What’s so common about the common cold?
We’ve all heard of the “common cold,” but sometimes the symptoms and conditons vary, making “common” a very broad definition. So what exactly is a common cold?
The common cold is, well, common. It refers to a mild illness involving the nose, upper lungs and throat. Symptoms include sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, cough, mild fever, headache and body aches.
What often causes confusion is that the term ‘cold’ lacks a precise medical definition, and doctors add to this confusion by using terms like ‘upper respiratory infection, bronchitis, and viral syndrome’ when the patient has a common cold.
How do we get the common cold?
Contrary to common belief, colds are spread more often by hand to hand contact than by a sneeze into the air.
Children will have an average of five to seven each year, and adults average about three a year. In the United States, a total of 23 million days of work are missed because colds every year. Colds are more common in the winter, but occur all year around.
Colds can usually last more than a week, and up to two weeks. Symptoms may also change during the course of the illness, and you may not have all the symptoms listed above with any particular cold.
What to do for a cold?
Nothing, really. Humidifiers, saline drops, and any one of the thousands of home remedies you’ve heard about might have a place, but good old fashion time is the only reliable treatment. Perhaps the most important thing to know about colds is to have good information on how they are treated. Antibiotics have no place in the treatment of a cold!
In reality, there is no treatment for a cold. In the United States, billions of dollars a year are spent on over-the-counter medicines for colds. While these medicines – typically decongestants and antihistamines – may relieve symptoms in some people, they do not work in everyone, have no effect on how quickly the cold gets better, and can have significant side effects, especially in the very young and very old. They can also interact with some medicines, especially high blood pressure medicines.
Again, over-the-counter medicines have a place, but should be used with caution. If you choose to take these medicines, read the labels carefully and call your doctor if you have any questions.
How to prevent colds?
There is not a good way to completely prevent getting a cold, but proper hand washing, wiping surfaces with disinfectants, and avoiding close contact with people who have colds can help.
Do you need to see a doctor if you have a cold?
In general, probably not. While it is impossible for me to list all of the reasons you should seek medical care, when in doubt, it is reasonable to see a doctor if you are not sure about your symptoms. For your own safety, if you see a doctor, do not expect to receive an antibiotic. Again, antibiotics have no place in the treatment of a cold, and can be very dangerous medicines- unnecessary use of antibiotics is generating superbugs that are difficult to treat.
On rare occasions, colds can develop into pneumonia or sinus infections, and these should be evaluated and treated by a doctor. Also, you should seek medical care if you have a high fever, severe symptoms, or have other diseases that make colds more dangerous. For example, patients with COPD should be evaluated early if they get a cold as a cold can cause a dangerous flare of their COPD.
So the best advice? Be happy with the reassurance that you only have a cold, and wait for it to get better on it’s own.