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Nov. 22, 2023 – Winter is nearly right here, and with it might come runny noses, coughing, and congestion. However how have you learnt in case you have only a frequent chilly or one of many three respiratory viruses that make up the “tripledemic” – RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), COVID-19, and influenza?
Based mostly on signs alone, it’s tough to inform which sickness you might need. However there are clues that may level you in the correct course: how extreme your signs are, how lengthy it took for signs to set in, what viruses are circulating in your neighborhood, and extra.
We requested consultants to interrupt it down for us.
How Viruses Set Themselves Aside – or Don’t
These days, COVID – particularly for individuals who have acquired the latest vaccine – can manifest very similar to a typical chilly, so it’s necessary to maintain at-home checks available.
“Being vaccinated does hold [these viruses] from hanging the chest,” mentioned Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, a pulmonary and significant care physician at Johns Hopkins. “Vaccinated sufferers could get a gentle cough, however lots of their signs keep extra as an higher respiratory concern, like nasal congestion – like a foul chilly.”
One of many distinctive signs of COVID, notably within the earlier variations of the virus, was the lack of style and odor. Whereas this nonetheless occurs in some instances, this symptom isn’t as frequent anymore, mentioned Galiatsatos. Most of the time, sufferers who’ve been vaccinated will report lack of odor or style because of higher respiratory congestion, whereas previously “it was extra of a neurological invasion of the virus,” he mentioned.
That’s modified as a result of so many people now have the antibodies that defend us from the extra extreme penalties of COVID, from both having recovered from a earlier an infection, getting immunized, or a mix of the 2.
Not like RSV, chilly, and flu, COVID can also convey on some gastrointestinal signs like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Whereas GI points are a extra unusual symptom, it may be an indication that you need to get examined for COVID.
RSV in wholesome people who find themselves not youngsters or over the age of 65 may appear to be a chilly or a gentle case of COVID. However for youngsters and seniors, a telltale signal of a possible RSV an infection is when a affected person is wheezing or they’re having bronchial asthma flares, mentioned Peter Chin-Hong, MD, an infectious illness skilled on the College of California, San Francisco.
What the Timing of Signs Can Inform Us
Frequent chilly signs have a tendency to come back on pretty rapidly, defined Chin-Hong. If you happen to get RSV, alternatively, it might take 4 to six days earlier than signs present. Flu viruses are a completely totally different story.
“The particular attribute of flus is the abrupt onset of signs,” Chin-Hong mentioned. “You could be minding your personal enterprise, feeling OK, after which all the sudden you get in your automobile and you are feeling such as you’ve been hit by a dump truck.”
COVID additionally has some distinctive symptomatic options. You might not have signs in any respect, otherwise you might need gentle, cold-like signs for per week earlier than the signs worsen and the an infection turns into extra severe.
“COVID has this biphasic sample, whereas colds and RSV don’t – it’s when you find yourself sort of doing OK, and you then fall off a cliff,” mentioned Chin-Hong. “That’s why early remedy with Paxlovid or remdesivir is so necessary as a result of it will probably forestall that second part from taking place.”
Testing Is Your Greatest Guess
For Galiatsatos, getting examined for COVID needs to be your first intuition – and getting two unfavorable checks inside a 24-hour interval ought to encourage you to hunt out a flu take a look at at a neighborhood well being care facility in case you’re in a position to. Staying on high of testing can get you entry to the correct antivirals, like Tamiflu, which might shorten signs by a day or extra. And if you come down with the flu, these couple of days could make a world of distinction.
Simply assuming you’ve got COVID and never testing may very well be a mistake, particularly if you find yourself having long-lasting respiratory signs of the virus.
“One of many issues that broke my coronary heart was so many sufferers who’ve come into my clinic with signs of lengthy COVID, however they by no means received examined. I can’t take a look at their antibodies anymore as a result of these antibodies may very well be from an older an infection or vaccine,” mentioned Galiatsatos. “It’s exhausting to get insurance coverage firms to pay for lengthy COVID checks if there wasn’t a constructive COVID take a look at to start with.”
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