Men KO'd by common cold

Many men are "unbearable" when they get a cold

Most men are wimps when it comes to getting ill, according to a survey.

More than half of women interviewed for a survey by medicine manufacturer Benylin said their male partners claimed they had the flu when they were only suffering from a common cold.

Most also said their partners were "irritable" when under the weather and almost a third behaved like children.

A quarter of women described their partners as "unbearable" when confronted by the combined force of a runny nose and a bit of a cough.

Exaggeration

In comparison, women were paragons of virtue.

Two thirds of men said their female partners were more likely to admit to having a common cold, rather than exaggerating symptoms for extra sympathy.

Most men described their partners as uncomplaining when sick. Only 11% were unbearable and 5% behaved childishly.

However, women were most likely to admit having trouble choosing between cold and flu medicines in chemists.

Around 26% of people did not know which medicine for a particular kind of cough, ranging from dry to chesty.

Flu tends to last for several days and is likely to be accompanied by high fever and aches and pains as well as coughing and catarrh.

A common cold is usually cured after two or three days. Symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, watery eyes and sometimes a slight temperature.