Flu or Cold Symptoms? 流感或伤风感冒症状

When you wake up sneezing, coughing, and have that achy, feverish, can't move a muscle feeling, how do you know whether you have cold symptoms or the flu? And if it's the flu, could it be swine flu?

It's important to know the difference between flu and cold symptoms. A cold is a milder respiratory illness than the flu. While cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks. The flu -- whether it's typical seasonal flu or the swine flu virus -- can also result in serious health problems such as pneumonia and hospitalizations.

What are common cold symptoms?

Cold symptoms usually begin with a sore throat which usually goes away after a day or two. Nasal symptoms, runny nose, and congestion follow, along with a cough by the fourth and fifth days. Fever is uncommon in adults, but a slight fever is possible. Children are more likely to have a fever with a cold.

With cold symptoms, your nose teems with watery nasal secretions for the first few days. Later, these become thicker and darker. Dark mucus is natural and does not usually mean you have developed a bacterial infection, such as a sinus infection.

Several hundred different viruses may cause your cold symptoms.

What are common flu symptoms?

Whether a person has typical seasonal flu or swine flu, the symptoms seem to be quite similar. Flu symptoms are usually more severe than cold symptoms and come on quickly. Symptoms of swine flu or other flu include sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. Swine flu in particular is also associated with vomiting and diarrhea.

Most flu symptoms gradually improve over two to five days, but it's not uncommon to feel run down for a week or more. A common complication of the flu is pneumonia, particularly in the young, elderly, or people with lung or heart problems. If you notice shortness of breath, you should let your doctor know. Another common sign of pneumonia is fever that comes back after having been gone for a day or two.

Just like cold viruses, flu viruses enter your body through the mucous membranes of your nose, eyes, or mouth. Every time you touch your hand to one of these areas, you could be infecting yourself with a virus, which makes it very important to keep your hands germ-free with frequent washing to prevent both flu and cold symptoms.

流感或伤风感冒症状


当您睡醒的时候，突然打喷嚏、咳嗽，感到疼痛或发烧，肌肉紧绷的感觉，您如何辨别那是伤风、感冒或流感呢？如果是流感，有可能是禽流感吗？


流感与伤风感冒症状之间的分别相当重要。感冒这一种呼吸系统疾病比流感温和。感冒症状可令您好几天都感到不适；流感症状则令您从几天不适到几个星期都感到不舒服。流感，无论是季节性流行性感冒或是禽流感病毒，也可能导致严重的健康问题，如肺炎和住院。


感冒症状


感冒症状通常始于咽喉痛，通常在一两天后消失。鼻部症状，流鼻涕，紧随着鼻塞，四、五天后开始咳嗽。发烧较少见于成人，也有可能出现轻微发烧的情况。孩童较常出现感冒发烧症状。


感冒症状包括最初几天，您的鼻子会装满湿漉漉的鼻腔分泌物。几天后分泌物越来越浓稠，越来越沉暗。沉暗的分泌物粘液是很自然的，并不意味着您已被细菌感染，如鼻窦感染。


数百种病菌可造成的感冒症状不一。


普通流感症状


一个人患上季节性流行性感冒或者禽流感的症状非常相似。流感的症状通常比普通感冒来得更严重，而且更快。禽流感或其他流感的症状包括咽喉痛，发烧，头疼，肌肉酸痛，充血和咳嗽。禽流感的症状通常还包括呕吐和腹泻。


大多数流感的症状会在二至五天内逐渐改善，不过也可能延续到一个星期或更长时间。一般流感的并发症包括肺炎，特别是针对患有肺或心脏疾病的青年或老年人。当您发现气短，即刻告诉医生。肺炎的另一种症状是发烧，退烧一两天后又再发烧。


流感病毒如同感冒病毒，通过您的鼻子粘膜，眼睛和嘴巴进入身体。当您的手触碰以上部位，就会被感染。勤于洗手令您的双手保持无菌状态以避免患上流感或感冒。

(Source 资料源自: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/flu-cold-symptoms)