What Is The Difference Between Influenza And ARVI, Acute Respiratory Infections And Colds, Table Of Differences

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

What is the difference between influenza, SARS, acute respiratory infections and colds: learning to distinguish between diseases

The off-season sets in and everyone gets sick again … the flu? A cold? Maybe ARVI or ARI? If you don't know exactly what the difference is, then it's time to fill in the gaps.

Cold

In medicine, the term "cold" does not exist in principle - it is not a diagnosis. In everyday life, colds are called so, the distinctive features of which:

• moderate increase in temperature (up to 37.5 ° C);
• nasal congestion;
• sore throat;
• light cough without phlegm.

The cause of colds is hypothermia. They are very sluggish, with a slow and gradual deterioration in health. First of all, a runny nose appears, after a couple of days - pain and sore throat. Cough sometimes comes with them. The temperature is kept around 37 ° C.

Flu

The flu is spread by a virus. Unlike a cold, it is impossible to get it from ordinary hypothermia. However, cooling the body reduces its defenses, which leads to infection. Immunity is weakened, and therefore a harmful virus begins to multiply with great zeal and speed, causing symptoms such as:

• elevated temperature from 38.5 to 40 ° C;
• Strong headache;
• reddened, as if puffy eyes;
• chills, aches;
• physical weakness and increased fatigue.

Influenza manifests itself suddenly, all of the listed symptoms attack in bulk. Sneezing and coughing may appear on the second day, but this is not necessary.

If you let the flu take its course, then you will definitely not be able to recover - more likely there will be some complication

ARI

Acute respiratory illness is an illness that affects the airways. Such a diagnosis is made when the doctor is not sure of the cause of the disease - for example, the presence of a virus in the patient has not yet been established, and the infection may be bacterial. ARI is a whole group that includes:

• pharyngitis (pharynx is affected);
• laryngitis (larynx);
• bronchitis (bronchi);
• tracheitis (trachea);
• rhinitis (nose) and many others.

The symptoms are as follows:

• a gradual increase in temperature up to 38 ° C;
• nasal congestion or sore throat (depending on the location of the infection);
• cough, sometimes with phlegm;
• fatigue.

According to the symptoms of acute respiratory infections, it differs from the common cold in increased fatigue, decreased performance.

ARVI

Acute respiratory viral infection is apparently caused by a virus. This is also a group of diseases that affect the respiratory tract. The division between ARI and ARVI is rather arbitrary - if the doctor does not know for sure that the disease is caused by a virus, then he puts ARI. If the analyzes have confirmed the presence of the pathogen - ARVI. Therefore, the symptoms are identical.

Table: differences between colds, flu and acute respiratory infections (ARVI)

Symptom	Cold	Flu	ARI (ARVI)
Temperature	Up to 37.5 ° C	38-40 ° C	Up to 38 ° C
Cough	Dry, weak	Dry, painful	Dry, sometimes with phlegm
Runny nose	It appears from the first hours	May appear on the second or third day	Appears within the first two days
Sneezing	Appears immediately after a runny nose	Usually absent	Appears with a runny nose
Headache	Not	Yes	Only with complications
Redness of the eyes	Not	Yes	For bacterial infections

Now you can see the difference between these similar diseases and can show off your knowledge in front of family and friends.