Common cold: symptoms and treatment

[bholas]

The common cold is a viral infection that affects the upper airways including the nose, voice box, throat, windpipes and the lungs. There are more than two hundred viruses that can cause colds and are commonly known as rhinoviruses or the nose viruses. These viruses cause inflammation or swelling of the mucous membrane lining the airways.

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[bholas]

The cold virus is spread via air particles that are expelled while coughing or sneezing. It also spreads when someone with a cold rubs his eyes or nose and then touches an object such as a doorknob, towel, bed linen and other such commonly used articles. Colds are very contagious. Children are more likely to get a cold than adults because they are not immune to certain viruses that cause the cold

[bholas]

Early signs of a cold are a sore, scratchy throat, sneezing, and a runny nose. Other symptoms are headache, watering eyes, chills, weakness, cough and congestion, fever and muscle ache. The symptoms generally last for 2 to 7 days and in some cases may last for weeks.

[bholas]

There is no specific test to diagnose common cold. The diagnosis is based on the symptoms reported and the physical examination made by the doctor.

[bholas]

Drinking plenty of liquids can help. Water, juice, clear broth or warm lemon water with honey helps loosen congestion and prevents dehydration.