›› common cold -FAQ

What is common cold?

The common cold is a viral infection that affects the upper airways including the nose, voice box, throat, windpipes and the lungs. There are more than two hundred viruses that can cause colds and are commonly known as rhinoviruses or the nose viruses. These viruses cause inflammation or swelling of the mucous membrane lining the airways.

Colds are very contagious. The viruses are airborne and are transmitted when one sneezes or touches infected objects. Anyone can get a cold. Children are more likely to get a cold than adults because they are not immune to certain viruses that cause the cold.

What are the causes?

The cold virus is spread via air particles that are expelled while coughing or sneezing. It also spreads when someone with a cold rubs his eyes or nose and then touches an object such as a doorknob, towel, bed linen and other such commonly used articles.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms generally show up about two days after a person becomes infected. Early signs of a cold are a sore, scratchy throat, sneezing, and a runny nose. Other symptoms that may occur later are

Headache
Stuffy or runny nose
Watering eyes
Chills
Weakness
Cough and congestion
Sore throat
Fever and muscle ache.

The symptoms generally last for 2 to 7 days and in some cases may last for weeks.

What is the diagnosis?

There is no specific test to diagnose common cold. The diagnosis is based on the symptoms reported and the physical examination made by the doctor.

What is the treatment?

Managing the symptoms is the best that can be done for the cold, as there is no specific treatment. A runny nose can be treated with antihistamines, such as diphenyhydramine or clemastine, and decongestants, such as pseudophedrine. Fever can be treated with drugs such as aspirin, acetaminophen, or ibuprofen. The use of aspirin should be avoided in case of children. Antibiotics will not cure colds, as they are caused by viruses and not bacteria. A person with a cold should drink plenty of fluids and take rest.

How common cold is trasmitted from one to another ?

You can get infected by cold viruses by either
a)Touching your skin or environmental surfaces, such as office phones, that have cold viruses on them and then touching your eyes or nose
b)Inhaling drops of mucus full of cold viruses from the air