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| Dr. Yeibake, Weriwoyingipre Silver (Paediatrics) |
Affecting millions of people per year, the common cold is one of the most common illnesses worldwide. Despite its commonness, there are quite a lot of misconceptions about this mild upper respiratory tract disease that can be a significant cause of discomfort. This article is written to address some of those misconceptions.
The common cold, or simply cold, is a group of symptoms and signs due to an infection of the mucus membranes (the pink light covering of the surfaces of our nose, throat and windpipe) of the nose, throat, and windpipe (trachea).
Despite the name, it is NOT caused by cold weather or consumption of cold drinks or beverages.
The name was assigned because the illness has features that were observed to be the same as those people experienced when exposed to cold weather. However, it is actually caused by a diverse collection of over 300 different viruses. The most common of these are the rhinoviruses, followed by others like adenoviruses, human metapneumoviruses, and coronaviruses (except COVID-19, MERS and SARS).
These viruses get to the mucus membranes when we breathe in air containing the viruses (airborne transmission), when an infected person touches another person (direct contact) or when hands that have touched contaminated surfaces are used to touch the mucus membranes of our eyes, nose or mouth. The presence of the viruses causes our immune system to react to them, leading to a series of events called an inflammatory reaction.
That response leads to the symptoms and signs that include a runny nose, frequent sneezing, congestion, an itchy or sore throat, cough, mild fever, slight aches and pains, and tiredness. These features occur 2 to 3 days after a person was exposed to contaminated air, materials, or hands.
The risk factors for cold include extremes of age (children have 6 to 10 episodes per year), people with weakened immune systems and chronic (long-term) diseases, lack of sleep, close contact with someone with a cold, crowded environment, poor ventilation, smoking and exposure to indoor pollutants, and time of year.
The common cold is a mild disease that is usually cleared by our immune system in 7 to 10 days and rarely extends to 14 days. It does not require treatment, especially with antibiotics, and has no cure. However, quite a number of things can be done to relieve its symptoms and these include adequate rest, adequate intake of fluids to stay hydrated, use of over-the-counter medicines like pain-relievers (Paracetamol, Ibuprofen), antihistamines (Loratadine, Chlorpheniramine) and decongestants. Home remedies such as steam inhalation, saline sprays, honey, and lemon in warm water are also useful.
While self-help is useful in the management of mild diseases like the common cold, professional evaluation should be sought speedily if the symptoms and signs persist beyond 10 days, a high fever is noticed, there is difficulty with breathing or a severe headache.
Some preventive measures against the common cold include hand hygiene, adequate ventilation, a clean environment, practice of respiratory hygiene, avoiding or limiting close contact and a healthy lifestyle.
13/09/2025.
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