Though colds are more common during the fall and winter, it is possible to get a cold any time of the year.
In this MedDigest article, I explain what the common cold is, what makes one at risk of getting a cold, how to prevent it, common myths you should know, and the remedies to get rid of a cold.
What is the Common Cold?
📌The common cold (also called cold) is a mild viral infection of the nose, throat, sinuses, and upper airways. Rhinovirus is the most common cause, accounting for 10 to 40 percent of colds.
📌In the United States, colds account for more visits to the doctor than any other condition.
📌Adults get an average of two to four colds per year, mostly between September and May.
📌Young children suffer from an average of six to eight colds per year.
📌Colds are highly contagious. They most often spread when droplets of fluid that contain a cold virus are transferred by touch. These droplets may also be inhaled.
📌Common Cold is usually harmless and symptoms usually resolve within two weeks.
Who Are at Risk of Getting the Cold?
Everyone is at risk for the common cold. People are most likely to have colds during fall and winter.
The increased incidence of colds during the cold season may be linked to the fact that more people are indoors and close to each other.
Also, in cold, dry weather, the nasal passages become drier and more vulnerable to infection.
Children have more colds each year than adults. This is because a child’s immune system is immature.
They are also in close physical contact with other children at school or daycare.
To put it more distinct, these are the risk factors that can increase your chances of getting a cold:
- Age. Infants and young children have a greater risk of colds than other people, especially if they spend time in child care settings.
- Weakened immune system. Having a long-term illness or weakened immune system increases your risk.
- Time of year. Both children and adults are more likely to get colds in fall and winter.
- Smoking. Smoking or being around secondhand smoke increases the risk of catching a cold.
- Exposure. Being in crowds, such as at school or on an airplane, increases the chance of getting a cold.
Myth Buster.
Contrary to popular belief, cold is not caused by cold weather or getting wet. It’s caused by viruses.
How Do You Know You Have a Cold?
Watch out for the signs and symptoms of cold to clue you on the possibility of getting it. These symptoms are as follows:
- Stuffy, runny nose
- Mucus dripping down your throat (postnasal drip)
- Sneezing
- Watery eyes
- Low-grade fever
- Sore throat
- Mild cough
- Achy muscles and bones
- Headache
- Mild fatigue (generally feeling unwell)
I know that’s quite a list, but a cluster of these symptoms should get your suspicion alarm for cold go off.
Colds usually start 2 to 3 days after the virus enters the body. Symptoms last from several days to usually about 7 to 10 days.
Let me real quick highlight here that common cold shares many symptoms with other viral illnesses affecting the upper airways like flu, covid-19, and allergies.
Yes, they’re all separate illnesses in their own rights. For now, however, I’ll distill the information you need to know about the cold.
Fact Point.
Smokers usually have more severe symptoms of cold than non-smokers.
What To Do If You Get a Cold
Currently, there is no medicine available to cure or shorten the duration of the common cold.
However, the following are some treatments and recommendations that may help to relieve some symptoms of the cold:
- Resting, drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthily
- Taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, such acetaminophen (Tylenol) or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), to reduce any fever or discomfort.
- Using decongestant sprays or tablets, antihistamine, or a combination of the two to relieve a blocked nose.
- Avoid coffee, tea or soft drinks that contain caffeine. Their intake leads to dehydration, and you don’t want that with Cold.
- If you smoke, try to stop or cut back, at least until you are feeling better. And avoid secondhand smoke too.
Over-the-counter medications can provide temporary relief of symptoms and should be used as soon as you feel a cold coming on.
People with asthma should not take these medications unless recommended by their healthcare provider.
Same goes for those with Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD), as the use of NSAIDS (e.g. Ibuprofen) worsens the condition. Thus, are to be generally avoided.
Pregnant women should check with their healthcare provider for all medication.
Red Alert.
Aspirin should not be given to children under 18 years old because it may play a role in causing Reye’s Syndrome, a rare but severe liver and central nervous system condition.
Be sure to discuss all medication choices and dosages for children with a healthcare provider.
When to See a Doctor
Most often, you don’t need medical care for a common cold. But see your health care provider if you have:
- Trouble breathing or fast breathing
- Dehydration
- Fever that lasts longer than 4 days
- Symptoms that last more than 10 days without improvement
- Symptoms, such as fever or cough, that improve but then return or worsen
- Worsening of chronic medical conditions
It is important to note that this list is not all-inclusive. So, please be advised to see a doctor for any symptom that is severe or concerning.
Fact Point.
The common cold has no cure, and there is no available vaccine.
How is the Cold Spread?
The virus can spread by:
- Droplets in the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks.
- Hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold.
- Sharing objects with the affected person, such as dishes, towels, toys, or telephones.
- Touching your eyes, nose, or mouth after contact with the virus.
Myth Buster.
No. Antibiotics play no role in treating the common cold. Antibiotics are used to treat diseases caused by bacteria. The Cold is a viral illness.
What Can You Do to Prevent a Cold?
There’s no vaccine for the common cold. And Colds are extremely difficult to prevent entirely.
That said, you can take these steps to slow the spread of the virus and prevent illness:
- Avoid close contact with people who have a cold, especially during the first few days when they are most likely to spread the infection.
- Wash hands after touching someone who has a cold, after touching an object they have touched, and after blowing your nose. If a child has a cold, wash his or her toys after play.
- Keep fingers away from your nose and eyes to avoid infecting yourself with cold virus particles you may have been picked up.
- Put up a second hand towel in the bathroom for healthy people to use.
- Keep an eye on the humidity of your environment so that sinuses do not dry out.
Myth Buster.
- Herbs, garlic, honey, lemon, menthol, zinc and vitamin C have received a lot of publicity as cold remedies. However, none of these claims are solidly supported by scientific studies.
Do not inflict your cold on others! Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, then throw the tissue away and wash hands.
Also, stay away from people who are most vulnerable, including anyone who has asthma or another chronic lung disease, or at least try to limit close contact.
Complications of a Cold
Colds get better within a few days to weeks, whether a person takes medication or not. It’s a self-limited condition.
However, a cold virus can pave the way for other infections to invade the body, including sinus infection, middle ear infection, pneumonia, and acute bronchitis (severe inflammation of the windpipe).
A common complication is a sinus infection (sinusitis) with a prolonged cough.
If you have asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema, the symptoms from those conditions may be worsened for many weeks even after the cold has gone away.
