Patient's question:
My baby hasn't recovered from the cold this time. It's been many days, and the cold medicine hasn't helped at all. It just keeps getting worse, and eventually, the baby developed a fever. The doctor said it's not bacterial but rather a toxic cold symptom. I don't quite understand this, so I want to ask: what are the symptoms of a viral cold and how can they be distinguished?Doctor's answer:
How to distinguish between bacterial cold and viral acute upper respiratory infection, commonly known as the common cold, is the most common disease in children under the age of 5, occurring all year round, especially in winter and spring. Medical research has proven that the pathogens causing colds include various viruses and bacteria, with viruses being predominant, accounting for more than 90%. Common viruses include rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, etc. Common bacteria include Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus haemolyticus. The main symptoms of viral cold in children are variable fever (present or absent), varying body temperature, clear nasal discharge, sneezing, coughing, relatively good spirits, decreased appetite, and sometimes accompanied by symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea. In very rare cases, children may experience high fever convulsions. The main symptoms of bacterial cold in children are fever, especially persistent high fever, purulent nasal discharge, sore throat, listlessness, poor appetite, and some children may experience high fever convulsions.