Symptoms and Treatments

The common cold is medically called viral rhinitis. It is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract that has defied any cure other than over-the-counter medication to relieve its flu-like symptoms. It afflicts both sexes at any age and is characterized by nasal congestion, coughs, runny nose, sneezing, scratchy throat and general body malaise.

Despite all its medical discoveries that have advanced various effective cures for some of the most difficult diseases, the common cold remains incurable. There are about 200 known viruses that cause it but they remain unchecked. Good thing the viral infection, while infectious, is neither serious nor deadly and the symptoms that attend the infection are more a discomforting annoyance than anything. The same types of virus are also known to cause bronchitis affecting the bronchial air passages to the lungs and laryngitis affecting the larynx or voice box making it difficult to talk.

Causes and Risk Factors of Common Cold

With the various strains of the rhino virus that cause the common cold, a vaccine is not feasible. Just as there are no cures to the infection, its causes are likewise unknown except that the risks of catching the virus increases when you are close or in contract with someone already infected. The common cold is communicable. An infected person throwing coughs and sneeze sprays into the air are enough for the virus to get airborne and infect someone with the misfortune to be close by.

Symptoms of Common Cold

The common cold virus does its mischief by irritating the upper respiratory tract, from the nose to the throat causing nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, sore and itchy throat and moderate couching. A slight fever is expected as your body’s immune system tries to fight off the viral strain. Headache and mild joint pains can also be experienced in severe cases which make the condition easily mistaken as influenza.

Typical common colds last 3 – 4 days and will go away without any treatment of its symptoms. The worst cases come with secondary bacterial infection of the sinus but limited to the nose or result in ear infections which can prolong the discomforts to a week or more.

Diagnosis of Common Cold

Diagnosis of the common cold often involves first eliminating the possibility it’s an influenza attack. But the symptoms are pretty much milder than in a case of Flu and a simple thermometer reading and a physical check on the mouth can confirm a common cold diagnosis.

Treatment of Common Cold

There is no clinically proven cure for the common cold. It comes and goes even without treating its symptoms within a few days, a week at the most. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, your doctor can prescribe some potent medication to relive any of them but any OTC drugs against cough and nasal/phlegmatic congestion can do the work.

Homebound herbal concoctions are also available as they’ve been effectively treating the common cold symptoms for centuries. There have been documented cases when an overdose of vitamin C at the onset of a common cold attack can shorten or lessen its symptoms. In any case, rest and plenty of liquids, preferably fresh and fortified juices are recommended.