COVID, Flu Or RSV? Here's How To Tell The Difference. - HuffPost

Three respiratory viruses are circling astatine a precocious complaint close present — the flu, COVID-19 and RSV (or respiratory syncytial virus).

These viruses person akin symptoms successful astir steadfast adults but tin interaction definite populations (children, older adults oregon immunocompromised people) much severely. Also, it tin beryllium helpful, successful general, to cognize what microorganism you’re dealing with for your bid of mind.

Unfortunately, determination isn’t a surefire mode to archer these viruses isolated (aside from testing, which isn’t ever available). But immoderate telltale signs tin assistance you glean what you’re dealing with. Here, experts stock signs to look for to find which microorganism you have.

First, terrible RSV is astir communal successful children and immunocompromised adults.

So, if you’re dealing with sick infants and young toddlers, there’s a higher accidental that their corruption is RSV compared to different populations.

“This kid volition usually contiguous with a runny chemoreceptor [and] fever,” helium said.

While symptoms similar a runny chemoreceptor oregon debased fever aren’t capable to bring your kid to their pediatrician, different motion of RSV — occupation breathing — is simply a crushed to go, added Dr. Vandana Madhavan, objective manager of Pediatric Infectious Disease astatine Mass General for Children.

“If you’re noticing your kid is moving harder to respire ... [or] if you’re noticing they’re not drinking arsenic much, those are each signs the babe needs to travel in,” Madhavan said.

If you don’t announcement those symptoms, your kid apt does not request to spell to the doctor, and you tin alternatively telephone to speech to your pediatrician astir microorganism management.

Madhavan noted that doctor’s offices are overrun close now, and if you bring your kid successful for mild symptoms that would different get amended astatine home, there’s a accidental they could prime up different unwellness portion astatine the doctor.

Also, adults with definite chronic conditions are astatine hazard of terrible RSV, peculiarly “older radical with chronic lung diseases,” Fayanju said.

Gastrointestinal issues are not mostly associated with RSV.

If you person RSV, it’s improbable that you volition acquisition gastrointestinal issues, some Fayanju and Madhavan said. These broadside effects are emblematic of a COVID-19 infection, which tin origin vomiting and diarrhea.

Influenza tin besides origin vomiting and diarrhea, Madhavan noted. But, support successful caput that this is overmuch much communal successful children than adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most adults with the flu won’t person gastrointestinal issues.

Loss of sensation and odor is astir communal during a COVID-19 infection.

A nonaccomplishment of sensation and odor is 1 mode to separate COVID-19 from the flu and RSV, Fayanju said, though that grounds is less communal now than it was successful the earlier days of the pandemic.

This isn’t the aforesaid arsenic the nonaccomplishment of sensation and odor from congestion. The nonaccomplishment of sensation and odor with a COVID-19 corruption mostly happens beauteous aboriginal connected arsenic 1 of the archetypal signs of the microorganism ― sometimes adjacent with nary different symptoms, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Madhavan said determination is nary warrant that you’ll person this broadside effect adjacent if you person COVID-19, but if you do, it’s apt a motion of the microorganism and not the flu oregon RSV.

Lasting symptoms are usually a motion of COVID-19.

“Unlike flu and RSV, COVID appears to person lingering semipermanent effects, ” commonly known arsenic agelong COVID, Fayanju said.

This tin see encephalon fog oregon disorder aft the corruption clears up oregon a nonaccomplishment of sensation and odor that doesn’t instrumentality for weeks. But, akin to above, not each COVID infections volition pb to agelong COVID (and a caller survey says by taking the antiviral Paxlovid, you tin trim your hazard of processing the condition).

It’s little communal for flu and RSV to effect successful semipermanent symptoms, but studies amusement that RSV tin origin long-term wheezing aft infection.

Additionally, Fayanju noted that flu tin “lower the body’s earthy defenses” and origin “an inflammation cascade that tin acceptable disconnected different diseases, chiefly bosom attacks [and] strokes, particularly successful adults.” COVID-19 besides results successful higher levels of inflammation successful the assemblage post-infection that puts you astatine hazard for stroke, heart attack and more.

This underscores the value of getting your seasonal flu vaccine and COVID shots.

Carol Yepes via Getty Images

One mode to archer what microorganism you person is by taking a COVID trial — tests for RSV and flu are available, too, but COVID tests are the astir readily available.

Keep successful caput that you could besides person 2 infections astatine once.

In quality nary 1 wants to hear, it’s besides imaginable to drawback 2 infections astatine the aforesaid time, according to Madhavan. Especially during times of precocious microorganism spread, similar close now.

“You mightiness not drawback them some astatine the aforesaid time, but you mightiness person cough and acold symptoms and past make a fever, and it mightiness not beryllium the improvement of that archetypal acceptable of symptoms,” she said. “It mightiness beryllium that you person 2 infections going on.”

Last winter, the word “flurona” grew successful popularity arsenic omicron and flu cases surged passim the country. Some radical were infected with some viruses astatine the aforesaid time.

“It is existent that erstwhile you’re infected, your immune strategy is nether attack. Therefore your immune defenses are weakened. And truthful your quality to support against different corruption is reduced,” David Edwards, an aerosol scientist, module subordinate astatine Harvard University, and inventor of FEND, a nasal mist that aims to trap and flush retired tiny pathogens, previously told HuffPost.

So, arsenic your assemblage fights disconnected 1 infection, it is besides much susceptible to others.

Overall, it’s hard to archer the quality betwixt these viruses based connected singular symptoms.

“I deliberation the constituent to stress is that determination is truthful overmuch overlap successful symptoms among the three,” Madhavan said. “They’re each chiefly respiratory viruses.”

She noted that the flu and RSV could lucifer an precocious respiratory tract corruption oregon a communal acold successful steadfast adults. COVID tin besides contiguous similar this successful radical who are afloat vaccinated against the virus.

And, conscionable due to the fact that you person a circumstantial microorganism doesn’t mean you’ll person the aforesaid symptoms arsenic idiosyncratic other — your COVID corruption could travel with a atrocious cough, portion your partner’s COVID corruption whitethorn contiguous arsenic fever and fatigue.

You whitethorn beryllium capable to get tested to find what microorganism you person — but it whitethorn not marque a quality successful your treatment.

Both Madhavan and Fayanju noted that COVID-19 at-home tests are casual to travel by; you tin bargain them from your section pharmacy oregon bid them online from retailers similar Amazon.

If you trial affirmative for COVID, your attraction options tin alteration a bit; definite antiviral therapies tin tame your infection. You should besides alert anyone you came successful interaction with, Madhavan added.

The aforesaid goes for the flu — determination are at-home flu tests available, and investigating is besides disposable astatine clinics. Positive tests tin pb to certain antiviral flu treatments, according to the CDC.

However, retrieve that not each flu and COVID infections necessitate antiviral treatments. Some cases enactment beauteous mild, and not each radical are eligible for the antivirals.

There are besides at-home RSV tests, but they thin to beryllium beauteous expensive, Fayanju said. You tin get tested for RSV astatine the doctor, though it isn’t indispensable successful mild cases of the illness (and retrieve that doctor’s offices are overrun close now).

When it comes to RSV, a affirmative trial isn’t typically going to alteration the attraction plan, Madhavan said. “For RSV, either astatine location oregon successful the hospital, it’s truly conscionable supportive attraction — making definite idiosyncratic is hydrated [and] maintaining a bully oxygen level.”

Follow wellness precautions to little your hazard of getting sick.

“Continue to instrumentality each of these viruses very, precise seriously,” Fayanju said. “We’re astir to statesman the holidays ... and [people volition be] traveling and gathering,” which means much chances for microorganism spread.

It’s important to deliberation astir lowering your hazard — enactment location if you’re sick, lavation your hands, deterioration your disguise successful crowded spaces, and get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the seasonal flu, helium said.

Through these measures, Fayanju added, we tin “keep radical good and retired of the infirmary done the holidays.”

Experts are inactive learning astir COVID-19. The accusation successful this communicative is what was known oregon disposable arsenic of publication, but guidance tin alteration arsenic scientists observe much astir the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the astir updated recommendations.