Page 15 - Seniors Today -April20
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final year, we start diagnosing each other
with all sorts of illnesses and disorders as a
game, calling each other funny names and
characterising each other based on one or
two common physical features like height
or being too lanky. It is a fun trick to help us
remember and associate a particular feature
and symptoms with someone we know
– makes it easier to recall and memorise.
But some people tend to take it a little too
seriously; and with a profession like ours If you have a cough, don’t panic – it could be a cold, or
and the world that we are currently living allergies. Call your doctor, and explain all your symptoms
in- where we are seeing more sickness than contributing factor
health. We look for a plain sheet waiting to All of this can be associated with
be filled with medicine that we can’t spell • Generalised body aches
right. Much like that, living in a world where • Fatigue
every third person you know has cancer, Lesser common symptoms include a runny
and every other relative is either diabetic or or stuffy nose, sore or scratchy throat,
has a sub-optimally active thyroid, it is easy diarrhoea.
to fall down the rabbit hole under the false
pretence of ‘preparing yourself for the worst’ And here is how it is different from the
or ‘being aware and well versed with my COMMON COLD OR THE FLU:
disease’ even when you might not even have • Fever is sudden
a disease to start with. • Cough - productive, which means some
amount of phlegm, sputum is present
Get it straight • Headache
So let’s clarify a few things here, common • Muscle and joint pains due to weakness
cold ≠ corona. We tend to confuse these two • Runny or stuffy nose
because both of them involve our respiratory
systems. They are not the same disease or Now let’s put allergies in the mix and see
caused by the same organism, but there how they are different from the other two.
are only so many symptoms a pathogen ALLERGIES:
attacking our airways can present with. • Sneezing
Here are some very clear differences to help • Redness of eyes, watery and itchy eyes
you understand better. (Source: WHO, CDC, • Irritation of throat (leading to cough)
NIH) • Runny or stuffy nose
Symptoms of COVID-19: If after this too, you are not sure which one
• Fever - gradual rise, continuous, high-grade it is and are worried about your health and
fever the safety of your family, go see a doctor, one
• Cough - dry, non-productive with a degree he studied hard for, instead
• Difficulty in breathing - without any of relying on hearsay from WhatsApp and
exertion or heavy activity/exercise as a Facebook.
SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #10 | APRIL 2020 15
