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Although they share symptoms, it is easier to identify a cold than the other two diseases, which usually require a microbiological test to distinguish them. The cold confuses the rise of SARS-CoV-2 with the typical winter pictures
Our hemisphere is preparing to face the coincidence of Covid-19 surges with the colds and flu typical of the winter season. Three diseases with similar symptoms that can complicate the identification of SARS-CoV 2 outbreaks and saturate - perhaps more than in spring - the different levels of the health system. Knowing how to distinguish the nuances of each disease can help you make the best decision as an affected person.
The probability of occurrence is divided into six levels, from least to most frequent.
| SYMPTOM | COLD / CONSTIPATE | FLU | Covid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhaustion | INFREQUENT | FREQUENT | FREQUENT |
| Nasal congestion (snot) | VERY FREQUENT | FREQUENT | INFREQUENT |
| Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath or dyspnea) | NEVER | INFREQUENT | FREQUENT |
| Sore throat | FREQUENT | INFREQUENT | FREQUENT |
| Muscle pain | HARDLY EVER | VERY FREQUENT | INFREQUENT |
| Sneeze | VERY FREQUENT | INFREQUENT | INFREQUENT |
| Exhaustion | INFREQUENT | INFREQUENT | FREQUENT |
| Fever (+38) | HARDLY EVER | VERY FREQUENT | VERY FREQUENT |
| Total loss of taste and smell (no mucus) | INFREQUENT | INFREQUENT | FREQUENT |
| Dry cough | FREQUENT | FREQUENT | FREQUENT |
Symptom
All three share symptoms, but in the case of flu and Covid they overlap so much that they are almost indistinguishable clinically. "The only way to really differentiate them is with a microbiological test," says María José Gimeno, a family doctor at the San Blas health center in Alicante. However, they all have a preference for expressing some signals with more intensity and frequency.
The cold, the mildest syndrome, is characterized because "there is a predominance of nasal congestion and symptoms of runny nose and sneezing," explains Mar Masiá, professor of Clinical Medicine at the UMH. Although the other two can present them, they are much less frequent. Neither the dry cough, which occurs with the same frequency in all three, nor the sore throat, something less common in the flu, provide decisive information. Headache and diarrhea are also not specific to either.
The fever divides them into two groups as well. If the body temperature does not exceed 38 degrees - that is, if the patient has fever or fever, in medical jargon - it is most likely that it is a cold, since high fever is very common in flu and Covid. . Gimeno points out, however, that mild Covid symptoms can present low-grade fever.
The partial loss of smell or taste is normally a consequence of the blockage of the airways due to congestion and mucus, clarifies the UMH professor, so if these symptoms occur "we may lean toward a cold, an allergy, or, to a lesser extent, a flu. When the anosmia or disappearance of these senses is total and there is no mucus, we are facing a typical symptom of Covid.
Something similar happens with breathing difficulties. When the feeling of shortness of breath comes from within, from the lungs, the balance tips towards Covid. Gimeno highlights that dyspnea or the feeling of shortness of breath is always a sign of seriousness. "Dyspnea never occurs with colds," the university professor points out.
Another important factor is fatigue. «Exhaustion, the feeling of being exhausted, is characteristic of Covid. The flu can cause tiredness, a feeling of fatigue but it is less marked », he adds. If muscle pain occurs, we should think mainly about the possibility that it may be the flu.
In this sense, it is worth remembering that vaccination against this disease for vulnerable groups begins this Monday.
