How do you get a cold? Ogden Nash said it this way.
I sneezed a sneeze into the air
It fell to earth I know not where
But cold and hard were the looks of those
In whose vicinity I snoze.
vh.org
Sneezes, Sniffles
Ian Maclean Smith, M.D.
Emeritus Professor
Department of Internal Medicine
University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Creation Date: 1994
Last Revision Date: 1994
Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed
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Perhaps you didn't think about it, but one of the advantages of old age is a relative freedom from the common cold. Young adults have 2-3 a year and the elderly 1 or less. The biggest incidence of colds is in children (up to 10 yearly), especially those under 2. There is an increase in colds in the early Fall and late Spring. About two-thirds of susceptibles get a cold when exposed and about two-thirds of these develop symptoms.
How do you get a cold? Ogden Nash said it this way.
I sneezed a sneeze into the air
It fell to earth I know not where
But cold and hard were the looks of those
In whose vicinity I snoze.
But in truth, one to two days after exposure to a friend or a stranger in a crowded ill ventilated room, or exposure to an infected doorknob or contaminated playing cards, one develops a stuffy, runny nose and watery eyes or sometimes a mild sore throat, some headache, and mild unwellness without fever, although mothers of children udner five often get bronchitis. Over half of children infected also have a bronchitis (inflamed lung tubes), but this is rare in adults. Often it is a family infection introduced by the youngest member who doesn't block his or her cough or blow their nose well. There are no serious complications, but a cold may aggravate asthma, sinusitis, middle ear disease, or chronic bronchitis. The common cold itself causes acute sinusitis in one- to two-thirds of those affected, but this does not persist. You will remain infectious for a week.
Almost 200 different viruses cause the common cold. The main ones are rhinovisuses (literally nose viruses) or corona viruses (crown-shaped like the solar corona under the electron microscope). These cause over 40% of all the respiratory illnesses of children and adults. Less commonly, other viruses such as reapiratory syncytial (cell fusing) virus or adenovirus (glandular virus) can, in small doses, cause a common cold.
The number of possible viruses causing a cold makes vaccine prevention (so far) impracticable. The symptoms are caused by inflammation, histamine release, and by the virus itself, so one can use an anti-inflammatory agent with an antihistamine (for sneezing) and a swelling reduction agent or decongestant. Aspirin or other anti-pain medicine may be added. That is, the composition of most over-the-counter cold "cures." Fluids, such as chicken soup, are helpful too. There is no scientific evidence that vitamin C cures a cold. The fact that there are over 200 common cold cures on sale tells you that we haven't found the cure yet. None of them works very well. Most have not been rigorously tested. Recently using interferon against inflammation, a viral anti-docking agent (receptor blockade), and an antiviral "antibiotic," promising results in shortening and decreasing the severity of the symptoms have been obtained. The interferon is expensive and irritating.
If you wait six days, the cold will cure itself. |
