Definition
The common cold generally involves a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms. Over 200 viruses can cause a cold.
Symptoms
The three most frequent symptoms of a cold are:
Adults and older children with colds generally have minimal or no fever. Young children, however, often run a fever around 100-102°F.
Once you have "caught" a cold, the symptoms ...
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Definition
The common cold generally involves a runny nose, nasal congestion, and sneezing. You may also have a sore throat, cough, headache, or other symptoms. Over 200 viruses can cause a cold.
Symptoms
The three most frequent symptoms of a cold are:
Adults and older children with colds generally have minimal or no fever. Young children, however, often run a fever around 100-102°F.
Once you have "caught" a cold, the symptoms usually begin in 2 or 3 days, though it may take a week. Typically, an irritated nose or scratchy throat is the first sign, followed within hours by sneezing and a watery nasal discharge.
Within one to three days, the nasal secretions usually become thicker and perhaps yellow or green. This ...
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Causes
We call it the common cold for good reason. There are over one billion colds in the United States each year. You and your children will probably have more colds than any other type of illness. Children average three to eight colds per year. They continue getting them throughout childhood. Parents often get them from the kids. Colds are the most common reason that children miss school and parents miss work.
Children usually get colds from other children. When a new strain is introduced into a school or day care, it quickly travels through the class.
Colds can occur year-round, but they occur mostly in the winter (even in areas with mild winters). In areas where there is no winter, colds are most common during the rainy season.
When someone has a cold, their runny nose is teeming with cold viruses. Sneezing, nose-blowing, and ...
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Treatment
Get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids. Over-the-counter cold remedies may help ease your symptoms. These won't actually shorten the length of a cold, but can help you feel better.
NOTE: Medical experts have recommended against using cough and cold drugs in children under age 6. Talk to your doctor before your child takes any type of over-the-counter cough medicine, even if it is labeled for children. These medicines likely will not work for children, and they may have serious side effects.
Antibiotics should not be used to treat a common cold. They will not help and may make the situation worse. Thick yellow or green nasal discharge is not a reason for antibiotics, unless it doesn't get better within 10 to 14 days. (In this case, it may be sinusitis.)
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Outlook (Prognosis)
The symptoms usually go away in 7 to 10 days.
Prevention
It might seem overwhelming to try to prevent colds, but you can do it. Children average three to eight colds per year. It is certainly better to get three than eight!
Here are five proven ways to reduce exposure to germs:
- Switch day care: Using a day care where there are six or fewer children dramatically reduces germ contact.
- Wash hands: Children and adults should wash hands at key moments -- after nose-wiping, after diapering or toileting, before eating, and before preparing food.
- Use instant hand sanitizers: A little dab will kill 99.99% of germs without any water or towels. The products use alcohol to destroy germs. They are an antiseptic, not an antibiotic, so resistance can't develop.
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References
Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles of Infectious Diseases . 5th ed. New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone; 2000.
Long, SS, Pickering, LK, and Prober, CG, eds. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Elsevier; 2003.
Noble J, ed. Textbook of Primary Care Medicine . 3rd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2001.
