Facts About The Common Cold

How Colds are Spread

Cold viruses grow mainly in the nose where they multiply in nasal cells and are present in large quantities in the nasal fluid of people with colds. The highest concentration of cold virus in nasal secretions occurs during the first three days of infection. This is when infected persons are most contagious.

Cold viruses may at times be present in the droplets that are expelled in coughs and sneezes.

Nasal secretions containing cold viruses contaminate the hands of people with colds as a result of nose blowing, covering sneezes, and touching the nose. Also, cold viruses may contaminate objects and surfaces in the environment of a cold sufferer. Young children are the major reservoir of cold viruses and a particularly good source of virus containing nasal secretions.

Experiments have demonstrated that a cold virus readily transfers from the skin and hands of a cold sufferer to the hands and fingers of another person during Virus on the fingers is transferred into the nose and eye by finger-to-nose and finger-to-eye contact. Virus deposited in the eye promptly goes down the tear duct into the nose. Once in the nose, a cold virus is transported by mucociliary action to the adenoid area where it starts an infection.

Cold Symptoms

Cold symptoms appear as early as 10 hours after a cold infection has started and increase in frequency and severity for 48 hours. After 48 hours, the symptoms usually begin to decline as the result of the natural course of the illness. For this reason, a cold treatment will do the most good when taken at the first recognition of symptoms. The treatment is thus applied over the period when most illness is expected (the first 3 days of infection).

The symptoms of a common cold include sneezing, runny nose, nasal obstruction, sore or scratchy throat, cough, hoarseness, and mild general symptoms like headache, feverishness, chilliness, and not feeling well in general.

Treatment

Cold treatments recommended in commoncold.org have been properly tested and found to be effective. Their side effects are known and are acceptable for treating a mild illness like a cold. They include the following: older antihistamines, nonsteroidal antinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), decongestants (vasoconstrictors) and cough suppressants

A common cold is a two step process. The first step is virus infection of nasal cells. The second step is the activation of the inflammatory mediators which directly cause the cold symptoms

Ideally, it is desirable to treat both parts of the process but currently drugs for treating the virus infection (antiviral) are not commercially available.

Categorised in: Preventive Care