DIE WELT: flu or coronavirus? You will be able to understand it



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German Health Minister Jens Spahn, 40, has contracted the virus but is feeling well, according to a short video. He has only mild “cold symptoms”.

Autumn brings cold, wet days, which for many people mean colds and flu infections. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), flu viruses that cause flu circulate between early October and mid-May. This year the coronavirus pandemic is added.

It is not easy to detect from those who suffer from it, or even from doctors, what kind of infection it is, the flu or COVID-19, because the symptoms are similar, as shown by the case of Spahn. Sometimes, in the case of coronavirus infection, the symptoms are very nonspecific. Two weeks ago, a patient was taken to the emergency room at the University Hospital of Berlin Charité because he had “neurological symptoms”, and then tested positive for coronavirus. RKI has published a list of symptoms and their recurrence.

The most common signs of COVID-19 are cough (45% of cases) and fever (38% of cases). Additionally, some patients also have nasal discharge (20%) and others have a loss of smell and taste (15%).

The aponet.ro health portal has compared the common symptoms generated by both viruses.

Sudden cough and fever, as well as general weakness of the body, are typical of both diseases. Sore throat, headache and muscle aches, as well as nasal discharge would be reported more frequently in patients with influenza, while loss of smell and taste would occur more often in patients infected with the new coronavirus.

According to pharmacists, it is easier to distinguish between these two diseases and “common colds”. Typical symptoms of common colds, such as sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, and headache, usually appear insidiously over several days, which means you feel sick, but not as helpless as is the case. influence. So, if the disease comes on very suddenly, it is more likely to be a flu or coronavirus infection.

Patients with coronavirus infection have more severe clinical pictures than patients with influenza. This is the result of a topical RKI study. On average, patients who contracted the coronavirus were hospitalized for a longer period and had to be in the intensive care unit more often. 22% of patients with COVID-19 and only 14% of patients with influenza required artificial ventilation. (Rador)

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