Cold, Allergies, or Flu?
-January 20, 2010-Comments (0)
January is right in the middle of full-blown flu season, but it is often hard to tell if your child is suffereing from a cold, allergies or the flu. How can you tell the difference?
- Allergies. In general, allergy symptoms are not accompanied by a fever, mucus is clear in color, muscles do not ache, and symptoms occur at the same times each year. Allergies usually can be treated with medication, but if severe, a doctor may order an allergy screening and shots. The chronic mucus from allergies occasionally causes complications such as a sinus or ear infection.
Common Cold. Most adults get thecommon cold two to five times each year, children even more often. Symptoms such as stuffy nose, sneezing, and sore throat can last as long as nine days. Antibiotics cannot cure the common cold. Antibiotics are only used when a cold turns into a sinus, ear, or other infection or when the sickness is bacterial in nature (such as strep throat), not viral. Ask your doctor what remedies are safest to treat the uncomfortable symptoms of a child’s cold.- Flu. Influenza, like the common cold, is caused by a virus. It is accompanied by a high fever that lasts three to four days and by strong symptoms such as severe coughing and exhaustion. New antiviral medications taken at the start of symptoms can shorten the flu considerably. Ask your doctor whether getting the annual flu shot is right for your family.
If your child has difficulty breathing; a persistent high fever; severe headache; painful swallowing; deep cough; or thick, colored congestion, seek medical attention. These could indicate a bacterial infection that requires prescription antibiotics.
For lots of helpful, practical ways for preventing illness, be sure not to miss Kristen White's article "Keeping It Clean" in the January 2010 issue of ParentLife.
