The difference between common cold and influenza is mainly in terms of etiology, clinical manifestations, infectiousness and complications.
1. Causes: Common cold is mostly caused by rhinovirus, coronavirus, adenovirus, respiratory syncytial virus and other infections, while influenza is caused by influenza virus infection, which is divided into influenza A, B and C viruses.
2. Clinical manifestations: the symptoms of common cold are mainly nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, fever, etc., and systemic symptoms are mild; while the systemic symptoms of influenza are more serious and the respiratory symptoms are not serious, manifested as chills, fever, headache, fatigue, generalized body aches and pains, etc., and the body temperature often reaches 39～40℃.
3. Contagiousness: the common cold is generally not contagious, while the flu is more contagious.
4. Complications: common cold patients can be complicated by acute sinusitis, otitis media, nephritis, etc., the condition is relatively mild; while the flu is easy to complicate viral pneumonia, encephalitis, myocarditis and other multiple organ damage.
In addition, the common cold and influenza in the focus of treatment, prognosis and other aspects also have certain differences, it is recommended that patients seek timely medical treatment by a specialist to make a diagnosis and give targeted treatment.