Keeping the body healthy is the most important thing in today’s time. Recently, the problems of the people have been increasing due to the increasing epidemic. A lot of attention is needed to protect the body from all kinds of bad viruses. Similarly, many viral infections affect our respiratory, digestive, and other parts of the body. Influenza disease, which is a viral infection, affects the respiratory system, nose, throat, and lungs with its attack. Influenza is also known as flu, but the two have some differences.
Key Takeaways
- Flu is a colloquial term for the influenza virus, which causes respiratory infections.
- Influenza is a viral infection with three main types: A, B, and C.
- The flu and influenza symptoms are similar, as they are the same illness, but the severity can vary based on the strain.
Flu vs Influenza
Flu and Influenza differ because flu is a broad representation word related to the respiratory passage while influenza is a narrow representation word for intrathoracic infection. Flu is a type of infectious disease that causes cold, headache, and fever, whereas influenza is also a viral infection caused by the influenza virus.
Flu is a continuous disease with lower intrathoracic infection associated with diarrhea. Flu is transmitted through droplet infection from an infected person or through contaminated objects. The period of infection is 4 to 9 days. Antihistamines and decongestants are used to treat the flu. At this time, doctors recommend full bed rest and fluid intake. Nowadays, vaccines are also available to treat the flu.
Influenza is commonly referred to as the flu, which is itself caused by infection with the influenza virus. It is so deadly that sometimes it even causes death. The viruses are transmitted through the inhalation of droplets from an infected person or through contaminated objects (droplet infection). The incubation period of the infection is 1-4 days.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of comparison | Flu | Influenza |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Flu is a continuous disease with lower intrathoracic infection associated with diarrhea. | Influenza is an upper respiratory tract disease caused by Influenza Virus. |
| Symptoms | The symptoms are high fever, chills, headache, dizziness, sore throat, running nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, trouble breathing. | The general symptoms are sore throat, headache, fever, sneezing, pain all over the body, nasal discharge. |
| Recovery | The recovery period may be large in the flu. | The recovery period is short in influenza. |
| Treatment | Antihistamines and decongestants are used to treat flu. | Influenza is treated with Paracetamol. |
| Incubation period | The period of the infection is 4 to 9 days. | The period of the infection is 1-4 days. |
What is Flu?
Flu is a continuous disease with lower intrathoracic infection associated with diarrhea. Flu is transmitted through droplet infection from an infected person or through contaminated objects. The period for this infection is 4 to 9 days.
The symptoms are high fever, chills, headache, dizziness, sore throat, running nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and trouble breathing. Paracetamol and Metrogyl are given to reduce fever and diarrhea. At this time, doctors recommend full bed rest and fluid intake. Nowadays, vaccines are also available to treat the flu.
There are a few things to keep in mind when treating the flu. Mainly in this condition, the doctor recommends rest. It is also advised to consume fluids so the body can fight and survive the infection. In such a situation, taking paracetamol improves its symptoms. But avoid taking NSAIDs. To prevent the flu, a vaccine is also given annually, which limits the problems caused by it and prevents it.
T cells are present in our bodies. When any virus invades our body, then these cells recognize them. And thus, it starts spreading in the throat and lungs to fight them. This causes swelling in the area, which gives a feeling of pain. After some time, these cells kill and eliminate those viruses from the lungs. This is why the flu hurts so much.
What is Influenza?
Influenza is an upper respiratory tract disease caused by viral infections. Influenza is an upper airway infection caused by Influenza Virus. The infected area is the nose and respiratory passage. The viruses are transmitted through the inhalation of droplets from an infected person or through contaminated objects (droplet infection). The incubation period of the infection is 1-4 days. The general symptoms are sore throat, headache, fever, sneezing, pain all over the body, and nasal discharge.
Generally treated with Paracetamol. Antihistamines and decongestants are used to treat the flu. Nowadays, vaccines are available to treat it annually. Influenza is a narrow representation word for intrathoracic infection.
Before getting influenza, some symptoms emerge from which it is known that you have influenza. These symptoms come suddenly and make the body weak day by day. The body feels tired at this time. This fatigue can last up to three weeks. Symptoms of its worsening are known when the fever starts increasing rapidly in the body and difficulty in breathing is felt. In this way, the body becomes weak.
Influenza is fatal for people over 65 years of age. Their body is unable to protect themselves from this infection. This time is considered difficult for them. If influenza occurs in older people, they can also become a victim of pneumonia, leading to their death.
Main Differences Between Flu and Influenza
- In general, flu is a broad representation word related to the respiratory passage, while influenza is a narrow representation word for intrathoracic infection.
- The symptoms of the flu are worse than influenza. Symptoms in flu are more intense and begin more abruptly, while influenza has less association with symptoms.
- Flu may result in serious health problems, while influenza is not known for such.
- The dominant symptom of flu is diarrhea which is not seen in influenza cases that is why electrolytes replenishers are preferred for flu.
- The recovery period may be large in the flu, while it is very short in the case of influenza.
- Flu is treated with medicinal care, while influenza may or may not.
- https://www.aclweb.org/anthology/D11-1145.pdf
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S074937970900806X
- https://bmcecolevol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2148-10-99
Last Updated : 11 June, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
The discussion of the potential impact of influenza on older people is especially important. The article succeeds in clarifying the most critical differences between the two conditions, providing valuable information for readers.
The terms ‘flu’ and ‘influenza’ are used interchangeably, as if they were one and the same, but this article clearly lays out the differences between the two. The distinction between the severity of symptoms, potential health problems, and the recovery period is very useful to know.
The article does an excellent job of explaining the nuances between the two conditions in simple terms, making it very accessible to ordinary readers. It is informative and clarifies the critical distinctions between the manifestations of flu and influenza.
The article’s informative approach to the differences between the flu and influenza serves to dispel commonly held misconceptions about the nature of these diseases. The paragraph comparing the symptoms and treatment of the two conditions makes for an excellent reference.
I found the comparison between flu and influenza to be quite enlightening. The article does a good job of delineating the differences and elucidating the severity and prognosis of the two conditions, especially in older individuals.
Contrary to public belief, catching the flu is not the same as catching influenza. The way the article contrasts the symptoms, the treatment, and the recovery period of the two diseases is invaluable.
It is worth noting how influenza is so deadly as to potentially cause death, particularly in older people. The distinction between the severity of the symptoms and the prognosis is critical, and people should be aware of which infection they are dealing with.
The article provides information on the difference between flu and influenza, from the definitions to the symptoms and treatment. It makes it easier for people to understand the kind of infection they are dealing with when they see a doctor.