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Common Cold
Overview:
The common cold is a viral infection of your upper respiratory tract — your nose and throat. A common cold is usually harmless, although it may not feel that way. If it's not a runny nose, sore throat and cough, it's the watery eyes, sneezing and congestion — or maybe all of the above. In fact, because any one of more than 200 viruses can cause a common cold, symptoms tend to vary greatly.
Signs and Symptoms:
Symptoms of a common cold usually appear about one to three days after exposure to a cold virus. Signs and symptoms of a common cold may include:
* Runny or stuffy nose
* Itchy or sore throat
* Cough
* Congestion
* Slight body aches or a mild headache
* Sneezing
* Watery eyes
* Low-grade fever (up to 102 F, or 39 C)
* Mild fatigue
Causes and Organs Affected:
Although more than 200 viruses can cause a common cold, the rhinovirus is the most common culprit, and it's highly contagious.
A cold virus enters your body through your mouth or nose. The virus can spread through droplets in the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks. But it also spreads by hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold or by using shared objects, such as utensils, towels, toys or telephones. Touch your eyes, nose or mouth after such contact or exposure, and you're likely to "catch" a cold.
Risk Factor:
Cold viruses are almost always present in the environment. But the following factors can increase your chances of getting a cold are Age, Immunity and Time of Year.
Treatment:
There's no cure for the common cold. Antibiotics are of no use against cold viruses. Over-the-counter cold preparations won't cure a common cold or make it go away any sooner, and most have side effects.
Other Information:
You may not be able to cure your common cold, but you can make yourself as comfortable as possible. Things that may help are Drink lots of fluids, Try chicken soup, Get some rest, Adjust your room's temperature and humidity, Soothe your throat and Use saline nasal drops.