Reading time: approx. 5 minutes<\/p>\n\n
If someone coughs or sneezes on public transport, some people look suspiciously and keep a greater distance. Because it could be an unscrupulous superspreader<\/strong> who should actually go into quarantine. Often, however, it is just a common cold.<\/p>\n\n Here you will find out,<\/p>\n\n Doctors use the term cold to describe an acute inflammation of the mucous membranes<\/strong> in the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat, sinuses). The disease is also called the flu-like infection. Colds are mostly caused by the following viruses: rhinovirus<\/em> (30 to 50 percent of cases), coronavirus<\/em> (10 to 15 percent), influenza virus<\/em> (5 to 15 percent) and adenovirus<\/em> (less than 5 percent).1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n Because cold viruses are very contagious, adults get sick two to five times a year. In schoolchildren, flu-like infections even occur seven to ten times a year. As a rule, a cold is harmless and ends after about a week.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n True flu (influenza) is a notifiable infectious disease<\/strong> which, according to the Robert Koch Institute, mainly occurs in our latitudes from the beginning of October to mid-May. The trigger is usually the influenza A virus<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n More rarely, other influenza viruses are also possible pathogens. Although the symptoms of flu and the common cold are different, many sufferers do not recognise the seriousness of the situation and do not see their GP until late. First, therefore, let us look at the main differences.<\/p>\n\n For current reasons, we add the respiratory disease COVID-19<\/strong> (coronavirus disease-2019), which can be caused by the novel pathogen SARS-CoV-2<\/strong> (severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus type 2).3<\/sup><\/p>\n\n Generally, infectious diseases are characterised by the symptom fever. If you suddenly develop a fever of 38.5 to 40 \u00b0C, which lasts for more than three days and is accompanied by a severe feeling of illness, this is an indication of influenza. Many sufferers also complain of diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting.<\/p>\n\n In the case of a cold, only a slight fever is observed – if at all – which disappears again after a short time. If nausea or gastrointestinal problems occur, the syndromes are not serious.<\/p>\n\nWhat do doctors mean by a cold and flu?<\/h3>\n\n
How does a cold differ from influenza and COVID-19?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
Typical symptoms of colds, flu and COVID-19<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n