A 28-year-old member asked:
What is the difference between cold, flu and catarrh?
2 doctor answers • 3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Marsha Davisanswered
Internal Medicine 29 years experience
Depends: Depends on what you mean by the words. A cold can be caused by many different kinds of viruses. Influenza which some call flu is a particular virus. Sometimes when people vomit others will say they have the flu. "catarrh" is a cultural word that means a runny nose that is usually associated with a cold.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
Dr. Bernstein Joelanswered
ENT and Head and Neck Surgery 61 years experience
Viral infections: A cold is a viral infection involving the nasal mucosa (lining). It may sometimes develop into a sinusitis. It is a self limited illness and is super-infected with bacteria in about 1%-2% of cases. Flu is a viral infection which is more systemic and involves the whole body with multiple symptoms of fever and generalized aches. Catarrh is mucus secretion from the nose and usually is viral.
5.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
Last updated Jun 5, 2018
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