Pneumonia vs Common Cold Quiz

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Fever with chills

Cough with green or yellow phlegm

Shortness of breath

Trouble breathing

Rapid breathing

High heart rate

Coughing fit

Dry cough

Sneezing

Sore throat

Chest congestion

Runny nose

Not seeing your symptoms? No worries!

Overview

Both pneumonia and the common cold can cause cough and fatigue. However, pneumonia often presents with fever, chest pain, and difficulty breathing, and may require antibiotics or hospitalization. A chest X-ray can help confirm the diagnosis.

Disease Summaries

Pneumonia: This is a serious infection that causes inflammation of the air sacs in one or both lungs, which may fill with fluid or pus. The condition can range from mild to life-threatening, with symptoms including chest pain, difficulty breathing, fever, and cough with phlegm. While it can affect anyone, pneumonia is most serious in infants, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems.

Common Cold: Common cold is an infection of the nose and throat. Symptoms include coughing, runny nose, and throat pain. Most colds are caused by viruses; a few are caused by bacteria.

Comparing Symptoms

Overlapping Symptoms

  • Cough
  • Fatigue
  • Sore throat
  • Congestion
  • Mild fever

Pneumonia Specific Symptoms

  • Fever with chills
  • Productive cough with green/yellow sputum
  • Sharp chest pain with breathing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Rapid breathing or heartbeat

Common Cold Specific Symptoms

  • Sneezing
  • Runny nose
  • Mild, dry cough
  • Gradual onset
  • Symptoms mostly above the neck

Treatment Approaches

Pneumonia Treatment Approaches

Treatment includes antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia, antiviral medications for viral cases, and supportive care including rest and hydration. Over-the-counter medications can help manage fever and pain, while breathing exercises aid recovery. Hospitalization may be necessary for severe cases requiring oxygen therapy or IV medications.

Common Cold Treatment Approaches

The common cold usually resolves on its own and does not require specific treatment. Healthcare professionals can suggest ways to alleviate symptoms.

Reviewed By:

Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc

Kenji Taylor, MD, MSc (Family Medicine, Primary Care)

Dr. Taylor is a Japanese-African American physician who grew up and was educated in the United States but spent a considerable amount of time in Japan as a college student, working professional and now father of three. After graduating from Brown, he worked in finance first before attending medical school at Penn. He then completed a fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control before going on to specialize in Family and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) where he was also a chief resident. After a faculty position at Stanford, he moved with his family to Japan where he continues to see families on a military base outside of Tokyo, teach Japanese residents and serve remotely as a medical director for Roots Community Health Center. He also enjoys editing and writing podcast summaries for Hippo Education.

Yoshinori Abe, MD

Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)

Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.

From our team of 50+ doctors

Content updated on Mar 27, 2024

Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy

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With a free 3-min Pneumonia vs Common Cold quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.

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Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Maxwell J. Nanes, DO

Emergency Medicine

Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha Wisconsin, USA

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Caroline M. Doan, DO

Internal Medicine

Signify Health

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Benjamin Kummer, MD

Neurology, Clinical Informatics

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Charles Carlson, DO, MS

Psychiatry

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Dale Mueller, MD

Dale Mueller, MD

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery

Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery Associates

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Ravi P. Chokshi, MD

Obstetrics and gynecology

Penn State Health

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Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Which is the best Symptom Checker?

Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.

Link to full study:

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1

References