a flu.

3) ONSET OF SYMPTOMS

The symptoms for cold usually begins 2 - 4 days after the infection while for flu, they would

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