Cold, Flu, & Cough Home

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Symptoms & Types

Get the facts about cold symptoms and how they differ from those of other conditions. Also, learn about common cold complications such as sinusitis and bronchitis, and find out how colds can affect children, pregnant women, and people with chronic illnesses.

How to Tell When You Have a Cold
1. Is It Really a Cold? Your nose is running, you've got a cough, and your throat is raw. How can you tell whether you have a cold, allergies, or the flu? A few telltale signs can help you tell them apart.
2. Cold vs. Flu While cold symptoms can make you feel bad for a few days, flu symptoms can make you feel quite ill for a few days to weeks.
3. Cold vs. Allergies How can you tell the difference between a common cold and allergies? It's sometimes a tough call, but how long your problems last is one of the big clues.
When It's More Than a Cold
1. Signs It Could Be Something More Serious The common cold is usually no cause for concern, but it can sometimes lead to more serious issues.
2. When to Call a Doctor When is it time to get some advice from a pro? Take stock of your cold symptoms and see if they fit into one of these patterns.
3. Sinus Infections A sinus infection, or sinusitis, can occur in the wake of a cold or with allergies.
4. Ear Infections Symptoms of a middle ear infection (acute otitis media) often start 2 to 7 days after the start of a cold or other upper respiratory infection.
Special Situations
1. Children and Colds Learn more about colds in children: prevention, symptoms, treatments, and when to call the doctor.
2. Colds and Chronic Medical Conditions A common cold can aggravate some chronic medical conditions. Learns how to prevent more serious health problems if you have a cold.
3. Asthma and Colds If you have asthma, catching a cold may worsen or trigger your symptoms.
4. Heart Disease and Colds If you have heart disease, take extra care to avoid catching a cold. It can sometimes lead to complications that can cause serious problems.
5. Diabetes and Colds Colds aren't fun for anyone, but if you have diabetes, all that sniffling and sneezing comes with an extra risk.
6. AIDS, HIV, and Colds If your immune system is weakened from HIV/AIDS, you need to guard against colds and flus - which can lead to more serious illnesses.

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