COLD, COMMON

COLD, COMMON
A common cold (coryza is the technical term) is a very common viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. One
or more  of  several  hundred  different  rhinoviruses may  be  responsible. A  cold  is  a  distinct  entity  from  influenza,
which is caused by a different group of viruses.
Colds spread from one person to another in droplets of moisture in the breath, in a cough or in a sneeze. Once

inhaled,  the virus settles  in  the nose or  throat and starts multiplying rapidly. Crowds, confined spaces (eg. buses,
aircraft) and air conditioners that recycle air are renown for spreading the virus.  Most adults have a cold every year
or  two, usually  in winter. Children, because  they have not been exposed  to  these viruses before and so have no
immunity to them, may have ten or more infections a year.
A  sore  throat  and  nose,  runny  and/or  blocked  nose,  sneezing,  cough,  phlegm  in  the  back  of  the  throat,
headache,  intermittent  fever  and  tiredness  are  the main  symptoms.  A  secondary  bacterial  infection may  cause
pharyngitis or sinusitis.
No cure or prevention  is possible. The symptoms can be eased by aspirin or paracetamol  for headache and
fever, and medications for the cough, sore throat, runny nose and blocked sinuses. The more the patient rests, the
faster the infection will go away.
Many vitamin and herbal remedies are  touted as cures or preventatives, but when subjected  to detailed  trials,
none can be proved to be successful.
Colds usually last about a week, but some babies have a briefer course, while in others the first cold may lower
their  defences  so  that  they  can  catch  another  one,  and  then  another,  causing  cold  symptoms  to  last  for many
weeks.