Parents often think that they can easily recognize cold symptoms, which are typically mild, but may linger for a few weeks.
Surprisingly, they often mistake common cold symptoms for allergies, sinus infections, or even the flu.
Since children can get sick with a cold so often, sometimes up to six to twelve times a year, it is important to be able to recognize common cold symptoms.
Cold Symptoms
Children typically develop cold symptoms two or three days after coming into contact with one of the many viruses that can cause a cold, including many types of rhinoviruses, RSV, parainfluenza, coronaviruses, and many others.
Cold symptoms usually include:
- sore throat
- runny nose, which starts clear, but may turn to a thick yellow or green discharge
- congestion
- cough
- headache
- fever, which is usually low grade, but may go up to 102
Cold v. Allergy or Sinus Symptoms
So how can you tell the difference between the common cold and a sinus infection, allergies, or the flu? They can all cause a runny nose, congestion and a cough, so it is easy to see why some parents get confused.
In general, common cold symptoms are much milder than flu symptoms, which can include high fever, body aches, and fatigue. And although sinus infection symptoms can be very similar to cold symptoms, they often just seem to linger for more than seven to ten days.
Is a green or yellow runny nose a sign of a sinus infection? While that is a common misconception among parents, kids can have a green or yellow fluid running from their nose as a symptom of common cold. It is more how long the sickness lasts, not the color of your child's drainage, that determines if it is a sinus infection or not.
Allergies, especially in the first few days of a cold, are also often confused with cold symptoms. Some questions to help determine if your child's symptoms are caused by a cold instead of allergies include:
- Is your child out of his typical allergy season?
- Has he been around anyone else who is sick with a cold?
- Is the fluid running from his nose green, or does he have a low grade fever?
If your child has been around several people with colds and has green fluid running from his nose and a low grade fever, but it's not his typical allergy season, then he likely has a cold and not allergies. On the other hand, if it is autumn and he is allergic to ragweed, then you are in a peak allergy season for him -- a runny nose, especially if the fluid is clear, may just be from allergies.
When in doubt about the cause, see your pediatrician about your child's cold symptoms.
Sources:
Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases (CCID). Questions and Answwers. Cold Versus Flu.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human Parainfluenza Viruses (Common cold and croup).
