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Common cold, also called RHINITIS or AFEBRILE coRyzA, a viral infection that starts in the upper respiratory tract, sometimes spreads to the lower structures, and may contribute secondary infections in the eyes or middle ears. The main differences between the common cold and other respiratory infections are the absence of fever and the relative mildness of the symptoms.
Over 90 different strains of virus are capable of producing colds. Frequently two or more different viruses can be isolated during a single episode. The incidence of common colds is related to age and environment: young children average 6 to 12 colds a year; their parents have approximately half as many; and single adults have only two to three episodes yearly. During the winter months, over 50 percent of a total population in given climates may acquire at least one common cold, while only 20 percent have colds during the summer. Colds are most prevalent in situations in which a number of people congregate close together, as in schools, large factories, and the military service.
The cold is spread by person-to-person contact. People can carry the virus and communicate it without themselves experiencing any of the symptoms. The reason for the greater incidence of colds in winter months is not known. Cold weather itself cannot produce a common cold (the infecting virus must be present); in cold weather, however, the body’s resistance mechanisms may be lowered by the greater expenditure of body heat and the frequent changes in temperature between outside and inside environments. Many cold epidemics seem to occur immediately after schools open in fall and in the early spring.
Pathologic changes occurnng in the mucous membrane that lines the nose, the nasal sinuses, the nasopharynx, and other upper respiratory passages may include tissue swelling, congestion of blood, and oozing of fluids.
During the acute phase of the disease, the respiratory secretions are altered by increase in serum proteins. Parts of cells may also be found in the fluids. Tissue repair is rapid and seems complete, although a relationship might exist between colds and more serious respiratory conditions.
Cold viruses enter the air during respiration, talking, sneezing, and coughing; incubation is short—usually one to four days. The viruses start spreading from an infected person before the symptoms appear, and the spread reaches its peak during the symptomatic phase. Resistance to infection may be lessened by emotional stress, fatigue, menstruation, and susceptibility to allergies.
Cold symptoms vary from person to person, but in the individual the same symptoms tend to recur in succeeding bouts of infection. Manifestations may include sneezing, headaches, fatigue, chilling, sore throat, inflammation of the nose (rhinitis), and nasal discharge. There is usually no fever. The symptoms usually last for only a few days and then leave. The nasal discharge is the first warning. The secretions become watery, clear, and excessive. Later, they thicken, increase in mucus and pus content, and may colour a yellow- green, with traces of blood. Coughing can be dry or produce amounts of mucus. Other more serious diseases with similar general symptoms may be mistaken for a cold; some of these are tuberculosis, bronchitis, lung abscesses, and inflammation around the heart (pericarditis, q.v.).
In the early 1970s no specific treatment for the common cold was available. Any treatment given, in most instances, was directed toward allaying of symptoms, coupled with rest and adequate fluid intake. Occasionally antibiotics were given to prevent secondary infections.
