Cold vs. the Flu: Does It Matter?

Over-the-counter drugs and chicken soup help both, right? Not so fast.

It's important to learn which kind of illness you're dealing with. That's because the flu can have serious complications, like the lung infection pneumonia. It can even be deadly. Flu treatments work best within 48 hours of the time symptoms start. Prescription antiviral drugs may cut the time you're sick.
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If you feel like you've been hit by a truck, it's probably the flu. Symptoms like sore throat, fever, headache, muscle aches, congestion, and cough tend to come on suddenly. Colds are usually less intense and include a runny or stuffy nose. The flu gets better over 2 to 5 days, but you might feel run-down for a week or longer. Colds come on slowly and last up to 10 days.
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While some people may get a slight fever when they have a cold, most don’t. If you have the flu, you’ll probably run a temperature of 100-104 F. Children's flu fevers tend to be higher. Kids may also be more likely to have a fever with the common cold.
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You likely start off feeling extremely tired and achy all over. That fatigue and weakness may last for up to 3 weeks -- or even longer in seniors and people with long-term (chronic) diseases or a weak immune system. With a cold, you usually feel bad for just a few days.
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Still, a headache that comes along with a cold, like other symptoms that result from the virus, tends to be milder than one caused by flu.
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Colds and flu are respiratory illnesses, which affect your airways, so both can cause coughing.

Pneumonia is a lung infection that can be a complication of the flu. Call your doctor if you have a persistent cough, fever higher than 102 F and chills, a hard time breathing, shortness of breath, or chest pain when you cough.
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Congestion from either ailment can make your ear pressure rise. This affects the eustachian tube, which connects your throat to your middle ear. It can cause a dull ear pain, hearing loss, and the sensation of “popping” in your ears. It usually goes away with your other symptoms.

See your doctor if the earache lasts longer than your sickness or you feel sudden, strong pain. You may have an ear infection that needs treatment.
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This early symptom tends to last for 1 to 2 days. A runny and stuffy nose is also common. Sore throats come with the flu, too. But if you have it, you’ll probably be tired and have other symptoms that come on all at once.
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Get a flu shot. It's made from proteins found on versions of last year’s flu. It helps your body be ready to recognize and fight when you're exposed to the real thing. The flu vaccine can't give you the flu!

The flu shot is very important for children older than 6 months, pregnant women, adults 50 and older, and people with long-term (chronic) illnesses or weak immune systems.

Some years, you can get a nasal mist version of the vaccine.
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The swine flu pandemic officially ended in 2010. Vaccines protect against the swine and seasonal flus, which share many of the same symptoms: cough, sore throat, fever (although not everyone with the flu gets a fever), and body aches.
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