by Eric Lannak

Created on: January 16, 2011

Every year, from fall to spring, doctors’ offices bustle with patients wondering if they have a cold or the flu. The two illnesses have some major symptoms in common, so it’s no wonder many of us need a doctor’s help to tell them apart.

But often knowing if it’s the flu or a cold can’t wait for an appointment.  If recognized during the first 48 hours, antiviral drugs like Tamiflu can make all the difference between a serious (and maybe life-threatening) illness, and one that’s merely miserable. For this reason it’s best to recognize the flu as soon as possible.

Colds and flu are often confused because they’re both caused by viruses that infect the lining of the respiratory tract. Both can cause cough, fatigue, body aches, and chest discomfort, but that’s where the similarities end. Their differences, however, are clear, and recognizing these differences can ensure timely treatment.

ONSET

Flu comes on suddenly, with symptoms like chills or “chilliness”, or a fever over 100 degrees F (38C) growing to include headache, fatigue, body aches, and cough over a few hours. Sudden onset is typical of all flu infections, whether it's mild or severe.

A cold’s first symptoms, on the other hand, are usually sneezing or a runny nose, which builds over the next day or two to include a cough, mild temperature (under 100F), mild body aches, and mild fatigue. Flu is sever and rapid, colds are mild and slow.

SYMPTOMS

Flu causes fever over 100F in 8-of-10 cases, while colds rarely cause high fever.

Cough from the flu tends to be dry. Cough from a cold, on the other hand, produces mucus.

Flu rarely causes a runny nose. Colds always do.

Flu can (but usually doesn’t) cause a “stuffy” feeling in the nose, but doesn’t “block” nostrils. Colds are more likely to block the nose.

Six-of-ten flu cases cause chills, and eight-of-ten cause headaches. Colds almost never cause chills or headaches in otherwise healthy individuals.

Body aches caused by flu can be severe, and develop in the first 24 hours. Body aches in a cold are uncommon and usually don’t develop until the third or fourth day.

Flu causes fatigue in just a few hours after first symptoms, and it can be severe. Colds sometimes cause mild fatigue, and it usually appears a few days after first symptoms.

Flu-related nausea and vomiting is more common in children, but can

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