ABOUT COMMON COLD AND INFLUENZA ( FLU ) AND THE DIFFFERENCES BETWEEN THEM

Comon cold and influenza give many of the same symptoms, and they are often mistaken for each other. A flu can develop to a serious disease and can give serious complications, and the chance for this occuring increases if it is not handled properly. Therefore it is important to distinguish between those two diseases both by your children and by yourselves.

Both common cold and flu give symptoms from the ear, nose and throat, fever and symptoms from the rest of the body, and the symptoms of both diseases can vary between mild and very bad. The main difference between common cold and flu are these.

By common cold, the symptoms from the windpipe comes first and remain as the main symptoms throughout the occurence.

By flu, pain in the rest of the body, nausea, fever, feeling of weakness and other general symptoms usually occur first, and remain as the main symptoms througout the disease. The symptoms from the windpipe may sometimes be very small.

THE CAUSES AND INFECTIOUS MECANISMS OF COMMON COLD

The common cold is caused by a large variety of viruses, which mutate quite frequently during reproduction, resulting in constantly changing virus strains. Therefore successful immunization has not been achieved.

By sneezing and coughing secretions are thrown out of the airpipe of the sick persom  Some of these secretions are carried through the air as small drops. Others may deposit upon surfaces people touch. People can then inhale the airborn drops, o bring indectious material from surfaces to the moth by their hands.

Between one-third and one-half of all people exposed to a cold virus become infected; 75% of the infected population show symptoms, which start 1–2 days after infection.

SYMPTOMS OF COMMON COLD

Generally, a cold starts with a sore throat with no respiratory blockage. Later symptoms are mostly a result of the body's defense.

The symptoms from the windpipe are the strongest by common cold. These are

• The throut feels sore, and this is a very early symptom.

• There will be increased secretions form the nose, resulting in rinning nose.and dryer secretions building up in the nose.

• There will be increased secretions in throat, rsulting in wheesing sound, and building up of dryer secretions also here..

• There will be swellling in the nose and throut.

• Cough and sneezing are important symptoms of common cold. These reactions are stimulated by the building up of secretions and of the swelling in the windpipe.

Symptoms from the rest of the body are:

• Mild to severe heaache is common.

• A mild fever may occur,

• Some persons experience a little neck stiffness and pain in the neck when trying to flex it, but this symptom must not be great.

THE PREVENTION OF COMMON COLD

There exist herbal and mineral supplements on the marked that may strengthen the immune system and thus prevent cold from occuring or ammeliorating the cold if it still occurs. These supplements often contain extracts of Echinacea angustifolia. Garlic and zinc gluconate  lozenges are also regarded as effecteive preventive measures for against common cold.

THE TREATMENT OF COMMON COLD

The immune system of the body usually manages to beat down the infection within some days. There are treatment that attack the virus directly, but these are not allways very efefctive.. Treatments of common cold has the aim of relieving symptoms and of strengthening the immune system so that it can beat the infection better.

By common cold one shall hold an activity level that is felt comfortable. It is not necessary to restrict the daily activities more than that necessary to feel comfortable.

Pain killers such as aspirine and paracetamol relieve the pain by commion cold effectively, and are the most common treatment for common cold.  However, both drugs can give adverse reactions if they are used in greater amounts than recomended, and even recomeded doses can sometimes give dangerous effects. Aspirine can cause internal blleding and both aspirin and paracetamol can cause liver damage. For children and teens it is adviced to use paracetamol, because the liver damage caused when young people take aspirine can be very severe.The drugs should therefore be used with caution and not in a too long period.

Drugs to loosen mucus, to decrease swelling, to decrese mucos production or to suppress the cough reflex can be effective to relieve symptoms.These drugs are often made to mainly loose mucus or mainly suppress exaggerated cough, but these two effect are often blended in the same drug. These drugs may be liquid, be prepared as nasal spray or as tablets to suck on. To choose the right drug for your child or yourself, you must examine to find out what are the main symptoms: Mucus production, whether the mucus is loose or hard, swelling or exaggerated cough.

Steam inhaling is a traditional treatment long used in many countries. The treatment can help loose the mucus so that the winpipe more easily is cleared by cough. The treatment may also to some extend destroy the virus.

The drug Pleconaril attack the viruses causing the majority of common colds, picornaviruses. The drug has been developed by ViroPharma Incorporated and Schering.  The drug is available in oral form and inter-nasal formulations are being devloped.

Interferons are used nasally in Eastern Europe to treat common cold. Interfeons are natural proteins than regulate the function of the immune system.

Very high doses of vitamine C has been proven to prevent common cold, to lessen the infection and to accelarate the cure from the infection. The doses needed are however vert high, up to 8 grams a day for an adult person in the beginning of the infection. So high doses are unpleasant to take and may give adverse reactions.

The herb Echinacea angustifolia may help the immune system to better fight the disease. Treatment with extracts of this should not exceed two weeks.

Many people find that garlic is effective against common cold also as a treatment to alleviate the disease and make it go away faster. In order to be effective, the garlic must be raw, or the effective compound ,ust be prepared in a supplement so that it does not degrade.

Zinc gluconate  lozenges are also regarded as a measure to treat common cold.

THE CAUSES AND INFECTIOUS MECANISMS OF INFLUENZA

Influenza is also caused by viruses that mutate quite frequently. However one strain tend to dominate each year and are brought around the whole globe, causing a global epidemic, or pandemic.

A by common cold, sneezing and coughing cause secretions to be thrown out of the airpipe of the sick person  Some of these secretions are carried through the air as small drops. Others may deposit upon surfaces people touch. People can then inhale the airborn drops, o bring infectious material from surfaces to the moth by their hands.

Between one-third and one-half of all people exposed to a cold virus become infected; 75% of the infected population show symptoms, which start 1–2 days after infection.

THE SYMPTOMS AND COMPLICTIONS OF INFLUENZA

Flu often begins as a diffuse lack of wellness that persists for some hours, and sometims for a couple of days. Sometimes the flu do not progress past this stage. However, after some time the symptoms often suddenly get worse with a great degree of general discomfort.

By flu the symptoms from the windpipe are the same as by common cold, but they are weaker.

• The throut feels sore, and this occurs commonly later tha by cold.

• There will be increased secretions form the nose, resulting in rinning nose.and secretions building up in the nose.

• There will be increased secretions in the rest of the indpipe.

• There will be swellling in the nose and throut.

• Cough and sneezing are symptoms, but not in that degree as by cold.

Symptoms from the rest of the body are the strongest by flu. The symptoms can be distributed througout the whole body.

• Flu often gives high fever. If the fever is high, the disease is probably flu.

• In spite of the fever, there is often a feeling of coldness, and some parts of the body, for example the feet may actually be cold.

• There will be nausea, often severe,  and often voimitting. Severe nausea and voimiting are also indication that the disease is a flu. Especially children and teens will experience nausea and voimitting.

• Feeling of being tired and of general weakness is also an important symptom by flu, and this feeling can be very pronounced.

• Stomach ache and digestive disturbances often occur by flu.

• Aches around in the body, for example in muscles and around joints are common.

• Mild to severe headache is common.

• Some persons experience a little neck stiffness and pain in the neck when trying to flex it, but these symptom must not be great.

• The eyes can be read and irritated.

• Also skin redness can occure.

Having flu decreases the resistance against other viral and bacterial diseases substantially, especially if one does not get enough rest and comfort when having flu. Lung infection and throat infection by bacteria are common complications by flu.

THE PREVENTION OF FLU

It is often possible to prevent flu with vacccination. However there are many strains of the flu viruses, and therefore the vaccination must be given exactly against that strain being epidemic at any given time.

There exist herbal and mineral supplemsnts on the marked that may strengthen the immune system and thus prevent flu from occuring or ammeliorating the flu if it still occurs. These supplements often contain extracts of Echinacea angustifolia.

THE TREATMENT OF FLU

By flu it is important to reduce the activity level and keep oneself warm and comfortable until all the symptoms have recided. By severe symptoms, rest in bed is recommanded. Straining and stressing during a flu episode easily result in an aggavated disease, in complications and in attack by bacterial infections in addition to the flu.

It is adviced to stay away from tobacco when having flu.

Aspirine or paracetamol can be used relieve the pain and bring down the fever. However, both drugs can give adverse reactions if they are used in greater amount than recomended, and even recomended doses can sometimes give dangerous effect. Aspirine can cause internal bleeding and both aspirin and paracetamol can cause liver damage. The drugs should therefore be used with caution and not too long. For children and teens it is adviced to use paracetamol, because the liver damage caused when young people take aspirine can soetimes be very severe.

There exist modern drugs that helps aginst the proliferation of influenza virus in the body, and therebv alleviates the disease and shorten the time it takes to get rid of the disease. The two classes of anti-virals are neuraminidase inhibitors and M2 inhibitors (adamantane derivatives). Neuraminidase inhibitors are mostly preferred for flu virus infections.

Drugs to decrease swelling, inhibit mucus production, loosen mucus and suppress cough can also be used by influenza as by common cold.

The same natural drugs used to improve the immune system by colds may also be of help by influenza, like echinacea, vitamine c, garlic and zinc gluconate lozenges.

HOW TO EXAMINE A CHILD HAVING SYMPTOMS OF COLDS AND FLU

Since it is important to distinguish between common cold and flu and also some other more serious disease like meningitis when a child is ill, the parents should examine the child thorroughly when a child shows symptoms of cold or flu.

• One should look at the whole body of the child several times each day, at least in the morning, in the middle of the day and in the evening. If the symptoms are very hard, one should also look at the child during the night.

• One should let he child bend its neck and back foreward. If severe stiffness or pain then occur, the condition can be meningitis.

• One shall look for red spots that do not get pale when they are pressed upon. This is also a sign of meningitis.

• One should hear and watch for breething problem. Those mey be symptoms of pneumonia or other serious conditions.

• The temperature should be taken several times each day, at least in the morning, in the middle of the day and in th evening. When symptoms are pronounced, the temperature should also be taken during night. High temperature is a sign of influenza.

• If meningitis, penumonia or other serious conditions are suspected, doctor mst be called immediately or the child taken to a medical center immediately. If the doctor cannot come or if it is diffiult to get the child to examination, more definite actions towards the medical providers shoould be persued in order to get the child (or an adult for that sake) to proper care in due time.