This is a Spotlight Feature in collaboration with Clínica Corachan
With the arrival of the cold and a new winter wave of Covid-19 cases, one of the unknowns of recent months arises: learning to differentiate between a cold, the flu and Coronavirus.
It is not an easy task, since the symptoms of the three pathologies can be similar. However, there are some very specific ones that help to clearly differentiate if the patient suffers from Covid-19, the flu or a cold:
- Cold: The picture of a common cold is characterised by a generalised mild malaise, occasionally part fever, sore throat and congestion and runny nose.
- Flu: It is also a viral infection with symptoms such as fever, general pain, fatigue, cough, or chills. Unlike the common cold, flu symptoms appear suddenly, accompanied by fever and headaches. In addition, it usually lasts between 7 and 14 days.
- Covid-19: Coronavirus infections often cause fever and flu-like respiratory symptoms: coughing or shortness of breath. Some patients may also have a sore throat, tiredness, or diarrhoea. In addition, loss of taste and smell are characteristic symptoms of Coronavirus-infected patients, while muscle pain can occur occasionally.
All are viral conditions that affect the respiratory system:
- They are spread mainly through droplets that the infected person spreads when coughing, sneezing or talking.
- They can also become infected by touching infected surfaces or objects and then touching their eyes, nose, or mouth.
Both the flu, the cold and Covid-19 are contagious viruses, but the latter has a higher probability of transmission (the probability of transmission is higher in Covid-19 compared to a cold and common flu). In addition, it can spread during the incubation period, when symptoms are not yet present or are very mild.
At Clínica Corachan we inform you that, if you experience any of the symptoms mentioned in the article in a severe way, you can visit our emergency service. Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, we offer you complete healthcare in various specialties such as internal medicine, traumatology, gynaecology or paediatrics, with translation and interpretation in six languages and an agreement with the main international insurers.
Emergencies that cannot wait, even in times of Covid
The health crisis has caused patients with diseases other than Coronavirus to delay their visit to the doctor for fear of contagion, causing, in some cases, a worsening of their prognosis and a worsening of their health.
What are the symptoms or illnesses that can’t wait?
Chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, accidents, seizures, high fever, serious poisoning are some of the symptoms that can alert us that something is wrong.
There are chronic diseases whose treatment should not be delayed either. This is the case for diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic lung disease or heart failure.
Strong abdominal pain can hide appendicitis, intestinal bleeding, cholecystitis, pancreatitis or obstructive uropathies, among others, that require urgent intervention.
In all these cases it is very important to go to the emergency room or to a specialist doctor to be treated and avoid delays in treatment.
In the case of children, high fever, frequent vomiting and diarrhoea, shortness of breath, extreme irritability, stiff neck, earache, are also some of the reasons to go to the emergency room. Our full contact details are below:
International Department – Clínica Corachan
Address: C/BuÏgas 19, 08017 Barcelona
Email: international@corachan.com
Tel: (+34) 93 7378649 and (+34) 686 90 87 94
