SurvivalMedicineBlog

Cold, flu, or allergies: telling them apart

Not medical advice. This is an archive article for general information when professional care is hard to reach. It is not a diagnosis, treatment, or cure. Read the disclaimer. In an emergency, call your local emergency number.

Colds, flu, and allergies can all cause a runny nose and a cough. They are not the same problem, and a web page cannot tell you which one a person has. Use the differences below only as a starting point, then use the warning signs to decide whether to get care.

How they often differ

• Allergies tend to include itching of the eyes or nose and last as long as the person is around the trigger. Fever is not typical.
• Colds usually build over a day or two, with a stuffy or runny nose, a sore throat, and a cough. Fever, if there is one, is often low.
• Flu often starts suddenly, with fever, chills, body aches, and exhaustion, with or without a cough.

People do not always match these patterns. A clinician uses the whole picture, including age, pregnancy, asthma, and how fast someone is getting worse.

Get medical care promptly for

• Trouble breathing, blue lips, chest pain, or inability to drink
• Confusion, a seizure, a stiff neck, or a rash that does not fade when pressed
• Symptoms in an infant under three months, or any fever in that age group
• An illness that is getting worse after a few days, or that improved and then returned worse
• Dehydration: very little urine, dizziness, or no tears in a child

Stay home when you are sick so you do not pass a contagious illness on. Rest and fluids are reasonable while you wait for mild symptoms to improve. This site does not publish drug doses, herbal treatments, or homeopathic schedules for colds or flu. Routine vaccination and antiviral decisions belong with a clinician and with public health guidance.

Part 2 covers everyday prevention. Older parts of this series that listed remedies have been removed.