Gyn Chronicles
Common Cold vs The Flu
By Dr . Maureen Owiti
Sniff , sniff , cough , cough , hachoo ! Excuse me ! Bless you ! Throat is parched dry , burning and feels like it ’ s about to crack like the Kalahari desert . Bloodshot eyes and runny nose . Does this sound familiar . Yes , you guessed it you are down with the common cold . I really wonder why the Brits have interesting ways of putting across issues .
Common cold ? Why is it called that ? We call colds “ common ” because as their name implies , they ' re widespread . Most people probably have more colds in their lifetime than any other illness . Adults catch two to three colds a year , while young children come down with a cold four or more times a year .
Gertrude ( not her real name ) is a beautiful young lady on her second pregnancy at about 24 weeks gestation . She is a bit distressed and calling because she is having a cough and sore throat . No fever and just a little fatigued . She doesn ’ t want to come into the clinic but asking for something to ease her symptoms . As it doesn ’ t sound serious , I tell her it ’ s most likely just a cold she could use simple home remedies , such as the proverbial hot water , lemon and ginger and if she dares may add a single shot of brandy in the concoction . She can also take some paracetamol to ease the ache in her throat but if she doesn ’ t improve in few days , she can call we assess the situation .
After two days her husband Tom ( also not his real name ), calls frantically and is very worried . “ Gertrude is getting much worse and is now having some slight difficulty with breathing and has developed a fever .” With the mention of difficulty in breathing , he gets my full attention . Switching very quickly to doctor gear I enquire how fast they can get to the nearest ER ? Tom says they can be in hospital in about 20 minutes . I urge him to bundle Gertrude out of the house and head directly there . In my line of work it is much safer if she goes to the hospital for assessment and we find it is nothing
Common cold ? Why is it called that ? We call colds “ common ” because as their name implies , they ' re widespread . Most people probably have more colds in their lifetime than any other illness . Adults catch two to three colds a year , while young children come down with a cold four or more times a year . to worry about than risk and get a poor outcome . From the look of things , we are most likely headed for an admission , based on her symptoms .
After about 45 minutes I get a call from the hospital out-patient and the doctor on call goes through the normal drill explaining they have received my patient and her chief complaints and significant findings . Her pulse rate and respiratory rate are elevated and her oxygen saturation is below 90 % with a few crackles in the lower lung fields . No obvious concerns from the fetus at the moment . From the findings it sounds like a case of pneumonia but as she is currently pregnant the obstetrician i . e . myself is the primary doctor . I request him to run some tests , admit and start her on medication and oxygen supplementation as we call in the chest physician to also review .
The imaging comes up with pneumonia and after a few days rest and treatment Gertrude ’ s symptoms resolve and she is able to go home without major incident . But what could have led to this and could this have been prevented ? This was most likely a case of influenza .
So , what is the difference between influenza and the common cold as we call it . Influenza ( flu ) and the common cold are both contagious respiratory illnesses , but they are caused by different viruses . Flu is caused by influenza viruses only , whereas the common cold can be caused by a number of different viruses , including rhinoviruses , parainfluenza , and seasonal coronaviruses . The symptoms of flu can include fever or feeling feverish / chills , cough , sore throat ,
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