Cold: This is how you recognize and fight a flu-like infection

With the first cold days, we increasingly encounter people with a sniffly nose and a cough: the season for colds is here again. Coughs, runny nose and hoarseness are particularly typical during the autumn and winter months and hardly affect anyone.

No wonder, after all it belongs, alsocalled, one of the most common diseases. Adults are affected on average two to five times per year. Children, on the other hand, become infected even more often: the little ones suffer from nasty colds four to eight times a year.

Colds or flu-like infections are symptoms caused by viruses. In most cases, the main culprits are rhinoviruses as well as coronaviruses and adenoviruses. If the body is weakened by the cold, it is also more vulnerable to bacteria.

A simple flu-like infection can then become a mixed infection or a so-called superinfection. The bacteria such as A streptococci are then responsible for the complications of a cold, such as pneumonia, middle ear infections or sinus infections.

It usually starts harmlessly: the throat is scratchy and the nose tingles. Little by little, a cough and sore throat appear. In worse cases, mild fever and a general feeling of illness. The symptoms of a cold vary from person to person.

Tipp:Sage tea has a soothing effect and is considered a proven remedy for sore throats.

A common cold, however, is a constant runny nose and swelling of the mucous membranes, so that the voice sounds a little nasal. Slight chills are also common. The cold usually spreads from the nose into the throat. The tonsils often become red and the throat scratches and hurts. Laryngitis can also be the result of a cold. In addition to the pharynx, the bronchi are often affected, which manifests itself in a dry, irritating cough.

Tipp:Inhaling daily clears the respiratory tract and helps fight colds. Using a nasal douche with special salt is also a proven home remedy for a runny nose.

In addition to these classic cold symptoms, children often suffer from a general feeling of illness. You are faster, tired and weak, suffer from headaches and body aches and sometimes have a slight fever.

The cold transmitted by viruses is one of the so-called droplet infections. This means that you become infected through contact with someone who is sick. The classic situation is the following: You are traveling to work in a crowded bus or train, someone nearby with a cold sneezes and the pathogens spread into the air. These enter your body through inhalation, and if the immune system is weakened, it cannot fight the viruses. You get sick.

In addition to transmission through the air, the viruses also enter the body through physical contact, such as when shaking hands and then touching your own mouth with your hand, for example. Another classic route of transmission: drinking together from a bottle or glass.

By the way:There is also an acute risk of infection when kissing. On the other hand, kissing is also said to strengthen the immune system.

The terms flu-like infection and flu sound similar. But while the flu infection is usually a harmless cold, the flu can cause serious complications.

Do I have a flu-like infection or a real flu?
The symptoms are almost the same, but are usually much more pronounced with the flu. A violent and sudden onset is typical for flu: cough, runny nose, sore throat and fever occur almost at the same time. In addition, many complain of chills as well as limb, joint and muscle pain.

If it's just a cold, the symptoms usually appear one after the other or alternate. Often the throat scratches first, then the nose starts to run and after a few days a cough occurs. By this point, the sore throat is usually already forgotten. Very few people have a fever when they have a cold, and if they do, then only a slightly elevated temperature. If you suspect you have the flu, you should see a doctor immediately. Influenza is a reportable illness that can lead to serious complications.