Rhinovirus

 

Introduction:

The common cold is a viral infection of your nose and throat (upper respiratory tract). It's usually harmless, although it might not feel that way. Many types of viruses can cause a common cold.

 

Healthy adults can expect to have two or three colds each year. Infants and young children may have even more frequent colds.

Most people recover from a common cold in a week or 10 days. Symptoms might last longer in people who smoke. Generally, you don't need medical attention for a common cold. However, if symptoms don't improve or if they get worse, see your doctor.

 

Symptoms:

Symptoms of a common cold usually appear one to three days after exposure to a cold-causing virus. Signs and symptoms, which can vary from person to person, might include:

 

Runny or stuffy nose

Sore throat

Cough

Congestion

Slight body aches or a mild headache

Sneezing

Low-grade fever

Generally feeling unwell

The discharge from your nose may start out clear and become thicker and yellow or green as a common cold runs its course. This doesn't usually mean you have a bacterial infection.

 

When to see a doctor:

For adults — generally, you don't need medical attention for a common cold. However, seek medical attention if you have:

 

•Symptoms that worsen or fail to improve

Fever greater than 101.3 F (38.5 C) lasting more than three days

•Fever returning after a fever-free period

•Shortness of breath

•Wheezing

•Severe sore throat, headache or sinus pain

For children — in general, your child doesn't need to see his or her doctor for a common cold. But seek medical attention right away if your child has any of the following:

 

•Fever of 100.4 F (38 C) in newborns up to 12 weeks

•Rising fever or fever lasting more than two days in a child of any age

•Severe symptoms, such as headache, throat •pain or cough

•Difficulty breathing or wheezing

•Ear pain

•Extreme fussiness

•Unusual drowsiness

•Lack of appetite

 

 

Causes:

Although many types of viruses can cause a common cold, rhinoviruses are the most common cause.

 

A cold virus enters your body through your mouth, eyes or nose. The virus can spread through droplets in the air when someone who is sick coughs, sneezes or talks.

 

It also spreads by hand-to-hand contact with someone who has a cold or by sharing contaminated objects, such as eating utensils, towels, toys or telephones. If you touch your eyes, nose or mouth after such contact, you're likely to catch a cold.

 

Prevention:

Viruses that cause colds can spread from infected people to others through the air and close personal contact. You can also get infected through contact with stool (poop) or respiratory secretions from an infected person. This can happen when you shake hands with someone who has a cold, or touch a surface, like a doorknob, that has respiratory viruses on it, then touch your eyes, mouth, or nose.

 

You can help reduce your risk of getting a cold:

 

•Wash your hands often with soap and water.

•Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands. Viruses that cause colds can enter your body this way and make you sick.

Stay away from people who are sick.

Sick people can spread viruses that cause the common cold through close contact with others.

 

Treatment:

The common cold is a viral infection in your upper respiratory tract. Viruses cannot be treated with antibiotics. In most cases, viruses like the cold just need to run their course. You can treat the symptoms of the infection, but you can’t actually treat the infection itself.

 

Cold treatments generally fall into two main categories: over-the-counter (OTC) medications and home remedies.