What is the difference between a cold and ARVI: the difference in diseases

What is the difference between a cold and SARS, all parents should know well. After all, these are diseases that children often suffer from. With the beginning of the cold and rainy season, many students begin to feel bad. Moreover, the symptoms of these diseases are often indistinguishable. In most cases, this is a runny nose, fever, cough. In such a situation, it is important to understand what kind of disease it is - SARS, ARI, flu or a common cold. It directly depends on what actions mothers and fathers should take in order to put the patient on his feet as soon as possible. In this article we will tell you how these diseases differ, how to treat them.

The main differences

The main thing that distinguishes the common cold from SARS is the viruses that provoke these diseases. In total, experts count more than two hundred all kinds of viruses, it is very important to understand in a timely manner which of them hit your baby. After all, if you start the wrong treatment, it can threaten serious complications that will significantly affect the condition of the minor.

For example, untreated flu is fraught with otitis media, bronchitis, pneumonia, damage to the urinary tract, as well as encephalitis, severe neuritis and serous meningitis.

It is important to understand how the common cold differs from SARS and the flu. In this case, you will not have to give your child potent medications if he has a mild illness. And if this is a serious virus, then do not let the situation drift, waiting for the disease to pass by itself.

Modern scientists distinguish three main influenza viruses - A, B and C. The fundamental difference between them is their ability to mutate. For example, the influenza C virus is stable, that is, a person who has been ill only once acquires immunity for the rest of his life. This is perhaps the most common virus among children and adolescents. But in adulthood, he no longer affects them. The influenza B virus is changing moderately, and the most insidious type A in this list. It is constantly changing, provoking annual epidemics around the world.

Another key point in how the common cold differs from SARS and the flu is the course of the disease. If the flu is accompanied by a sharp increase in temperature and begins completely suddenly, then with other viral infections, catarrhal symptoms predominate. With an adenovirus infection, acute respiratory infections, or a common viral infection, a sore throat, runny nose, and possibly catarrh of the upper and lower respiratory tract can occur, which can develop into bronchitis. Only after all this does the patient rise in temperature. During the flu, severe intoxication of the body begins immediately. It is characterized by a loss of strength, chills, headaches and muscle pains, a dry cough, aching in the whole body, pain behind the sternum may appear. That's how they differ - colds, SARS, ARI, flu.

By the way the disease begins to develop, you can already understand what kind of diagnosis the doctor will most likely make. Lack of temperature at the initial stage - this is the difference between acute respiratory infections, colds and SARS from influenza. They occasionally provoke fever, inflammation of the mucous membranes comes to the fore.

Causes of the common cold

The term SARS stands for Acute Respiratory Viral Infection. They designate those acute respiratory diseases, that is, acute respiratory infections, in which the role of viruses is assumed or unequivocally proven. Flu is usually excluded from this list. It is diagnosed only with the appearance of characteristic symptoms (mainly this occurs during epidemics) or after official laboratory confirmation. The main thing that distinguishes the common cold from SARS is the cause of the disease.

In general, the common cold is the common name for acute respiratory infections. So it turns out that it is an integral part of acute respiratory viral infections. It should be emphasized that the common cold can affect different organs. Therefore, experts distinguish different types of acute respiratory infections - rhinitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nasopharyngitis. It turns out, the main thing that distinguishes the common cold from SARS is the presence or absence of the virus that triggered the ailment.

If a child falls ill, then in almost 95% of cases it is either the flu or SARS. Moreover, children often become infected with the flu from adults, since a feature of this disease is the rapid spread. This is especially true for minors who regularly attend large groups - go to school or kindergarten. Now finding out what the difference between colds and SARS is, it will be easier for you to avoid problems.

Features of prevention

Any disease can be prevented by carefully following appropriate preventive measures. SARS and the common cold in this sense are no exception.

To avoid viral infections, doctors advise to be as rare as possible in crowded places during an epidemic. If this cannot be achieved, then use protective masks. At this time, you should limit your child’s visits to shops, sports and creative clubs, as well as any other public places where he might become infected.

At the first signs of the disease, you need to leave the baby at home and call a family doctor or pediatrician. It is important to pay attention to strengthening children's immunity. For newborns and very young children, this means providing proper nutrition and care, and older children can be prescribed vitamin therapy.

The nuances of treatment

Having figured out how to distinguish a cold from SARS, you will know how to cope with a particular disease. It is worth noting that the basis for therapy for all acute respiratory infections is the removal of symptoms. It is necessary to take antipyretic drugs, observe the correct drinking regimen, in most cases, vitamin C and antihistamines are prescribed.

During illness, it is important to drink at least two liters of fluid per day. This will help the body cope with losses due to the strong perspiration that accompanies high fever. In addition, a large amount of liquid helps to thin the sputum, it becomes easier for her to leave the body.

A sick body loses not only water, but also beneficial substances. Therefore, it is recommended to use drinks containing trace elements and vitamins. It is preferable to drink juices, mineral waters, berry fruit drinks.

We cope with ARVI

It is important to know how to treat colds and SARS. With viral infections, antipyretic drugs are necessary to lower body temperature. They are also used as painkillers and reduce inflammation.

In this condition, children are advised to give Paracetamol. It practically does not affect the gastric mucosa, is well tolerated by most patients, does not cause Reye's syndrome and severe allergic reactions. Paracetamol can be given to children from the age of three. Doctors recommend "Ibuprofen" for babies. There are various forms of these drugs: tablets, suspensions, suppositories.

It should be noted that often ARVI is accompanied by nasal congestion, as well as abundant mucus separation. Therefore, doctors additionally prescribe antihistamines, which help the patient easier to endure the disease, relieve discomfort and swelling.

Cold Methods

Remedies for SARS and colds are often used the same. However, in the latter case, many doctors recommend taking complex medications right away, especially if a child falls ill who is not so easily persuaded to take an extra pill or medicine. However, do not be mistaken, considering that the drug will have a greater effect if there are more components in its composition.

It is enough that an antihistamine, paracetamol and vitamin C are present in the complex preparation. This is all that is needed to cope with a cold. A classic example is Antigrippin. For children there is a special form with pleasant tastes. Moreover, in the "children's" version, all components are present in a lower dosage than in adults. The advantage of this drug over most others is that it has a water-soluble form. The mucous membrane of the stomach is not damaged in this case, the main active substances penetrate the body faster, starting to work immediately after administration.

Choosing the right medicine

It is important to always keep in mind a few key points when choosing a particular drug. First, always pay attention to the quality of the drugs. Many prefer European manufacturers who work according to international criteria that guarantee safety. It is possible to achieve such a result due to total control over the production process. Moreover, observation occurs at all stages, from the creation of individual components to the packaging of the drug.

Secondly, carefully read the composition. Some drugs contain a large number of components, but this is not a guarantee of a quick and effective recovery. Moreover, some ingredients may not be compatible with each other.

Thirdly, do not try to treat the flu with antiviral drugs and antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription. Antibiotics have the ability to kill bacteria, so they are completely ineffective against viral infections. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe them for the flu, but only if there are concomitant complications that were caused precisely by bacteria. It can be inflammation of the middle ear or lungs, sinuses. As a rule, doctors prescribe antibiotics only after receiving the results of a patient’s blood test.

Summary table

In order to visualize the differences between SARS, colds and flu, we will combine in a common table all the characteristic signs and symptoms that will help us distinguish one disease from another. After that, we will consider the symptoms in more detail in order to be sure which illness afflicted you or your loved ones.

You need to know the common cold in the face

Symptoms of the common cold and SARS have much in common, but there are also fundamental differences. The main distinguishing feature of the common cold is that its symptoms do not appear sharply. They intensify and grow gradually.

The main signs by which this disease can be distinguished:

• sneezing, coughing, hoarse voice;
• headache;
• redness of the pharynx;
• sensation of a "scratching" sore throat;
• runny nose with copious secretions of mucus or a feeling of nasal congestion;
• feeling of weakness and weakness;
• joint and muscle pain, chills.

Separately, it is worth stopping at a temperature. We emphasize that during a cold it may be completely absent or be completely low. The very first signs appear shortly after hypothermia. In most cases, it takes from one to three days.

Symptoms of ARVI

Now we will analyze what the signs of SARS are compared to the common cold. The main symptoms of this disease are a runny nose, characteristic sore throat, pain in the eyes, lacrimation, cough, headache, general lethargy.

The common cold develops gradually. At the very beginning, the patient has a little tickle in the throat. At this moment, he is still not sure whether he becomes ill or not. Then a runny nose appears, which increases literally every hour. A cough usually occurs a few days after the onset of the very first symptoms. As in the case of the common cold, the temperature does not rise sharply. In extreme cases, it reaches values ​​of 37.5-38 degrees.

If you do not start treatment for this disease in a timely manner, there is a risk of developing various complications. For example, sinusitis, that is, inflammation of the sinuses, or otitis media, is called ear inflammation. It is especially important to have strong immunity. If he does not save from the infection itself, then at least it will save it from complications, which is already important.

Remember that there is an increased chance of getting infected from a patient with SARS. In the room in which it is located, the virus spreads at a distance of about seven meters around the patient. In the air, he can stay from two to nine hours. In addition, these viruses show resistance to freezing, but quickly die when heated. It is good to use ultraviolet rays and disinfectants to disinfect the room.